chickensense

We spent a few hours yesterday outside planting. This year I may finally have the big gardens I’ve been wanting.

First we planted 2 six-packs of begonias, along side the impatiens, in the flower bed next to Rosy’s grave. We planted foxglove seed at one end of that garden bed too. We also planted some coleus seed in a huge planter nearby. In the fall we will add some shade-loving perennials as well. It will soon be a beautiful, colorful spot for our beloved puppy’s grave.

At the herb garden, we planted some old lemon basil seed, and seed for a short clumping type of basil. We are suspecting that what we thought was a volunteer strawberry plant in the middle of the herb bed (click the photo for a larger image) may be just a viney weed with similar leaves, because it is growing way faster than normal strawberry does. Perhaps it is wild strawberry? We have those a lot around here.

Then came the really hard work. We had a 3-foot space between two fence posts where the grass had been killed from lumber that had been stacked there. Jesse and I tackled the extremely hard ground with some hoes to break up the clay. Then we added a bag of organic humus with compost and mixed it all in. We topped that off with a partial bag of left-over top soil. We made a ridge and planted a few varieties of cantaloupe along the top. (I’ll post a photo when they sprout.) As the seeds sprout and the vines grow, I’ll run string between the two fence posts and train the vines on them. Hopefully we’ll have better success with cantaloupe if we keep the melons off the ground. It should increase the airflow around the plants to help them tolerate summer humidity a bit better. (Then come fall I’ll plant it all with my very favorite flower, sweet peas. It’ll be so pretty! I can’t wait.)

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The brutally hot and humid summers in the South make it difficult to grow many of our favorite herbs. Ladies Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) and Lavender (Lavandula), for example, both just fade away in the summer humidity. Other herbs, such as Monarda (also know as Bee Balm, Horsemint, Oswego Tea, or Bergamot), suffer from severe mildew due to the heat and moisture.

Some perennial herbs that are very easy to grow in this region (borderline between zones 7 and 8 ) are Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Catmint (Nepeta xfaassinii), Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare), Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), Purple Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea), Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) and of course all types of Mint. Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium),  Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and Sweet Violet (Viola Odorato) like it so well here that they grow wild all around. (Violets, Tansy, and Comfrey can be particularly invasive.)

Herbs that do well if given a little extra care are Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Rosemary needs to be covered if the temperature falls below 30 degrees, and due to its shallow roots, it needs frequent, light watering. Parsley will do best planted in the fall to be used throughout the winter because it thrives in cooler weather. Sage does not like “wet feet” (it develops fungal root problems) so it doesn’t survive the spring and fall rains unless grown in very well-draining soil. Thyme needs rich soil and regular watering.

As for annual herbs such as Basil, Borage, Chamomile, Calendula (Pot Marigold), Coriander, Savory, and Dill, we have been successful only with Borage. Our Basil plantings, especially, seem to always turn crispy brown and die. (I’ve read that this may be due to tainted seed.) Calendula and Dill, like Parsley, prefer cooler weather and should be planted in late summer or fall, which we often forget to do.

Northern Mississippi has mostly hard, clay soil. Most plants, including herbs, have a hard time in clay soils, but some actually seem to do best in clay, and many others tolerate this soil type quite well. German Chamomile, Cilantro and Caraway do especially well in clay soils. Lemon Balm, most varieties of Mint, Chives and Fennel all tolerate clay soils. In general, herbs that like a lot of moisture are most likely to take well to clay, because clay soils tend to become waterlogged after heavy rains.

HERBAL TEA RECIPES
Created by Straight from the Farm

Iced Lemon Balm & Pomegranate White Tea

1 c. boiling water
4 tea bags (Pomegranate White Tea or other)
½ c. packed fresh lemon balm leaves, washed
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh lemon balm
Honey or other sweetener to taste
Ice cubes

Place tea bags in a medium size bowl. Crush lemon balm leaves lightly with your hands to bring out the oils (and give your hands a lovely smell) and place in bowl with tea bags. Pour boiling water over bags and leaves. Let steep for several minutes. Depending on the variety of tea you are using, I would recommend leaving it steep for up to 15 minutes to really pull out all of the flavor. Remove leaves and bags, squeezing to get out the concentrated tea. Stir in sweetener to taste. Fill pitcher with a tray of ice cubes and place lemon balm sprigs inside. Pour tea from bowl into pitcher. Fill remainder of pitcher with cold water.

Floral Fantasy Tea

3 parts Lavender
3 parts Yarrow
1 part Chamomile
1 part Stevia

Combine herbs and pour hot water over. Let steep several minutes. Strain out herbs and enjoy.

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It is another Beautiful Day! Breezy, cool, sunny, no mosquitoes yet… heavenly!

My poor 8 year old herb garden is back down to nearly nothing due the drought in the summer of 2007, the goats in 2008. It didn’t help that I didn’t mulch or weed it last fall. Only the catmint, wormwood, and oregano survived. I was surprised to also find a lone strawberry plant. I haven’t had strawberries there since 2004. Amazing.

Because of my failure to weed and mulch all the gardens last fall, I’ve had a zillion times the weeds I would normally have in the spring. I know I’ll also be battling crab-grass for years. So

I’ve been taking advantage of this cool streak to get the weeds out, and get everything mulched. Funds are tight, but I managed to get 2 pick-up loads of mulch and a gallon of round-up, which I’ve sprayed on the grass trying to come up in the gardens, and I’ve sprayed

around the outside of the gardens too since hubby doesn’t like to mow too close to my plants. (There’s a story there but never mind.)

