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When planning an herbal garden it is important to decide what herbs you want to grow. Then decide where you're going to plant them. Will it be indoors or outdoors? Is there enough sunlight? Is the soil loose with good drainage or very firm and rocky? And so on; these are just a few things you will want to consider in the planning stage. Once you have decided what herbs you want, it's a good idea to separate them into groups. Separate the perennials from the annuals, and separate the herbs that will need full sun from the ones that grow well in partial shade. It's a good idea to plant the taller herbs in back and the shorter ones in front of the garden so that all may benefit from good sunlight. Be sure to make space between the rows. This is important so that you can reach all the plants for watering and upkeep. I place stepping stones in my garden. They not only look very nice, but I find it easier for upkeep and harvesting.
THE RIGHT SOIL
When you decide to start an herb bed, walk out to the yard and look at the area you wanted to plant herbs in. Dig up a small portion of the soil. If it was too firm and rocky, with a mild to moderate amount of clay, this a common soil problem in many areas. A good remedy for this is to till up the soil and add equal parts of peat, fertilizer, and compost. and added perlite and a small amount of sawdust. Peat is made up of old plant material and it is on the acidic side and it comes from bogs. Perlite is a volcanic mineral. You have seen it as those little white beads in potting soil. Compost is made up of old clippings and food material mixed together and left to combine over several months. Fertilizer is usually made up of manure, and can be obtained at any nursery. Mix all of these well with the outdoor soil. This combination is also good for using in raised beds along! with the usual top soil or potting soil.
Another good idea for planting in poor soil is to plant in clay pots and bury them 2/3 into the ground. An advantage to this is in the fall you can always dig them up and bring them indoors for maintenance through the winter months. A word of caution if you choose to use clay pots. You'll want to make sure that they are very clean and free of bacteria before you use them. You can clean them by submerging them in a mix of 1 part bleach and 9 parts very hot but not boiling water. Let them soak for several hours then rinse well and allow them to air dry. You can clean your garden tools in much the same way. Or you can wipe them off with rubbing alcohol and let them air dry.
After cleaning the pots, paint the insides with lead free cement paint. This will prevent the water from being absorbed into the soil around the pots. There is no need to paint the pots if you're keeping them indoors.
PLANTING
If you are growing from seeds, it's best to start in early March, so the seedlings will be ready for planting in early May. Follow the package instructions as to how deep to plant the seeds. Another way to start from seeds is called pre-sprouting. Wet a paper towel and place the seeds on it then cover it with another wet paper towel. Place it in a sealed plastic bag. If kept in a warm spot the seeds should begin to sprout within a couple of days. Then place them into the soil. Be sure the seed plants have at least 12 to 14 hours of good sunlight each day. If you live in a cooler area and it's not possible to leave the plants outside then a good plant light will do just as well. If you plan to keep your herb garden indoors in pots, then a plant light would be a very good investment, unless you have a large window with alot of warmth and sunlight. I almost always plant under the cancer moon. This is generally a good moon for planting almost anything.
BUG PROBLEMS?
One very important point to be aware of if you're planting herbs for consumption, never never use a chemical pesticide on them. You don't want to eat that stuff. I always use an insecticidal soap in my herb garden and in the pots I keep outside. You can find them at most nurseries and they are environmentally friendly.
Another problem you might come across is mildew. It looks like a white powder on the leaves. If you see this starting you will have to pull the whole plant and some of the surrounding soil as well. Whatever you do, don't throw any diseased plants into your compost heap. It will infect the whole thing. Be sure to keep the plants well trimmed for good air circulation. Sunlight is also important for keeping them dry. Another problem is called "Damping Off" I didn't know what this was when I first saw it in the garden. It looked awful. It's a fungus infection on the plants that kills them just after they are planted. Like mildew it is caused by too much moisture. Again you will have to pull up the plant along with some of the surrounding soil. If the plant is in a pot make sure that you clean the pot as stated earlier. The person I spoke with at the local nursery here, who is also an herbalist, told me to water the new plants with a combination of chamomile and nett! le tea. It helps to kill the fungus until they are ready to be planted outside.
