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Archive for the ‘Herbs’ Category
What Herb Gardening is about
Ever since the time of the Mayflower, herbs have been cultivated and made use of. Their uses have ranged from seasoning to the curing illnesses and the making perfumes. As time progressed and dried herbs became more common, the practice of herb cultivation became less popular because available medical technology doesn’t focus on treatment with specific herbs and the cosmetic and perfume industries tend to manufacture a huge number of the lotions, soaps and perfumes. Regardless of all this in the last decades, ethnic foods have become a whole lot popular and people are starting to cultivate herbs once more.
Growing herbs successfully all depends on managing the following issues properly:
1) Location
2) Soil
3) Site preparation
4) Drainage
5) Pest Containment
The primary step to successful herb gardening is making a decision on which site to plant your herbs in. Size tends to depend on the variety of herbs which you want to cultivate, a good size for a kitchen garden would be about 4 feet by 20 feet. The area and label for each herb that you want to grow should be properly diagrammed. You should also ensure that you divide the annual and perennial herbs from each other.
When you select a site, the drainage will usually be the most essential feature, herbs won’t grow easily in the wet soil but the soil does not need to be that fertile. Very fertile oil tends to grow big plants that have no flavor. Basically the soil should be neutral and neither heavy on acid or alkaline. If the soil doesn’t drain well, remove some 15 to 18 inches of soil and add a three inch layer of gravel, then replace the soil. This will enable the soil drain more efficiently. Having a pH factor that is around 6.5 will ensure that excellent herbs are produced.
The soil should be essentially neutral, neither heavy on the acid nor alkaline. If, however, the soil does not drain well, remove 15 to 18 inches of soil and put in a 3 inch layer of gravel and replace the soil. The soil will now drain more efficiently. A ph factor of around 6.5 produces excellent herbs.
As soon as the soil has been selected and proper drainage arranged, the next thing to do is to prepare the soil. You should get rid of at least 12 to 18 inches of the top soil and you should ensure that the sub soil is neither hard nor compacted. If the sub soil is hard or compacted, then you can work in sphagnum peat or organic material in order to loosen it. The top soil should be mixed with sphagnum peat and sand or even composting material. This way you will make certain that the soil is workable and will retain its moisture. The top soil should always be replaced with a few more inches than was initially taken off. This will allow the garden to settle as soon as it has been planted.
You should also be very vigilant in looking for garden insects as well as diseases. Aphids, spider mites, grass hoppers, caterpillars, and rusts are all among the different ones that can come your way. Make sure that you treat for these pests and diseases as soon as they are spotted. Fail to do this and they may ruin your garden.
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Herb Gardening for the Beginner
Herb gardens are among some of the easiest gardens that a person can grow. These sorts of gardens require an area of land that is relatively small. They can be grown indoors in pots, window boxes or even hanging planters. These gardens may be used to spice up your dinner dishes or for medicinal purposes and their pleasant aroma and beautiful flowers. They may also be used either fresh or dried and they are a staple in every kitchen cupboard.
If you’ve ever reached for spice in the kitchen and realized that you were out, it may be a good enough reason to plant your own herb garden. Rather than running off to the store for some fresh supplies you can easily walk over to a plant and clip off what you need. You can have everything from fresh basil, thyme, sage, chives, dill, to tarragon or rosemary right at your fingertips from your herb garden.
Herbs may annuals, biennials or perennials. Annuals tend to flower one season and then die the next. Biennials live for at least two seasons, flower once and then die. Perennials tend to die in water but return to blossom the next season. If you pick perennials you should ensure that they are planted in a place that they can be kept from one year to the other.
Herb gardens require very little space and they may be either planted as seeds or plant clippings. Seeds should also be planted in shallow boxes in the late winter and from then they can be transplanted outdoors during the spring. Soil is a determinant factor that governs the issue of whether your garden thrives or falters. Herbs also do not grow properly in wet soil so it is essential that you provide adequate drainage for the herbs. If adequate drainage isn’t available then you can easily compensate by adding compost and sand to the soil that you have. You may also dig out at least 15- 18 inches of dirt and add crushed stone in it to aid in the process.
Unlike other plants herbs don’t need too much fertilizer. The more fertile the soil that you have, then the less foliage will occur and your herbs won’t have enough flavor. Certain diseases or insects also tend to attack herbal plants too.
Harvesting herbs should take place in the morning and only when the plant has had enough foliage to maintain its growth. Whenever they are picked they should be washed almost immediately in cold water. They can also be used fresh or dried for use in winter.
In order to dry herbs, after washing you should hang them up in order for the water to evaporate. After this you should bind the stems together and place them in a band with the stems placed at the bags opening. After this close the bag with a rubber bag and hang them from a line so that they cool in a place that is dark and dry. The attic is usually a better choice as basements are usually damp. When two to three weeks have passed then you may remove the herbs from the bag and then crumble the leaves. When the crumbled leaves are perfectly crispy they should be stored in glass jars or airtight containers placed in a cool place so you can have them whenever you require them.