A bitter end to a sweet crop: why do plants ‘bolt’? by Jeff Pieper

What is bolting? Bolting is when a plant’s growth suddenly goes from being leaf based, or vegetative growth, to being flower and seed based, or reproductive growth. A tell-tale sign that a vegetable has bolted is the elongation of the stem, or the formation of a central flower stalk in a very short period of time. Once you see this you know that the vegetative growth stage is over and that flowering, or reproductive growth stage, has begun. Many of the plants that we find bolting here in Eagle County are plants that we are trying to grow out of their preferred growing conditions, think of trying to grow lettuce in the heat of the summer. Often times when plants switch to a reproductive growth stage it consequently leads to declining flavor, i.e., a bitter taste and a woody texture. Why does bolting occur? Bolting is a survival mechanism for a plant. The majority of the plants we grow in our gardens are annuals, and an annual plant’s life-cycle is to grow and produce seed in one seaso