“Bolting” is not just a term for hardware. It is also a horticultural word meaning going to seed. The term “bolt resistant” is used to describe plants bred or selected to delay flowering and the setting of seed. Often seed catalogs will tout that a plant variety is “slow to bolt.” Plants prone to bolting include lettuce, spinach, radishes, cilantro, and others. When these plants go to seed, the leaf turns bitter and the plant’s productivity ends. Bolting is triggered by hot days. You can also sow bolt prone plants many times during the summer, providing successive harvests.
Growing Home: Bolting
