Benefits of Dandelions in the Garden

[@dianecooper5686]

This year while watering my lawn I noticed tons of bees going from dandelion to dandelion. From that moment on I decided to let them be. Later I learned how much the bees rely on them for food when they come out of hibernation. They will always be encouraged from now on.

[@sandraruprecht4580]

I make dandelion honey out of the flower head with my grandma. Just take 250 dandelion flowers and a sliced ​​lemon and boil them in a liter of water for half an hour. Then let stand for 24 hours. Strain through a hair sieve and rag. Boil the liquid with one kilo of sugar for three quarters to an hour and pour into glasses. It's just like honey and very yummy.

[@songsayswhat]

My husband's a brewer and regularly harvests dandelion flowers for brewing. Myself, I've always said dandelions are Nature's favorite flower else they wouldn't be all over the place! Besides, everyone knows blowing the seeds away makes wishes come true.

[@lacheredenton5736]

Dandelions are also high in vitamin C too

[@fatjonseatingadventures5429]

Everything has a place and benefit, so good to understand

[@gwendyrose8905]

When I was planning my expanded garden this year, my SO was trying to get me to grow dandelions. I showed him the pink & white ones & told him those would be the only dandelions I would grow (trying to encourage diversity in the garden). He wasn't very happy that I found other colors of dandelions. 😉 After watching this video, though, I may grow them next year anyway. 😊

[@nikkitronic80]

Great video about the advantages of dandelions in the landscape! So glad you did this! I've been trying to convince people for years about the wonders of "weeds" in the garden!
Thanks Gardner Scott!
♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️

[@garynorcal4269]

Weed definition = anything growing were you don't want it.
My neighbors aphid attracting maple tree is a weed to me. But, it provides the neighborhood kids with a swing in the front yard.
Just perspective as to what is a weed.
🙂🙃🙂😉

[@Ezummmaryam]

In Russia we make a dandelion jam

[@fillmorehillmore8239]

There was another guy on YT that spoke of this a while back and ever since then I haven't touched the plant. Your video is a bit better IMO and is greatly appreciated.

[@juliepizzolato1911]

I've always had a special spot in my heart reserved just for the "lowly" Dandy...Loving all you share from North Idaho zone 6a 💚🌻🌿

[@maggiemanzke7926]

Medicinal teas, salad greens, pollinator flowers, soil amendment, they're awesome!

[@TheSamba37]

When someone says weeds the first thing that comes to my mind is Japanese knotweed. AFAIC, it's only a weed if it's on a local noxious weed list.

[@Bina6019]

I actually plant dandelions every year. I have a friend who digs hers up and I counteract that with planting more seeds in my yard. It is one of the first flowers for the bees. I love the dandelions!

[@pecker556]

I read that a company is reviving a WW2 process of developing rubber from dandelions, in order to supplement and/or make tires more sustainable. Apparently instead of chemicals needed to process the rubber out of rubber trees, it can be gotten from dandelions using hot water.

[@equalsine6355]

One other thing to note is their diuretic properties, as eluded to by their french name, which translates to "wet the bed." I've found this is most pronounced when making a tea from the root. The roots smell pleasant when roasting them, a part in the process of creating the tea or coffee substitute. It reminds me of carob. Also, dandelions make great food for guinea pigs!

[@adampetherick6266]

I did mine own experiment long time ago I like half go to weed and half barrel is soil the plants with weeds growing in between 4 to 5 degrees cooler and I had to water less and no runoff

[@AlbaLynxQueen]

I have almost nothing other than dandelions on my land. It's covered with them like with snow. I just mow them like lawn and leave them on the ground. This year made coffee and marmalade out of them.

[@joelwhite4963]

Dandelions sure grow fast. After I mow my lawn the dandelions are the first thing to pop back up.
I keep bees and the dandelion is a good producer of pollen for the bees. They use the pollen for obtaining protein and fats in their diet. Quite a few bumblebees and native bees use them as well.
The common dandelions we have in North America were introduced from Europe.

[@melissasullivan1658]

You know what’s interesting, is the hidden history of making a wish on the dandelion seed heads as children. I wonder if it’s a throw back to a time when we were all encouraged to grow more dandelions on our land back in the day. Perhaps that tradition carried on through familial generations, but then the sub/urban shifts toward super-clean landscaping totally negated the entire point of the dandelion wish. And then we forgot why we did it at all. 🧐

[@shadyman6346]

I remember doing that!

