I’ll never forget the first time I went herb shopping. I read a book about housecleaning with herbs. How cool I thought. The lady who wrote the book talked about putting mint in her wash water, so away I went in search of mint. I knew I liked the smell of mint and the way my mouth felt cool when I chewed mint gum, so I reasoned why wouldn’t I like cleaning with mint?
When I got to the nursery I was shown a candy mint. The lady encouraged me to smell it. It did have a candy smell to it, sweet, but refreshing. That plant was going home with me. What other plants were there that smelled good I asked. She showed me numerous other herbs, but I don’t remember any of them as clearly as I do the candy mint.
When I got home, I planted it in the ground and promptly cut off all the leaves – every last one. I assumed it would grow back. What a mistake! Not only did I lose the plant but when I went back to get more they were all gone! I did however, enjoy mopping the floor and doing dishes that day! What a delight it was to work with candy mint!
That was my introduction to herb gardening. Within the next two months I had a proper herb garden complete with different varieties of mint, dill, horseradish, lemon balm, thyme, oregano and a slew of other fragrant leaved herbs including scented geraniums.
Since I had no idea what to do with these plants other than use them in my wash water, I went to the library to find out. Wow! Potpourri! How cool that idea was! I could make my own. Then I discovered I could make incense. Awesome! The real eye opener however was that they were edible! Imagine that, scented and edible! What more could one ask for!
From that day on, herbs went into everything. Friends started talking about coming to my house to eat weeds in their foods. Even my kids were saying I fed them weeds! I patiently explained they were herbs, but not a lot of people caught my drift. I kept on using them, experimenting, sometimes using a bit too much, sometimes not enough. My love of herbs grew. No garden was complete without them. I brought them into the house in winter, then as I graduated to a greenhouse, added them there.
My first few herb gardens were hodge podge gardens with this herb and that herb mixed together. No one but me could tell what the herbs were. I tried labeling but the labels broke or were blown away. Today my herb garden is being revamped. It is being moved into raised beds with one type of herb per bed. I am still working on labeling ideas, but at least they are organized.
From that tiny candy mint plant years ago, I have evolved. Herbs I now grow include culinary sage, yarrow, thyme, lemon balm, lime balm, hops, horseradish, comfrey, spearmint, peppermint, pineapple mint, banana mint, chocolate mint, fennel, chamomile, rue, hyssop, motherwort, parsley, dill, oregano, lady’s bedstraw, sweet grass, vanilla grass, echinacea, St.John’s Wort as well as a slew of others. On my most wanted list is candy mint, ginseng and goldenseal.
If you haven’t started an herb garden, there is no better time than now. Growing your own herbs will not only delight you if you toss a few into your wash water, but will liven up your cooking, your bath time and many can be used medicinally to boot!
Filed under Exotic Gardening, Herb Gardening by on Oct 20th, 2009. 3 Comments. 
The cool, crisp days of September are upon us. Most of the garden harvest is in and you may be thinking of putting your garden to bed for the winter. But wait! There is still time to plant more cool season crops in the Mid-West.
While it is true what you can plant this month is limited, there are still quite a few options for your fall and winter garden. Prepare your cold frames and frost covers just in case you need them. Remember you can make a cold frame from four bales of straw and an old window. This will protect young seedlings as well as older plants from frost or chilly nights.
This month you can direct sow argula, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, lettuce, mache, mustard, parsley, peas, radish, sorrel, spinach and turnips. You can also transplant Chinese cabbage starts into the garden if you have any. Remember to keep your seeds and seedlings well watered. Getting your plants to grow well right now is the key to keeping them alive longer. Cool weather plants that are fully grown can be stored and harvested directly in the garden if they are given adequate protection from frost and fridgid weather.
If you are looking to plant cover crops over part of your garden, September is the time to plant alfalfa, buckwheat, hairy vetch, mustard, oats, radish, winter rye and winter wheat.
Want to learn more about gardening year round? Pre-order a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year-Round Gardening written by Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson.
Filed under Gardening News, Vegetable Gardening by on Sep 4th, 2009. Comment.
The dog days of summer are indeed upon us. August is one of the hottest months of summer. It is also time when children return to school and you may find you have a bit more time to garden than you did this summer.
Here in Indiana, zone 5/6, there is still plenty of time to plant cool weather crops. Some of these crops have their flavor enhanced when frost hits them. Other crops can be grown almost all winter with the use of cold frames or hoop houses. Cold frames and hoop houses do not cost a lot to make, but can provide an unlimited amount of protection for fall and winter crops.
A simple cold frame can be made out of four bales of straw and a window. Simply set the bales of straw up in a way so they are end to end in a square and place an old window on top. A hoop house can be made using plastic conduit and a piece of 6 mil. plastic. Simply push one end of the conduit into the ground, gently bend it over so the other end touches the ground on the other side of the piece that is in the ground and push it down. Put the conduit pieces two feet apart, making the hoop house as long as you like, cover with 6 mil. plastic and put sand bags, rocks or bricks on the plastic that touches the ground to hold it down.
Some good crops to direct sow this month include arugula, beets, carrots, chard, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, peas, radish, sorrel, lettuce, spinach and turnip. Cover crops include alfalfa, buckwheat, cowpeas, mustard, oats, radish and sunflower.
If you still have plants in your greenhouse or have access to seedlings, August is a good time to transplant young plants of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce and scallions.
Want to learn more about gardening year round? Pre-order a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year-Round Gardening written by Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson.
Filed under Gardening News, Vegetable Gardening by on Aug 6th, 2009. 3 Comments.
Yes, folks, you read that right, today’s topic is planting vegetable seed in July. It is not too late here in the Midwest to get started gardening. If you already have a garden going, maybe there are some things that are just puckering out that could be replaced or maybe you have room to add some new crops. If you didn’t get around to planting this spring, well, you still have a chance to do just that. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and get your garden in gear!
Seeds that can be direct sown outdoors this month include beans, both snap and dry, just be sure to pick short season varieties. Carrots, chard, chinese cabbage, collards, cucumber, edamama, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, okra, parsnip, radish, rudabaga, sorrel, squash – both summer and winter varieties and turnip seeds can all be direct sown in July. As with the beans, look for short season varieties. This information can be found on the back of seed packets.
If you didn’t get enough herbs planted earlier in the season, now is the time to direct sow basil, cilantro and parsley.
Keep the weeds down to encourage better growth in your garden. Use newspaper – shredded or whole, straw – even if it has got wet, cardboard or any other type of material that will help block weeds. Plastic should be avoided if possible as it will sour the soil. You can also mulch your garden with finished compost to add extra nutrients to the soil and help block weed growth.
Filed under Gardening News, Homestead Happenings, Vegetable Gardening by on Jul 23rd, 2009. Comment.