HARVESTING
When harvesting your herbs it's best to harvest them when they are dry. For flower harvesting, take them only after they have bloomed. The only exception that I know of is with lavender. Harvest lavender before the buds open if possible. For harvesting leaves be sure to take them before the flowers start to bloom if you can. When harvesting roots, dig them up in the fall, making sure you leave some to re-grow next year. When harvesting seeds wait until the seeds are just starting to fall off the plants. For drying your herbs just snip off a few sprigs from the plant and tie them into small bundles and hang them to dry in a cool dry area. You can also dry them by laying them on a flat rack made out of window screening. This way air will circulate on all sides of the plants. I recommend the rack method for drying the roots. It works much better for them.
STORING YOUR HERBS
Once the herbs are dried you can store them in clean dark glass jars with tight fitting lids. If you don't have dark glass jars just use the regular canning jars. Sometimes they are called Mason Jars. Another way of storing them is in a clean tin can with a tight fitting lid. Then you can enjoy your home grown herbs for months to come. Good luck and happy gardening.
shazbot3
Very interesting stuff, Elena. Have you had any experience with using a food dehydrator? I don't have a whole lot of room in my home for drying a lot of herbs, and was wondering if a dehydrator would change the aroma or potentcy of the herbs at all?
Elena
Not I but maybe someone else has had experience with that. I just had this article for possible use it in the future and decided to share it here. I collect articles about everything imaginable. That doesn't necessarily mean I have tried it though. LOL
God's Warrior
Herb Garden
Library viewing options: alphabetically by season by department Herbs Indoors Herbs are an excellent choice for a seeding project because of their versatility. They can be grown in containers, garden beds, in window boxes, or in your kitchen. Many herbs are pretty to look at plus they have a nice smell to them and can be used in your cooking later on. Some people also use them in dried arrangements or for their medicinal qualities.
How To Start Seeding:
Plants should be started anywhere from Late February early March. 1. Fill small pots with a soil that has equal parts of vermiculite, perlite, and sphagnum peat moss which is ideal for seed germinating. Gerten's professional mix can be used for this mixture. Place the seeds in the soil as deep as it is stated on the seed packet. Each plant has a different depth at which it needs to be planted at for proper germination. The larger the seed the deeper it must be planted. 2. Label each set of seeds and water the seeds thoroughly with a mister or a spray bottle that will not displace the seeds, but do not soak. The seeds should not be allowed to dry out completely or be over watered or else they will die. Place the pots in a warm area or on a seeding heat mat. The bottom heat generated from the heating mat increases germination and rooting of the seeds. The heat generated is 20 degrees higher than air temperature. 3. Seeds need adequate light to grow and some seeds need it to germinate. During the winter months it is best to use artificial florescent grow lights instead of relying on weak natural light. Place the light 2-4" from the surface of the seed tray cover. Once the seedlings have emerged they require 12-14 hours of light per day. 4. Thin the seedlings out once they have emerged by choosing the largest plant in each cell and pulling and discarding all the others. Place the seedlings in a south or a west facing window where they will get as much sun as possible or continue using grow lights. Harvesting: Herbs used for cooking can be harvested anytime throughout the season. The best spot to cut them is to cut them at a point a few inches down the stem. Cutting them also encourages new growth and causes the plant to become much fuller. Problems: Herbs usually don't have too many problems with diseases or insects. Most insect problems that they do have can be controlled with an insecticidal soap. The biggest problem that herbs tend to have is with root rot, especially if they are being grown in containers. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that they are not being watered too often and that they are being grown in a well-drained soil. Proper spacing can also help prevent diseases.
