[BCR]

Herb Growing List

Updated.


Ajwain
Air Potatoes
Alfalfa / Gina NM, Lisa Zeeman.


Allspice
Aloe Vera:LMSavon, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome,WyoDiane
Angelica: Sharon/NY
Anise Mint / Trisha-MN, WyoDiane

Anise:amymp, Hank;narita
Anise, Star
Arrowroot
Artemesia: beaglady, gnatgnome
Autumn Olive: beaglady
(Baby's Breath: WyoDiane-not currently in book)

Balm, Bee: amymp, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome
Basil: Gina NM, amymp, LWMSavon, caroline00, Sharon/WI,
beaglady,gnatgnome, WyoDiane

Bay: LWMSavon, gnatgnome
Bayberry
Borage: Gina NM, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome
Burnet:amymp, beaglady, Sharon/NY
Calendula:Sharon/WI, gnatgnome, Sharon/NY
Capers
Caraway:amymp, Sharon/NY
Cardamom:BCR
Cassia
Castor Bean: beulahland
Catnip (a.k.a. Catmint) : Gina NM, connie in NM, Hank;narita,WyoDiane

Cattail: beaglady, Sharon/NY
Celery Seed (is in seed catalogs as "Smallage")
Chamomile:amymp, Sharon/WI, gnatgnome
Chervil: Sharon/WI, beaglady, WyoDiane

Chives: Gina NM, amymp, LWMSavon, Sharon/WI, beaglady
Garlic Chives: caroline00, Gina NM, beaglady
Cilantro: Gina NM, Sharon/WI, amymp, WyoDiane
Cinnamon
Clover: beaglady
Cloves
Comfrey: gnatgnome, beulahland
(Coriander-see cilantro)
Corn Salad:slfisher, Sharon/NY
Cotton / Gina NM
Cumin
Curry plant:connie in NM, Sharon/NY
Dandelion: gnatgnome, Judy 018
Daylily: Judy 018, Nan, Sharon/NY
Dill: Gina NM, caroline00, LWMSavon, amymp, Sharon/WI, gnatgnome

Echinacea: LWMSavon, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome
Epazote: slfisher
Eucalyptus
Fennel: Sharon/WI, Hank;narita,WyoDiane
Fenugreek: beaglady
Feverfew: Sharon/WI, gnatgnome

Geranium: Gina NM, Sharon/WI, beaglady

Ginger: gnatgnome, Sharon/NY
Ginko Biloba
Ginseng
Goldenseal
Good King Henry: Sharon/NY
Hawthorn
Hemp
Henna

Hops: beaglady, gnatgnome, WyoDiane
Horehound: amymp, Sharon/WI, gnatgnome Judy 018 Horseradish: Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome
Hyssop: Sharon/WI, beaglady, beulahland
Indigo
Iris: gnatgnome, Judy 018
Jojoba
Juniper: WyoDiane
Jute

lady's broomstraw and lamb's ear is being grown by beulahland.

Lamb's Quarters / Nan
Lavender:Gina NM, amymp, caroline00, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome

Lemon Balm: caroline00, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome, WyoDiane

Lemon Grass / Judy 018, connie in NM, slfisher
Lemon Verbena: Sharon/WI
Licorice
Lovage:Judy 018, Trisha-MN, WyoDiane
Mace
Marigold (see Calendula):LWMSavon, Gina NM
Marjoram: Gina NM, LWMSavon, Sharon/WI, WyoDiane
Martynia
Mignonette: Sharon/NY
Mint:Gina NM, amymp, LWMSavon, Sharon/WI, beaglady, gnatgnome, WyoDiane

Mugwort
Mustard: Sharon/WI
Myrtle
Nasturtium: amymp, Gina NM, Sharon/WI, beaglady
Nettle: Sharon/NY
Nutmeg
Orach: beaglady
Oregano: caroline00, Gina NM, amymp, LWMSavon, Sharon/WI,
beaglady, gnatgnome,WyoDiane