[@matthewfarrell317]

@@shadyman6346 I still encourage my kids to do that.

[@Melissa-gn3dv]

Wow! Why have I been pulling these out? You've saved me a lot of work.

[@lyndabuchholz1216]

My oldest son was so excited to bring me a bunch of dandelions when he was a tiny boy. It turned out he was allergic to them. So I got him on those desensitize shots and he is much better now that he is grown. I don't have a problem with them here especially when I hear all the good they do.

[@VickyHafler]

Love ❤️ dandelions.

[@lynnchantler96]

Love this information and I'm intrigued to plant some pink dandelions now. As always, thanks Gardener Scott, for pointing out the simple, mundane things in the garden we take for granted.

[@randyketcham3840]

Thanks for the video Scott. You explained more details about why to let the dandelions grow. Also saw another video that was not as good on YT. I also have noticed that in the past couple of years that as we maintain our lawn and let the clover and dandelions grow, the grass has actually filled quite a few of the the thin spots and seems to be more healthy.

[@vivianyerton7937]

Last year I tried dandelion root ☕ it was amazingly delightful. I'm searching for more plants this year to make more

[@jacquelinedoud6506]

Dandelions are precious. I want to add a few tid-bits; Grampa said, "... in WW2 they used the white juice on their boots as a water proofer. Dad, in/from France said, " as they cultivated the dandelions, they'd slowly build up the soil around bottom leaves and they became fleshy-crispy, rather like celery, though pale."
Lambsquarter, another prolific weed, is like spinach. The seeds can be ground as flour.
Gads, then there's Evening Primrose... the entire plant is edible... and medicinal.
Just found your site.... thoroughly indulging...and sharing...
And, thank you for responding re; paint on interior of new raised beds, last week.

[@adampetherick6266]

I to fall into the trend of weeding your garden and keeping your garden nice and neat but ti took me three years to find out i was damaging the soil life..

[@dayleneyandell7937]

I used to live in Zeeland Michigan and every spring we had a dandelion festival. A parade, longest dandelion contest and dandelion flavored ice cream.

[@GardenerScott]

I haven't heard of that. Thanks for sharing.

[@elisataylor556]

I have about an 8 foot wide patch in my front yard that is too steep to get a mower to and cut down so I've allowed the dandelions to grow wild. It's about 8 foot by half an acre and every day I have a beautiful patch of yellow in the midst of an otherwise manicured lawn. I wish I'd thought of this years ago.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

Pink dandelions, wonders if it's dominant ore recessive, and of all the flowers in the area start turning pink. We tried growing chicory once, but then we tasted it and pulled it all out. The flowers are among the most beautiful ever.

[@DawnWheat]

I love this!! I've had many conversations recently about how dandilions aren't weeds, but this video told me more than I knew about it. Thanks!

[@kjrchannel1480]

It is amazing how fast these grow new flowers and send up new seed heads the day after mowing. I do however find it frustrating when I plant strawberries or other plants and they either grow back from root or from seed almost as if it was part of it. One odd thing I have been noticing in my yard is multiple cloned blooms on the same stalk. Sometimes they are at the end, while other times the stalk is split near the top. I don't mind them being in my grass/weed patch, but in my flower beds I prefer to keep things tamed. On a different note when saving rain water the other day I have no doubt it was depositing sulphur with it because of recent volcanic fallout. The film when dried was yellow and powdery so it most likely is sulphur. It was almost like soap scum in nature. I am also in the Midwest. It also most likely seeded the rain storms with hail I had. In the past 2 weeks.

[@ejfishes7610]

Very educational Gardener Scott! I learned something new, thank you!

[@tammibolender3785]

I have never eaten dandelions, I really should try it. We have tons of them in our yard, mainly because I love kicking to fluffy heads and watching the fluffy seeds fly. I love them and enjoy dispersing their seeds like this. The guy across the street has his yard treated to be weed free, my yard likely gives him a heart attack, lol.

