Monday 18 July 2011

Herb Garden History

By Joseph Robertson

Herbs can be followed back into the times of the ancient Egyptians and the traditional Chinese. There also are references in the Bible and medieval documents that show herbs were used by most households. Growing herbs is something that is extraordinarily beneficial to gardeners for a couple of different purposes. Herbs could be used to flavor food, for potpourri, for tea, for medical purposes or to even control pests in the garden. Herb gardens can be specialized towards one of those specific areas or a mix of a few different purposes. They may also be grown in a garden with other species of plants or in containers inside.

Herb gardens can be grown in other ways such as an indoor herb garden in the kitchen or a small plot in the garden. A tiny plot of 4 feet by six feet is an enormous enough area to support a tiny family. Though a favored use for herbs are for cooking known as culinary herbs, they're also grown for their savoury foliage and some for the fantastic thing about their flowers. They may be employed fresh or dried. Some herbs are used as garnish for plates or salads while other types of herbs may be employed to liven up the flavor of a dish.

Like all other plants herbs grow as annuals, evergreens, shrubs, and trees. When planting herbs, you need to use well-drained soil. If you realize that your soil is heavy or compacted, you can add organic material to it. Fertilizers are not obligatory either. Most herbs like a sunny location although a few like full shade. Many herbs will grow well with afternoon shade. Surprisingly, few illnesses or insects attack herbs. Infrequently in dry, hot weather red spider mites can be discovered on low-growing plants and aphids may attach dill, caraway, anise, or fennel. Rust can also affect mint.

Herbs can be purchased and planted into a home garden or they can be grown from seeds. It's an respect and a joy to be well placed to see a plant be grown from a single seed. You're able to enjoy every step of the process from birth to death in a respect. When growing a plant like an herb from a seed the experience is all the more rewarding because herbs are so handy. Most all herbs can be grown from a seed. Seeds should be placed in a shallow pot or box in the late winter. Employ a light, well-drained soil to grown your seeds in. Since herbs don't have a deep root base, confirm not to cover the seeds too much with the soil. They should be planted shallow. Follow the rule: the finer the seed, the shallower it should be sown. You can transplant the sprouts to the outdoors in the spring. Although most herbs can be grown from seeds, some herbs do not transplant well. Herbs like dill, fennel, anise, and coriander should be planted right into the garden.

Though growing herbs in a home garden is simple and worthwhile , there's a lot of info you need to know and understand about herbs. This article has given you a lift and now it is time to complete the journey with more information. And you'll find all of the information you need right here! Good Luck!


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Saturday 2 July 2011

Growing Garlic

By Joseph Robertson

Garlic is an excellent spice to include in our indoor herb garden collection. To begin, growing garlic has small cost outside of our standard indoor herb growing set up - that might include a number of growing lights if you are without direct sun for a lot of the day. Other than that, growing garlic is as straightforward as taking a garlic blub, removing the individual cloves and planting those. A note of caution however - corner store garlic tends to be sprayed with chemicals to control the ability of the garlic to sprout, which is not what we'd like! It is recommended that you buy bulbs from a specialist. If you cannot find one, then I would recommend starting off with organic garlic.

There's one main thing to keep in mind with garlic. This is a sub soil growing plant - although it does have leaves above soil, the bulb grows underneath it. That suggests the most vital thing to keep under consideration here is drainage. You do not need your garlic sitting in water, or it'll simply rot. That's one of the reasons indoor growing is so well suited - it is simple to set up a pot with excellent draining for the garlic to grow in.

Re the pot that you're going to use to grow your garlic, there are a few straightforward guidelines to bear in mind. You need your little garlic cloves to be spaced about 3-4 inches apart when you plant them. The diameter of your pot will determine how many you can plant - however you do desire your pot to be 10-12 inches deep. A handy place to start might be a 12" diameter pot that is 12" deep. You would then plant your cloves - pointy side up - about 1.5" under the surface, and 3-4 inches apart from each other.

Most endorse planting garlic in October/November - this is actually for those growing outside. You need to plant before it becomes too cold , but for around a month after planting, you want to keep the pots in a cool place - about 50 degrees F. Ensure you keep the cloves well watered during this time. At that point its simply a matter of watering regularly - again you do not want the cloves sitting in water and therefore rotting, but you do not need the soil getting too dry either.