Parsley: caroline00, Sharon/WI, beaglady
Patchouli / Judy 018
Pennyroyal: beaglady, gnatgnome
Perilla:Trish-NM, Sharon/NY
Pepper
Poppy: beaglady, Judy 018
Prickly Pear
Purslane: Connie in NM
Pyrethrum
Quinine Tree
Rose: amymp, Sharon/WI, beaglady
Rosemary: Gina NM, amymp, caroline00, Sharon/WI, gnatgnome,WyoDiane

Rue: Sharon/WI, beaglady
Saffron: Sharon/NY
Sage: Gina NM, Caroline00, Amymp, Sharon/WI, gnatgnome, WyoDiane

Sapodilla
Sarsaparilla
Sassafras: beaglady
Savory, summer: caroline00, Sharon/WI, beaglady
Savory, winter / Hank;narita

Sesame
Slippery Elm
Soapwort / Judy 018, beulahland
Sorrel: Sharon/WI,WyoDiane, Sharon/NY
Southernwood: Sharon/WI, beaglady

Stevia: Sharon/WI, Judy 018.
St. John's Wort / beulahland, Nan
Sweet Cicely / Trisha-MN Tansy: beaglady,gnatgnome
Tarragon: amymp, LWMSavon, Sharon/WI

Thyme: Gina NM, amymp, LWMSavon, caroline00, Sharon/WI,
beaglady,gnatgnome, WyoDiane

Tobacco: beaglady,gnatgnome, Judy 018
Tung-oil Tree
Turmeric
Vanilla
Verbena
Violet: gnatgnome
Water Chestnut
Wintergreen: Judy 018
Witch Hazel: Judy 018
Woad : BCR,QuiltJude
Woodruff, Sweet: Sharon/WI, gnatgnome
Wormwood: Sharon/WI, beaglady
Yucca:Gina NM

Coffee
Chocolate tree
Tea plant

Please note: I will not add more names to the list of plants that have three or more volunteers already. Please grow and report on these, but you won't find your name listed.

 

[BCR]

Some of my growing results:

Shisho/Perilla: I grew this easily from seed last year and it re-seeded itself and is growing very nicely. Easy to germinate.

Woad: This plant has really grown and is doing well. I hope to try to ferment some of it for indigo.

Cardamom: I have this growing in a pot on the porch. It seems to like lots of water and the frequent rains have not stressed it at all. The leaves smell wonderful.

Thai Basil, Italian Basil,other fragrant basil types: these were nibbled on by a chipmunk and returned from a stub to new heights. The rain slowed them down a bit.

Borage: Had to re-plant this twice due to chipmunk attacks. He ate an 8 inch tall specimen that re-seeded from last year and a few others smaller than that. Then it ate my new seedlings I planted to replace it. Some attention chased the chipmunk off and I have inch high seedlings again.

Clary Sage: Slow to take off from the plant I purchased, but beginning to appreciate the sunny days.

Southernwood: slow grower as a new plant from the nursery.

Sweet Cicely: growing well; started with a plant not seeds.

Cilantro: very easy to grow from seeds, handles all the weather in stride.

Lovage: started this inside and they did horribly. Next time I will sow them directly in place.

Elecampane: really taking off now from the plant I purchased.



Anne
BCR

 

[Nan]

Well....I think that on the other thread I already gave my 2 cents about the ones I signed up for...but I have several that I grow all the time......so guess that a few more cents are forth coming......

Basil....I love the regular old Genovese Basil. It reseeds itself every year and the more you pick it the bushier it gets. I don't let it go to seed until I am ready to stop freezing it for the year...then I let some of it go to seed (and hold back a few plants that I can still use fresh) so that I can have it again next year without having to plant it.

I also like African Blue Basil, but it does better if you take a cutting and bring it inside for the winter. I did have some reseed itself, but a friend said it didn't do that normally..but my herb garden isn't very normal...NOthing around here is....

Parsley is great stuff! I love to munch on it when I am out in the yard. It has reseeded for me too. It overwintered last year and the parent plant is getting rather woody, but the babies are doing great!

Oregano...don't plant it near anything that you don't want it to "eat"....it takes over the place like mint does! I had to dig most of mine out and feed it to the chickens just so that rhubarb and chives could breath! Started mine from seeds.