The spring after we got the goats, I moved the rosemary, oregano, and catmint to my Round Garden, which was fenced in for goat protection. I left a piece of catmint behind, which has really thrived–it is now blooming like crazy. I guess the goats didn’t like it. There wasn’t any wormwood then that I saw, but it somehow managed to survive and spread, as did a bit of oregano that must have been left behind.

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The way I approached learning about herbs, so as not to get overwhelmed, was to think what I wanted to use them for. I really was interested in potpourri so I found potpourri recipes and learned about the herbs they mentioned first. Then I wanted to make herb tea, so I found tea recipes and learned about the herbs they mentioned. I just looked up the herbs by name on Google. I also got herb books from the library and used them to look up the herbs I was interested in. Taking a recipe that sounded good and learning about the herbs in it, made it fun since I could use the new knowledge right away.

Types of Herbs
A particular herb, of course, can fall into more than one category, potpourri, medicinal, tea, culinary, etc. A great deal depends on the use you will put it to. However below is a list of just a few herbs and their general category, however there are so many more herbs and uses out there:

Culinary (Cooking)

Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, dill, tarragon, greek oregano, pot marjoram, mint, winter savory, basil.

Tea

Rosemary, sage, lemon verbena, rosehips, mint, hops, chamomile, bergamot, beebalm, catnip, lavendar, borage, anise hyssop, stevia, angelica, lemon balm.

Potpourri

Scented geraniums, fragrant roses, calendula (pot marigold), lemon balm, lavendar, mint.

Medicinal

Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower), feverfew, garlic, ginger, ginko, ginseng, St. John’s wort, ma huang, chamomile, golden seal, milk thistle, saw palmetto, valerian.

Growing Herbs
For a beginning herb garden you can make a circle on the ground, and divide it like a pizza, then plant a different herb in each section. Or take an old ladder, lay it on the ground, and plant a different herb in each rung section. The thing to pay attention to when growing herbs is how much water each herb needs, so that you can only water the herbs that need it, and don’t over-water those that don’t. Planting herbs with similar water needs next to each other is helpful.

Herbal tea maker and author, Frederique Lavoipierre, says, “Almost any garden situation, from formal to naturalistic, can accommodate a few tea herbs. Mints, elder, lemon balm, sweet woodruff and alpine strawberries will thrive in a semi-shaded situation.

“The dry garden is ideal for Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage and fennel, while roses, hollyhocks and lemon verbena are at home in an ornamental border. In a moist area, plant mints, elder, angelica and bee balm. Many tea herbs grow well in containers, and even just a few plants on a patio can provide plentiful pots of fragrant tea.”

Herbal Teas
Julie Baron, tea manager and co-owner of Taylor Maid Farms, has wonderful advice for beginning tea makers, “In the beginning, start with individual herbs and taste them alone, because they change when they’re combined with other herbs,” says Baron. “Then keep it simple—three herbs at the most makes a good blend. The theory behind blending is the same as with wine or perfume. Ideally, there’s a base note, a top note, and body.”

She notes that sometimes, beginner blenders are disappointed when choosing flavors to blend, as they choose too many “top notes” such as lemon or mint flavors when body is needed as well.

Useful Herb Books

• Culpepper’s Complete Herbal
• The Rodale Herb Book
• Indian Herbalogy of North America
• Southern Herb Growing by Madalene Hill & Gwen Barclay

Herb Links

• Herbs for Tea and Their Uses
• 10 Common Medicinal Herbs with Usage and Dosage
• Herbs for Skin Care and Their Uses
• General Guide to Herbs and Their Uses
• 10 Common Herb Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Create Your Own Tea Herb Heaven
• Memphis Botanic Gardens
• Memphis & Mississippi Plant Societies
• MSUcares Cooking with Herbs
• Richter’s Herbs

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Purchasing herbs seedlings around Memphis is nearly impossible unless all you want is parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, or mint. A few places have lavendar occasionally. I tried nurseries as far away as West Memphis, AR, and the only other herb I found was borage. I don’t understand it since herbs are gaining so much in popularity.

There is definitely an opportunity here for a greenhouse business selling a huge variety of herbs, especially if they are organic. I can’t wait to get my greenhouse built. I’m just going to start with a simple one made from pvc pipe hoops and covered in plastic. I can’t wait!

• Build a Very Simple PVC Hoop Greenhouse
• Build a Simple PVC Hoop Greenhouse with End Doors
• Build A Small Backyard Greenhouse
• Build an Inexpensive, Easy Hoop Greenhouse
• Build A Simple, Rectangular PVC Greenhouse
• Plans for a 32′ x 10′ x 10′ Greenhouse
• Buildeasy.com Do-It-Yourself Greenhouse
• How to Build a Solar Greenhouse (Cold Climates)
• How We Built our Passive Solar Greenhouse
• Building A Deluxe Greenhouse For Cold Climates
• Easy, Sturdier Greenhouse from Cattle Panels
• Hog Panel Shelters
• Huge, Sturdy, Plastic-Covered Building

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