Follow these steps then approx 10 months later you could have full bulbs prepared to crop. A quick note on harvesting: It could be a small challenging to work out when to crop them. If you harvest the garlic bulbs too early, then they will be tiny. There are two ways you can figure this out - if you dig up a bulb and check the layers, if there are 3 layers on the outside then it is prepared, if there are more then it isn't. On digging up bulbs - don't pull them out by the plant, instead use a spade and fully dig them up. Another way to tell that they are prepared is to hang around for the leaves to start browning. If you planted in October/November, this can be around Aug/September the following year.


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Herb Garden Plants

By Joseph Robertson


Herb plants come in annuals, perennials, and biennials like other kinds of plants. There are so many types of herbs and every one is different. If you're fascinated by a particular type of herb, you must research that one to grasp the care it needs and how to use it properly. This article will get you moving in understanding general differing types of herb plants and what they are utilised for.

Annuals like basil, cilantro, and summer savory won't survive a frost. They need to be planted from a seed or a little plant each year. Perennials like sage and winter savory can survive less warm temperatures and will return year by year. Biennial herbs are plants that form leaves in their first growing season and flowers and seed in the second season, then die. Biennial herbs like parsley, angelica, or caraway should be sown in the late spring directly into the garden. Prepare the soil first by working it to a fine texture and wet it slightly. Plant the seeds in shallow rows then firm the soil on top of them. Fine seeds can be planted in a mixture of sand which will permit them to spread more uniformly. You can also cover the bed with wet burlap or paper so as to keep the soil moist during germination. Developing an indoor herb garden can be a good solution to weather and seasonal effects on herb growth.

Herbs are also grouped into the families for which they are utilized. Culinary herbs are probably the most handy to herb gardeners. They have a gigantic variety of different uses in cooking. As a result of their robust flavours, herbs like chives, thyme, basil, sage, savory, and marjoram are usually utilized in low amounts to add taste to differing kinds of food. Parsley is an extremely popular herb that is utilized generally as a garnish. Savoury herbs have agreeable smelling flowers or foliage. Oils from redolent herbs like loyage, mint, and rosemary can be used to make different types of scents, toilet water, or other numerous aromas. Parts of aromatic herb plants used could also be used in the home to scent linens or clothing. They could also be dried and made into potpourri which should help them to be able to hold onto their aroma for a substantial period of time. Lavender and lemon verbena are great herbs to use for potpourri. Some herbs are also used for medical purposes. For many years herbs have been thought to have the facility to cure the body. Present medical data recognizes that some herbs are beneficial to one's health, others are overrated. Herbs utilized for medical purposes should be used carefully. Some herbs are not dangerous but others can be threatening if eaten.

Some herbs won't be used for their flavour, power to cure or fragrance. Some herbs are also used for their beauty. Decorative herbs have brightly colored flowers and foliage. Many have whitish or diverse light coloured flowers like valerian that has crimson blossoms and borage and chicory which grow gorgeous blue flowers.

While herbs can be categorized into these different categories of uses, many herbs have multiple purposes. For example, mint could be utilized for cooking, tea, and bug control. No matter what the reason you've an interest in herbs, by accepting herb garden plants you are able to pick the herbs that'll be most useful to you.


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How to Create Your Own Culinary Herb Garden

By Janette Mae Phillips

You may have heard countless times that fresh herbs give the best flavors. This is largely true as drying them takes a lot of the natural oils and essences out. Having your own herb garden will ensure that you will have fresh herbs every time you cook.

An herb garden is surprisingly easy to make. The following are some suggestions to get you started.

If you do not have sufficient kitchen space for a proper garden, you can also grow herbs in containers indoors. These will need a fair amount of attention but you can still have fresh herbs for your cooking without having to look after a large area or having to bother about space constraints.

Preparation Doing your homework is the first thing you have to do. Know what you need to grow based on your cooking habits. The herbs and spices that you use often should be on your priorities list. Next is know what kind of soil and caring every plant needs. Also know beforehand how big a plant gets. Having something that takes over your entire kitchen is going to be inconvenient.