Rhubarb....is in with my herbs. It is a gorgeous plant even if you don't like to eat it...but we do...I started mine both from seeds and some from a package of 3 "starts" that I got at cheapo depot! The starts are doing better than the seeds are I think..not really sure because I have lost track of which are which...but I think the starts are older and bigger too. Both of my rhubarb is green, not the red type. It does have a bit of red...just not the bright dark red all over the stem. The stems are large and make a great mulch to hold moisture in and keep out grass and weeds. Rhubarb takes LOTS of water.

Chives. Hard to start from seeds, but once you have it established...don't ever let it go to seed or you will have it all over the place! I cut the blossoms off and make chive flavored vinegar with them before they have gone to seeds and while they are still a pretty pink color.

Thyme is great but slow growing! I love it and it is great to use as an antifungal or antibiotic! I started mine from seeds and it has taken it a couple of years to get to a fairly large size plant. It stays nice and green all winter.

Winter savory grows great all year long and will come back

Summer savory is more of an annual here and I didn't bother planting it when it didn't come back this year because the winter was more healthy of a plant. I grew both the winter and summer from seeds.

St. John's wort......kinda pretty , but don't use it if you have low blood pressure or low blood sugar...I think it has an affect on both. Grows fairly slowly for me here and won't take over the place. I started it from seeds too.

Pennyroyal...will take over the place too. It takes a year for it to really get going then it spreads like crazy! I use it to repel flies and mosquitoes by tying a bundle of it over my backdoor.
It takes quite a bit of water too or it gets wilty. Started that from seeds.

Lavender is a pretty plant. Once it gets established it is very easy to take care of. Doesn't tolerate a lot of water but handled our rainy season just fine because it is under the eave of the house and didn't get the whole shebang! I have two different types and can't remember which ones they are. One has long spikey flowers and the other has short rounded flowers

Feverfew is one of those things that becomes a weed quickly! In fact...just about all of my herbs have to be trimmed back pretty severely or they try to take over the place! The feverfew comes up in the yard, and tried to "eat" my monarda this year. Cute little flowers and they need to be picked off for tea if you don't want them to reseed all over the place!

Monarda....the pinkish purple kind is not as tall as the red is. The pinkish purple is pretty and shortish...about 2 feet tall or so. I don't think it makes as good of tea as the red does.
Red monarda will get taaaaaalll. Mine is over my head..(5'6").but that might be all of that rabbit poo tea that I fed it! LOL! It makes great tea(the monarda, not the poo tea...heehee!) and will spread like crazy. I had to weed out most of it to get what I wanted out of it. It will take quite a bit of abuse and still look nice! It will get a bit wilty if not watered through the dry spells. It has these cute wacko flowers that the bees LOVE and so do the hummingbirds!

lemon balm...same as mint, oregano, and pennyroyal...it will absolutely take over the place! I have a huge spot of it by the back door and it smells great. I got a plant from a friend of mine but it will certainly grow well from seeds. The birds have planted it all over my yard for me. I started with just a few little plants all huddled together and now I have it all over the backyard in the oddest places!

That is all for now.....I can't think of what else i have growing out there...but if I can think of anything else I will let you all know! God Bless all! Nan

 

[beaglady]

Autumn Olive - This grows wild around here in any unmowed pasture. Its pretty hearty stuff and I can see how it can be considered a nuisance. When we plowed our field for the first time in many years, a 3' tall autumn olive I'd been 'saving' accidentally got plowed up. I took the plant, with a clump of dirt still attached to the roots, and set it aside, unplanted, for about a month. By the time it finally was replanted, it had lost its leaves and looked bad, but it is still alive and is getting leaves again. This bush had gotten 3' tall in only 2 years.

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) - this was also very easy to start from seeds. Its just starting to bloom now. Smells really good.

Artemisa - The kind I have is called 'sweet Annie' and was very easy to grow from seeds.

Bee Balm - Last year, I tried to grow this from seed. Only a few made it to large enough to plant outside, and none of those are still alive this year. I bought a plant at a nursery this year. It is spreading and bloomed a few weeks ago. The plant doesn't have enough spare leaves yet for me to make tea.

