Over the years, I've changed my herb garden around quite a bit. There are, however, some favorites for me. These are tried and true. Perhaps some of these will be easy for you too. The #1 best, easiest and prettiest herb I've ever used is sage. I've got three varieties of it at the moment, but have used all of these varieties successfully - Broad leaf Sage, Golden Sage, Clary Sage (green), Purple Sage, and Tricolor Sage. Another favorite is Oregano. It can be used in so many dishes. I especially like it in my recipe for Pesto. I'll share that later. Garlic Chives, English Thyme and French Lavender are other staples. Parsley and Garlic are very useful too, although they take a little more effort than the perennials.
The annual herbs I love are cilantro, purple (opal) basil, dill, and summer savory. The summer savory grows best when placed to the west of an established plant so it doesn't get the harsh sun. All of these annual herbs have the best chance if they are started 8 weeks early inside (mid-March).
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Herbs 101 part 3
Basic Requirements for growing Herbs:
Most herbs prefer well-drained soil.
Although many herbs like a lot more, they need at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight.
A good balanced fertilizer is fine.
Some can tolerate dry conditions and poor soils once they are established.
They are great companions to flowers and shrubs (depending of course on how much sun they get).
For harder soils, mix in 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 natural soil, and 1/3 manure. Mix it well and then plant.
If you notice the plants are getting too much sun, add mulch around the established plants (at least 4" high). This will decrease the water evaporation and get your plants looking much better.
Most herbs prefer well-drained soil.
Although many herbs like a lot more, they need at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight.
A good balanced fertilizer is fine.
Some can tolerate dry conditions and poor soils once they are established.
They are great companions to flowers and shrubs (depending of course on how much sun they get).
For harder soils, mix in 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 natural soil, and 1/3 manure. Mix it well and then plant.
If you notice the plants are getting too much sun, add mulch around the established plants (at least 4" high). This will decrease the water evaporation and get your plants looking much better.
Herbs 101 part 2
Getting started is always the hardest part. Once you're into a project like growing herbs, I think it's rewarding and fulfilling - even if the only thing you do is look at and smell them.
Decide on where you want to plant your herbs. Go to a local nursery and look at what is available. Many times, good nurseries will only have plants that will actually grow in your climate. Imagine that. I know, weird.
Start with some basics like Oregano, Lavender, Chives, Parsley, Sage, Basil, Thyme, Mint, Garlic. Think about what you'll actually use in cooking. Don't do more than 2 annual and 4 perennial to start with. Once you've decided on what to plant, look at how tall it will be and organize your space accordingly. You'll want the taller plants at the back so they don't shade other smaller herbs.
One warning - beware of anything in the mint family (catnip included) - it will SPREAD and takeover. The easiest thing to do with these is to keep them in a pot - even if that pot sits in the middle of your herb garden outside (mine does). This will keep those roots from going crazy on you.
Okay - you've chosen your spot, your plants and your line-up. Now, you'll want to be sure the soil is ready for your seeds or plants. See the next section (part 3) for basic growing requirements.
Decide on where you want to plant your herbs. Go to a local nursery and look at what is available. Many times, good nurseries will only have plants that will actually grow in your climate. Imagine that. I know, weird.
Start with some basics like Oregano, Lavender, Chives, Parsley, Sage, Basil, Thyme, Mint, Garlic. Think about what you'll actually use in cooking. Don't do more than 2 annual and 4 perennial to start with. Once you've decided on what to plant, look at how tall it will be and organize your space accordingly. You'll want the taller plants at the back so they don't shade other smaller herbs.
One warning - beware of anything in the mint family (catnip included) - it will SPREAD and takeover. The easiest thing to do with these is to keep them in a pot - even if that pot sits in the middle of your herb garden outside (mine does). This will keep those roots from going crazy on you.
Okay - you've chosen your spot, your plants and your line-up. Now, you'll want to be sure the soil is ready for your seeds or plants. See the next section (part 3) for basic growing requirements.
Herb Websites I Like
Two great websites I've found on herbs are:
www.culinaryherbguide.com and www.ann-mccormick.com/
The first gives you great descriptions of herbs and basic info on how to use them. The second is the home page for a lady in Texas who loves herbs and calls herself "the Herb 'n Cowgirl" - quite clever, I think. She's got books out, does a monthly e-mail newsletter (to which I subscribe), and is quite active in radio spots and newspaper columns, etc. I love her personality and no-nonsense attitude. Enjoy checking these out!
www.culinaryherbguide.com and www.ann-mccormick.com/
The first gives you great descriptions of herbs and basic info on how to use them. The second is the home page for a lady in Texas who loves herbs and calls herself "the Herb 'n Cowgirl" - quite clever, I think. She's got books out, does a monthly e-mail newsletter (to which I subscribe), and is quite active in radio spots and newspaper columns, etc. I love her personality and no-nonsense attitude. Enjoy checking these out!
Herbs 101 part 1
I've been asked to teach an herb class this weekend and so you have the benefit of getting all of the information right here too.
First of all, herbs fit right into the frugal friend category since adding herbs from your own garden is much more economical than going to the store and buying them. There are a handful of herbs that are used in many dishes we make.
Some of the herbs are annual (they last for the season and then don't come back) and others are perennial (keep coming back over and over). There are even a few that are biannual (last two years) - like parsley.
Even the annual herbs can be quite affordable, however. All you need to do is learn how to let the plant "go to seed" at the end of its life and then collect and preserve the seeds to be planted again in the spring.
The beauty of herbs is that you can have an herb garden practically anywhere that gets at least a little sun. if you don't have room in a garden, you can put them in pots and keep them on a balcony, porch, or inside.
Have I convinced you yet to get herbbie?
First of all, herbs fit right into the frugal friend category since adding herbs from your own garden is much more economical than going to the store and buying them. There are a handful of herbs that are used in many dishes we make.
Some of the herbs are annual (they last for the season and then don't come back) and others are perennial (keep coming back over and over). There are even a few that are biannual (last two years) - like parsley.
Even the annual herbs can be quite affordable, however. All you need to do is learn how to let the plant "go to seed" at the end of its life and then collect and preserve the seeds to be planted again in the spring.
The beauty of herbs is that you can have an herb garden practically anywhere that gets at least a little sun. if you don't have room in a garden, you can put them in pots and keep them on a balcony, porch, or inside.
Have I convinced you yet to get herbbie?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Taxes
Apparently there are new restrictions for those of us who itemize deductions. We can't file until after February 14th. See www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2011-01-20-irs-tax-filing-delay_N.htm for more details. So much for rewarding those paying most of the government's bills. It'll be nice if they change that. I like the money back as soon as possible - January is always nice. I bet a lot of frugal people will be changing their with holdings this next year.
Back to Basics
I found a good overall article for those just looking into what to do. Many of us have our own preferences as to what we should be tightening and relaxing financially. We've read a lot and many people have come to ask what is most important. Besides the wise counsel I'm sure you'll give, consider having them look at this article. It's a good basic "I can start from here" description for those who want to tighten up financially. Go to www.beprepared.com/article.asp?ai=42&sid=LDSLA&bhcd2=1295559277
It is from Emergency Essentials, but you don't have to buy any products to enjoy their articles!
It is from Emergency Essentials, but you don't have to buy any products to enjoy their articles!
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