[@allisontakata5119]

Thank you for relieving my thoughts on the good ole dandelion! My family had a sulcata tortoise and he loved dandelions!!! It was the perfect organic food! We now live in high desert area with 3 acres of wild growth. I have been stressing over weeds and how to control them, we keep our land clear of chemicals, so it’s a challenge! Thank you for reminding me....it’s not a weed!!! 😁 I see dandelion greens in the produce section too!

[@conniedavidson1807]

First! Yeah. I just got my first Comfrey and Chamomile plants in the mail. Now I have to get them planted.

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

When I think "weed", I think crab grass and chick weed.
I look at dandelion as food
If you encourage dandelion to grow, they can get quite big.

[@stephenluna7932]

I still LOVE dandylions

[@norseknowhow]

So much I didn’t know about dandelions! Thank you again for the great video! I will let these nice yellow flowers stay in my garden from now on. 😀

[@hoon_sol]

The fact that you look somewhat like Jeff Bridges combined with the dandelion tufts blowing right back in your face in the intro made me chuckle, as it reminded me of when Walter tries to spread Donny's ashes over the cliffs and into the sea at the end of The Big Lebowski, only to have them fly right back in the face of The Dude due to failing to consider the wind direction.

[@serrielu8025]

I thought that same thing on his wood ash video. Check it out . Ha

[@jean-pierreposman7282]

i love them too in my garden . it full off them between my beds . but between the stones in my frontyard its a pest and the owner of the house and the neighbours too . you now how people are ...

[@IsabelleIsabelle01]

In Quebec we call it pee in bed (pissenlit) because our grand mothers made tea out of it for bladder infection but i use corn hair

[@LorienGreen]

I've been a fan of Euell Gibbons since childhood, so I'm not a hater on dandilions at all, and PINK DANDELIONS?! I never knew! Thanks for helping to spread the word of the virtue of this plant. Pioneers valued it so highly as a springtime burst of much-needed nutrients.

[@GardenerScott]

There aren't many of us who still remember Euell Gibbons. That's great!

[@joefrancis759]

The popularity of expansive lawns has indeed been the demise of a number of things. Dandy's make great chicken snacks too.

[@adampetherick6266]

Omg thankyou

[@spearfamilyfarm9330]

Great video! Thank you!

[@carleanr4051]

My HOA sure doesn’t appreciate them!😬

[@johndyer9232]

Oh, well. They’ll survive 🙂

[@ATAPORGANIK1502DKS]

remember When I Child with my grand ma,,

[@jacquelinelane3159]

Hi, I've just got thousands of seed blow over into my veg garden. They are even in my greenhouse.

[@flatsville1]

Take your dandelion flowers. Dip in pancake or cornbread (a bit runny) batter & fry in 2 in of hot oil. Serve with butter & honey.

[@ecologytoday]

Thanks for this video. I have been struggling this month of "No Mow May" to get other gardeners to stop battling dandelions.
It is charming to see the bees going from dandelion to dandelions when few other pollinator blooms are available. Ontario had removed most of the most terrible herbicides but still people are obsessed with eradicating this fine plant.

[@udderstuff5554]

Look at research on dandelion pollen and bees. Dandelions are NOT good for bees.

[@holzmann8443]

@@udderstuff5554 The bees in that study were kept in cages and fed a single source diet (dandelions). I wouldn't take those results too seriously. That was also european honeybees exclusively, there are hundreds of different insect pollinators and solitary bees who might enjoy dandelions as part of their diet.

[@udderstuff5554]

@@holzmann8443 incorrect. There are studies that included native solitary bees and also were fed varying percentages of dandelion pollen mixed with other pollens. It was found in solitary bees that any amount of dandelion pollen reduced brood production and caused brood death. It just increases the more they are fed. So ignore the science all you want just because you want to fit your narrative to squelch lawns. The issue isn't with cut lawns so much as the use of pesticides.

[@udderstuff5554]

@@holzmann8443 in fact the European honeybees are actually less succeptable to dandelion. It doesn't cause brood death in the European honey bee it just stops the brood cycle. Which may he beneficial for the varroa mite, but I don't think anyone has studied the use as such. However American native bees it causes brood / larva death not just a break in the cycle.

[@holzmann8443]

@@udderstuff5554 I don't want to squelch lawns, follow narratives, or use pesticides. Perhaps I'm not the enemy you think.
Interesting stuff that the dandelion pollen isn't doing anyone any good. I'll have to look into that further.