Lemon balm - It really does start easily from seed and is growing quite nicely. I used to have it at my old house, too and it's difficult to get rid of and kind of invasive (Not that I minded) Be sure to plant it where it has room to spread, so you don't annoy yourself by having to keep pulling it out for overstepping its boundaries. Makes delicious iced herb tea.

Basil - I've never had good luck with it, and this year is following suit. I have cinnamon basil, regular and purple kinds. All look 'lazy'. We had a long wet spring so they didn't get planted out til about a month ago.

Borage - mixed it with white clover and broadcast it in a big patch in front of my beehives. This got planted late due to rain, but is doing great now.

Clover - this is my big experiment for the year. In our plowed field, I have patches of perennial white dutch clover & biennial yellow clover as cover crops, just so I can compare them. I've planted the white clover as a cover between rows in my veg garden. I've also got some hairy vetch in the same area as a cover crop. I'm also broadcasting clover seed as I move my chicken tractors to a new location. Part of the field is also newly planted with clover mixed with orchard grass and birdsfoot trefoil, which is supposed to make good pasture for poultry and wildlife cover. When we planted the field, we mixed the seeds with lime and innoculantand put them in a push type broadcast spreader. Since we don't have big farm equip, but planted about 1 acre with the mix, DH drove the lawn tractor, while I sat in the cart on a milk crate, pulling the spreader behind. Looked silly, worked great.

Fenugreek - This is another patch in the great cover crop experiment. We just broadcast it, rather than planting rows. On a hot day, when you stand downwind, it smells like curry. I got the seeds for Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, where they sell by the pound. The ground seeds are a good match with steamed cauliflower.

Echinacea - I'm just mentioning this bc I said I would grow it. It didn't really require any effort beyond digging a small hole. I bought tiny plants last year and they are now 3' tall and gorgeous, but I haven't harvested any to use. They are a nice ornamental too.

Elecampane - Started this indoors, by sprinkling on the soil. Very tiny seeds, which I mixed with sand to help them sprinkle more evenly. This took a long time to geraminate and has just become large enough to plant outside. Johnny's and Seeds of Change sell this.

More later, its getting late.

Diane W (beaglady)

 

[nebula5]

Herbs we've grown this year:

Aloe Vera: we've had some problems with overwatering this; we transplanted using part cactus soil (more sand) which seems to have done the trick.

Anise Hyssop- planted this from seed last year, the plants are twice as tall (4-5') this year. Rain makes a big difference with this plant! It also self seeded- lots of babies. Beautiful and smells great.

Bee Balm: I have never grown this from seed, only from plants. I have three different varieties, the bees and butterflies love them all. Very unfussy plant.

Basil: I have only grown sweet basil this year; it has suffered a bit from all the rain, but is surviving. We use basil almost exclusively for pesto! We freeze it (without the cheese) for use in the winter.Last year (hot, dry summer) basil did much better; I grew lemon basil, lime basil, and sacred basil. I never found much use use for the lemon or lime basil, but they smelled nice. Sacred basil is more of an ornamental-- smelled heavenly with pretty purple flowers.

Borage: I planted a few plants about 8 years ago, and end up with a few self-seeders every year. This year it was eaten by the deer. We only eat the flowers, as a snack in the garden. Bees love it.

Salad Burnet: I started some from seed last year; it's pretty, but gets weedy and i only tasted it a few times. I ended up pulling up the plants this year because it was taking up too much space.

Chives: Have had a good size clump for many years. I give away the self seeders when they come up. Wonderful in early spring when nothing else is up yet. My kids love to snack on the leaves.

Garlic Chives: I was given a plant several years ago; it has survived my zone 5 winters and thrived, even spreading. It's pretty, but I haven't actually used it.

Cilantro: My favorite herb. Let a few plants go to seed, and you will have volunteers every year(If you don't mulch too heavily). We use the fresh leaf for mexican and indian dishes. I haven't harvested the seeds as a spice(only saved seed for planting) as I fear they do not get dry enough in our climate for storage. This bolts fairly quickly; plant a small batch every few weeks to use for fresh greens.