Choose a good spot for your herb garden, one that gets enough sunlight, and with good soil that drains well.

Prepare the soil for planting. Till it so that it gets loose and also mix in some compost or mulch while you're at it. Stay away from chemical fertilizers as they can affect the taste of your herbs.

All you need to do now is to plant the seeds, water them, an wait for them to sprout and grow. Have patience and you'll be savoring fresh herbs soon enough.

Maintenance As far as looking after your herb garden is concerned, you will need to learn about the plants you are growing so that you understand how to care for them properly. Generally speaking, herbs don't require large amounts of water - you will know they need more moisture when the top soil is dry. Do ensure that excess water has a chance to drain away.

Useful Herbs

If you enjoy herb-flavored teas, you will love growing herbs such as lavender, chamomile and tea. Lavender is also used to flavor other foods, such as meat dishes. Dill, with its pretty leaves, is attractive as well as flavorful.

The usual like parsley is great for garnishing. Cilantro is indispensable if you do a lot of Mexican and Italian cooking, and so is oregano. Basil is an essential do-it-all herb.

Some other herbs that many cooks find useful to create interesting flavors in their food include chives, rosemary, thyme, sweet marjoram, borage, sage, summer savory and lovage.

You can opt to get seedlings from local plant banks or you can get seeds in sachets online. The good thing about going with seed sachets is that you can have the more exotic varieties available to you. There are a lot of flavor to try and you will have lots of fun tasting them all.

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Grow Your Very Own Herb Garden

By Janette Mae Phillips

If you watch a lot of cooking shows, you have probably seen your favorite host pluck a sprig of thyme or parsley and used that instead of dried spices from a jar. Chefs are on to something in that this is the best way of using spices as nothing gets lost and adulterated while drying or processing. You too can have this fresh herb garden as it is surprisingly easy to do.

Like any living thing, an herb garden requires a consistent effort from you. Don't be turned off though as this entails a sweet reward that will make your efforts all worth it.

If you don't have any open spaces in which you can grow plants. A little kitchen space set aside for this purpose will be enough. Take small containers or flower pots and you're all set. You will soon enjoy the intense flavor of fresh herbs.

Preparation Doing your homework is the first thing you have to do. Know what you need to grow based on your cooking habits. The herbs and spices that you use often should be on your priorities list. Next is know what kind of soil and caring every plant needs. Also know beforehand how big a plant gets. Having something that takes over your entire kitchen is going to be inconvenient.

Choose a good spot for your herb garden, one that gets enough sunlight, and with good soil that drains well.

Prepare the soil for planting. Till it so that it gets loose and also mix in some compost or mulch while you're at it. Stay away from chemical fertilizers as they can affect the taste of your herbs.

All you need to do now is to plant the seeds, water them, an wait for them to sprout and grow. Have patience and you'll be savoring fresh herbs soon enough.

Upkeep Know beforehand any special care that your herbs may require. Don't group plants that require a lot of water with those that need just a little. Monitor the soil conditions and only water when you see a noticeable dryness to the topsoil. Allow excess water to drain. Mind any insects that may decide to take permanent residence in your herb kitchen.

Useful Herbs

Those who love tea can finally make their own. in addition to the kinds of tea you like, you can grow lavender and chamomile. These two herbs can be used to flavor teas in ways that will either perk you up or calm you down. Dill is also a good candidate because of its interesting appearance. In addition to it being an herb, it can double as a kitchen dcor.

Parsley makes a wonderful garnish, while cilantro is used to flavor many kinds of Asian and Mexican food. Oregano is great for Italian food, and basil can be added to most preparations with good results.

Some other herbs that many cooks find useful to create interesting flavors in their food include chives, rosemary, thyme, sweet marjoram, borage, sage, summer savory and lovage.

You can buy seedlings at your local garden center or buy more exotic plants in the form of seed packets. These can be conveniently bought online and will arrive in envelopes with the sachets containing information on how to grow them. There are literally hundreds of herbs and spices to choose from and you'll have a fun time growing and cooking with all of them.


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