Varieties of herbs:
a.. Basil all different types
b.. Caraway
c.. Catnip
d.. Chives
e.. Cilantro/coriander
f.. Dill
g.. Hyssop
h.. Lavender
i.. Marjoram
j.. Peppermint
k.. Pineapple Mint
l.. Spearmint
m.. Oregano
n.. Parsley
o.. Rosemary
p.. Sage common
q.. Sage golden
r.. Sage pineapple
s.. Sage purple
t.. Santolina
u.. Savory
v.. Tarragon
w.. Thyme
x.. Watercress
texaspampas
I wish I had seen some of this earlier this year! I talked to a trusted nurserywoman,kid,man (all at different times) last year and got good information, but none of them ever said don't plant perennials and annuals together! We did have our soil tested, put our own compost and other stuff in with the soild, which boosted our tomato crop - largely plants we experimented with and left them over winter, covering them during freezes. I was nice harvesting tomatoes in March! However, the tomatoes we planted this spring did not do well.
Also, this was the fourth (fifth?) year we have tried growing rosemary, and the first time we've put it in the ground. The other times it died. This time, it died. We put it in the same herb bed as the basil, chives, and Italian parsley (which also died), using all the best compost (ours) and other composts. --The basil is growing so well, I'm going to have to make pesto sauce and freeze it. One friend asked me not to give her any more -- The reason we put it in the ground this year is because the town of Fredericksburg, north of San Antonio, which is hotter and colder than here, has rosemary shrubbery thoughout the downtown area. Surely, it would grow here. The last horticulturist we talked to (last week) said to plant it, but to dig a big hole, fill it with water and if it doesn't drain within 30 minutes, that is our problem. We don't have rocky soil here but various concentrations of clay and topsoil, which is why we had it tested and improved it.
Not to be beaten, we bought another rosemary plant Sorry this is so long!
God's Warrior
DON'T apologize for the post being long! My word! It is absolutely wonderful seeing some of our people posting. I know that everyone must get bored to tears seeing my posts all the time and very few others. I am thrilled! I dearly hope that this will encourage other folks to start posting.
I remember your telling me that you had tomatoes that made it through the winter. My sister, Barbara, in Houston, had the same thing happen to her tomatoes. That is just freaky. LOL
I hope that you will be able to use the information to go on to bigger and better things, so to speak. It is great knowing that it might help you in your endeavors. Please let us know from time to time how things are working or not working for you.
I too love rosemary and hopefully have finally found a variety that can survive our winters. It made it through last winter and I am hoping it can survive the one to come.
texaspampas
herb gardening
Yay!! The new rosemary is still alive! We haven't it, yet, but did buy a moisture meter - this way John and I can coordinate the watering since he would water, not knowing I had just done it, and vice-versa.
My basil is really bushy and I need to start making pesto soon - I've never done that before, because in the past the basil always died.
Does anyone have a good pesto sauce? I've seen several, but they are all different.
God's Warrior
Congratulations on getting the basil to this point. I am impressed. I have never made pesto sauce (never raised basil actually) but you should be able to find a good recipe online. I always just search for recipes by entering the key words and then looking at all of the options until I find one that I like best. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out, ok?
I wish I had seen some of this earlier this year! I talked to a trusted nurserywoman,kid,man (all at different times) last year and got good information, but none of them ever said don't plant perennials and annuals together! We did have our soil tested, put our own compost and other stuff in with the soild, which boosted our tomato crop - largely plants we experimented with and left them over winter, covering them during freezes. I was nice harvesting tomatoes in March! However, the tomatoes we planted this spring did not do well.
-- The reason we put it in the ground this year is because the town of Fredericksburg, north of San Antonio, which is hotter and colder than here, has rosemary shrubbery thoughout the downtown area. Surely, it would grow here. The last horticulturist we talked to (last week) said to plant it, but to dig a big hole, fill it with water and if it doesn't drain within 30 minutes, that is our problem. We don't have rocky soil here but various concentrations of clay and topsoil, which is why we had it tested and improved it.
Sorry this is so long!