Comfrey: We have a patch by our back door, started from a root cutting. It will spread as much as you let it: If you cut it back after it flowers, it will put up some new growth.

Euchinacea (purple coneflower): We have a plot started from seed about 10 years ago- it gets bigger every year as it self seeds freely. We have made a tincture using fresh, washed roots and vodka--- Yuck. It tasted awful.

Lovage: this grows wild here, so I have never tried to cultivate it.

Mint-Spearmint also grows wild in my back field- make sure you plant it somewhere it will not crowd other plants! If you plant it close to a building, the roots will try to creep inside. Great for iced tea and for fresh use in middle eastern foods.

 

[bbbltd]

I actually did plant some ginger from the store in early May and even forgot that I planted it in my semi shady garden area. I followed directions found somewhere on the 'net. At this point, it is only about 14" high. It was extremely slow to start even though the rhizome was budding when I put it into the ground. We'll see in September or early October about harvesting it as that will be around 5 months (according to 9th edition).

Note: In the 9th edition, it says you can start harvesting around 5 months and later in the preserving section it says to harvest at 8-10 months. Other places I have read online state you can start harvesting from 3-4 months. Anyone know for sure or is this regional based on temps, size of the plant etc.?

Becky in GA

 

[beaglady]

Mint - Last year, I tried unsuccessfuly to grow mint from seed. It's really easy to start from divisions though. I was given some by a friend who basically just yanked it out of the ground as if she was pulling weeds. Each piece had just a few short root hairs, but is establishing itself quite nicely. That was spearmint, I also have peppermint and chocolate mint that I bought at a nursery and both are expanding nicely, despite last summer's drought right after they were planted. ( I did try to keep them watered)

Lavender - I've got several plants that are 3 years old and have survived the winter, despite snow cover. They aren't the most fragrant lavender I've ever smelled, but they do smell. Part of the problem is probably that the bed they are planted in is a bit acidic due to also being my blueberry bed. I had decent luck starting tip cuttings. - cut off 6" pieces, stripped leaves off the bottom 2", stuck them into moist seed starter/compost mix aqnd kept them wet. I tried the first batch indoors, in March and had only 2 out of 12 starts that got roots. A second batch, started outdoors in the same mix in May, did much better with about 50% rooting.

Nasturtium - This makes a nice hanging basket and is very easy to grow from seed. We slice the leaves into strips and add them to salads, and also eat the flowers on salads.

Parsley - The flat kind seems easier to start from seed. I chop it up before freezing it in plastic bags. It stays crumbly and its easy to take a pinch or 2 out of the bag and add it to something cooking on the stove without thawing the whole bag.

Poppy - I sent for a kind of poppy thats supposed to give the best seed. Nothing to report, mine got planted late and didn't come up. I had read that they did best direct seeded and are difficult to transplant.

Rue - Started pretty easily from seed. It really does seem to repel Japanese beetles. I planted several around the part of my garden where the beans are and have been beetle free so far. I aslo planted one under a cherry tree that has been plagued by JBs in the past. this year, the beetles ate some of the top leaves, but seem to have avoided the bottom ones. Rue has very lacey leaves and makes a nice ornamental.

Thyme- not difficult to start from seed, but it takes a long time (4-5 months) to be large enough to plant outside.

Tobacco- This year, I'm growing 3 kinds. Its easy to start indoors from seed, but the tiny seeds sprinkle easier when mixed with sand. Tobacco is supposed to be more attractive to hornworms than tomatoes are, which is one reason I'm growing it. The one variety, Scherazi, gets 4-5' tall and is what I planted near the tomatoes. So far, so good. I plan to save a few leaves to use as an insecticide spray if needed. The other 2 varieties are Aztec and Heavenscent, and are grown for the scented flowers, which come in pinks and reds.

Diane W (beaglady)

 

[Rebekah]

<B>Lamb's Quarters</B> I was pretty sure I commented on these before. We use these a LOT. They can be used in any recipe which calls for spinach. Pinch off the growing tips (about 3-6") and steam them. Let the plants go to seed in a bed where you want them next year, it is easier than planting spinach and more reliable and productive.