[@NONAMESLEFTNONE]

This is GREAT info. (I want to try one now.)

[@Gkrissy]

Great video Gardener Scott. When the spring started I started to see a bunch of dandelions pop up in my garden and I remembered your advice about not all “weeds” are bad and could be beneficial. So I did some research and thought wow, dandelions are actually fixing calcium in my soil and helping my compact Georgia clay soil. I’ve noticed compared to last year, my soil is less compacted, has more humus due to use of compost and woodchips.

[@dragonmammma]

Ooh, I want those pink dandelions! Must get some when I go to the Baker's Creek seed store next week. Also, I love that shirt! Do you ever sell it, or is it available elsewhere?

[@GardenerScott]

I sell the shirts I wear through the links below my videos. Thanks for asking.

[@dragonmammma]

@@GardenerScott I don't see the one you're wearing.

[@dragonmammma]

Never mind, I found it!

[@abruwer08]

Well I know that they brewed the roots of dandelions for a coffee substitute. In any case we have them here in the Eastern Cape/South African climate and I'm definitely leaving them to grow. Next time I see some I'll definitely will try and harvest some seed. But we have host of other flowers and bushes from our local veld I'm trying to propagate. We have bright yellow gazanias here that are very drought resistant that I manage to propagate last season. Might as well add the dandelions to list.

[@kalisvarkrom9937]

I never had problem with Dandelions.

[@Maria___28]

My family in Greece eats them

[@HeyJudeDistributing]

I knew I liked you! I have light yellow, dark yellow and PINK dandelions.

[@katrina2384]

I'm experimenting with dandelions this year. First was jelly and it is so delicious. Next up was wine but we have to wait a while before enjoying it. The jelly alone was worth getting pink seeds to see what difference there might be, nevermind that I'm not yet sure where to plant them. 😆

[@talesfromlastnight6109]

I have not seen a bee in years. Maybe over a decade.

[@udderstuff5554]

Dandelions inhibit brood production or outright kills bee brood so lack of dandelions are not the problem. Pesticides are....

[@herlemaggard69]

Clicked because i thought it was The Dude in thumbnail

[@suffolkshepherd]

At the start of these videos, in the top left corner, Gardner Scott is by bird houses. Does anyone have the link tp that video? I haven't seen it and would like to . Thanks!

[@GardenerScott]

Those are strawberry towers that I made for this video: th-cam.com/video/dXn_KMH5ElA/w-d-xo.html

[@kmiller6002]

What are the ones that grow much taller but still look just like a dandelion? And are they also edible Gardener Scott? Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Everyone stay safe and God Bless you and your family from middle GA 🙏 Kendra

[@GardenerScott]

You're probably thinking of Calendula.

[@kmiller6002]

@@GardenerScott they're growing wild in my yard and look exactly like dandelions just much taller

[@annestudley8235]

Dandelions do a lot of good things, as you said. However, if dandelions tell me that the soil isn't very good, how come they grow in my very rich compost pile? Just because they can grow in poor soil doesn't mean that that's the only place they can grow, so you can't tell just by finding a dandelion in a place exactly what kind of soil it's growing in.

[@GardenerScott]

They can certainly grow in rich soil, but tend to be more obvious in areas where few other plants are growing.

[@MrBadger236]

Are all the parts of the Pink Dandilion eatable as wee?

[@GardenerScott]

They are and some say they are less bitter.

[@danielbridgewater3444]

God didn't create any weeds. He did however create an endless variety of awesome plants for us to enjoy & use. The only weeds I see are man made GMO crops.

[@B1rdLadee]

I think someone else said it already, but a weed is just a plant that grows where you don’t want it. Technically, sunflowers are weeds, as is Basil, mint and dill. But tell that to someone with an upset stomach, or someone who loves Italian food or pickles. I’m sure when the bees look at us, they think we’re the real pests....

[@lucypearlmorgan3115]

I would agree with the bees at least sometimes! Lol

[@nkc9788]

No thank you, I do fine with out them lol!

[@longfootbuddy]

you arent dandy lying about this, are you?

[@heidiclark6612]

Sorry just cannot embrace dandelions. I know everything has a good side.