<B>Stinging Nettles</B> As for Lamb's quarter's, but they come on earlier and go to seed just as the Lamb's quarters are coming into their own. You can plant nettles with root cuttings and have an area set aside for them; unlike Lamb's quarters nettles are perennials. They have a very fresh green taste. By the way- we pick them with gloves on.

<B>Poppies</B> For seed production you want the somniferum, ie: opium poppies. Direct seed, do NOT start in pots. Some poppies transplant well, seed poppies do not. The flowers are lovely. After them come the pods, watch the pods carefully. At the top of each pod there is a ring of holes. You want to harvest when the holes open and the pod is starting to turn brown, but don't wait too long, because as the wind blows, the seed sprays out of the pods. In other words, wait for them all to turn brown and you won't have any. To harvest, go along with a bowl or container, and carefully break each ripe pod over so that it spills into the bowl. Leave the green ones to finish ripening. We've had trouble with earwigs, but I guess they don't actually harm the seeds. They just bug me and have to be seperated from the seed.

 

[Lisa A]

I started some breadseed poppies (in pots) this year, and
they seemed to transplant okay. Unfortunately they were
in the bed that has been the target of some type of insect
(possibly grasshoppers, the earwig problem has much
decreased the last few weeks); it got most of the dill, the
nasturtiums, and now the last breadseed poppy is down to
a few stumps.

Is it too late to seed more now, and get a harvest this year?
I love poppyseeds and am disappointed that they didn't make
it...

Lisa A

 

[Hank - Narita]

Unfortunately the herbs aren't doing so well this year. Guess the birds or critters ate most of them. I replanted the basil and covered it with fabric cloth. So far it is still there. I amended the sandy soil we have with peat. Harvested sage for pork chops. The thyme is growing very bushy so harvest is in order. Dill is going to seed so time to cut as well. Fennel is doing good but no seeds yet.

 

[BCR]

Lisa---it isn't too late if you are prepared to help them out if expecting an early frost. Try again with a few seeds.

 

[Sharon in NY]

Well, we've had terrible, wet, rainy weather, so the the curry plant and my lavender from last year didn't make it, and I'm not holding my breath for the saffron crocuses to do well either. Anything that likes driness and warmth.

I grew sage, thyme, lemongrass, caraway, burnet, lemon verbena, etc.. from seed, and they all came up eventually, but as Diane says, it takes a long time. The nice thing about from seed herbs is that they tend to overwinter well, IMHO, since they were small when you brought them in.

My potted ginger is huge and happy, although I haven't harvested it. It bloomed a little and made the whole house smell wonderful.

Angelica and Catnip, along with my indoor herbs and my heavily mulched lavender were the only things that survived the winter, and the former two are *gigantic* - Carla, did you read the recent study that suggests that Napthelene, the main chemical ingredient in catnip is a more effective mosquito repellent than DEET? We've had a wet year and lots of bugs, and I've been using catnip rubbed on to all exposed surfaces, and haven't had a bite in months. Plus it smells great, and my cats love me!

I've been putting lemon scented geranium leaves in cakes, and yum! I'm drinking alfalfa tea occasionally as a nutritional supplement, and it is great with mint.

Diane, I don't know if the mint you grew from seed was the same one I tried (mountain mint), but I did well with it on my second try, but only after keeping the seedbed really, really wet for a while. It seems to need a lot of moisture.

My salad burnet is lovely, and totally delicious - I'm addicted to that cucumber flavor. It grows really slowly, though. The only problem with your advice about it is that you say that you should only pick the inner leaves - I'm not sure what that means - my plants have long woody stems like thyme with leaves running down them, and they all taste fine. I'm not really sure what it would mean to pick the inner ones.

My calendula did ok - I'm growing "Arroncio Marrano" which are supposed to be very rich in oils used to heal. I'll be making baby rash ointment with them soon.

I think that's it so far!

Sharon

 

[Carla Emery]

Printed and tallied to date.Thank you, all!

 

[beaglady]

Sharon asked if the mint you grew from seed was 'mountain mint'. I did grow mountain mint, but according to the Latin name, its not really a mint, but a type of Monarda, similar to bee balm. It's supposed to be very high in thymol. Mine came from Seeds of Change. The plants were still small and I haven't checked on how well they survived the latest bout of high wind and torrential rains.

Years ago, I remember reading a saying, to the effect of, 'Don't start vast projects with half-vast plans'. This would describe my garden/farm this year and I'm a shining example of what
not to do. I went from last year's garden, with 6 5'x10' raised beds that did nothing due to drought, to adding about 1 acre of corn, beans, pumpkins, tomatoes, taters & cover crops, in a year when it wouldn't stop raining. Went from a half dozen laying hens, 6 heritage turkeys & a few pheasants, to 100 broiler chickens, 25 meat turkeys, both raised on pasture (moved every day) around 100 dual purpose 'entertainment' chickens and 12 surviving heritage turkeys. Had to come up with housing for the new birds. Got 2 hives of bees, also, with all the equipment building that comes with it. In the stages where I was making lists of what I was going to buy, it all seemed very do-able. Its really easy to get excited during the 'cabin fever' season, and another thing to have time to deal with all the projects you take on. Since I have a full time job, I should have known better than to take on several large 'new' projects in the same year. (We also planted more fruit trees, strawberry bed, gooseberries & currants.) I used a vacation day to plant corn, (which the deer enjoyed immensely) since it only seemed not to rain during the day when I was at work. The point of this whining is to warn others not to take on more work than you realistically have time to do, and don't expect the weather to cooperate with your good intentions.

Diane W (beaglady)

 

[Carla Emery]

frontiergal



Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 102
Location: Northwest
Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 8:13 am Post subject: herbs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have dill growing and it comes back every year. I use it to make my pickles and dilly beans. Super easy to grow just let some of it go to seed and it will come back year after year rated 5
I also have corriander growing. I use the leafs for salsa and I love the smell of it. Very easy to grow and same as dill let some of it go to seed and it will come back every year. rated 5
Basil is one of my favorites although I have had a harder time with it. I was told to next time plant in a container and have small stones as top layer to prevent dirt from splashing back up to plant during a hard rain. Pesto is so easy,rated 5
I have a mexican oragano plant that is really easy to grow and smell so wonderful. It is a succulent and I grow it indoors. rated 5

 

[Carla Emery]

Printed and tallied to date.

 

[LWMSAVON]

Herb Growing Results

ZONE INFO:
We are on the border of zone 6 & 7. We live on top of a mountain so we planted by zone 6 since the temps are a few degrees different than what they are down in the valley. After a disastrous start wherein my first batch of herbs died, I waited a month or so and replanted and was able to harvest quite a bit and dry the herbs.


Plants/Herbs:

Aloe Vera
Comments: I wasn't sure I was gonna be able to find an aloe plant but lucked up at a yard sale that was selling some in pots. I bought one (rather small) and it is thriving. I did have to bring it in the house this past Saturday night since the temps here have dropped to the low 40's and last night it dropped here to 31. brrrrrrrrrrr.. I didn't want to take the chance of letting it freeze and now I'm glad I brought it in.


Basil
Comments: I grew regular basil and purple basil this year. Both of which thrived and I was able to harvest the leaves 3 times from each plant and I dried them You can pluck the leaves off and they will continue to grow back. I think I will be able to get one more harvest from each plant too. I planted them in pots so I can bring them in during the winter weather. They may continue to produce as my last one did....I hope

Bay
Comments: It thrived here and I was able to harvest and dry the leaves.

Catnip
Comments: SO easy to grow. I was able to harvest and dry some. Just in time to drive our two new kittens nuts with it. LOL


Chamomile
Comments: I know this one I had not volunteered for but I decided to grow it at the last moment. It was so easy and looked so pretty. To bad it's an annual and not a perennial. I enjoyed making tea with the dried flowers and leaves and using them in some of the recipe tests.

Chives
Comments: Another one that was easy to grow and thrived very well here. WOnderful to use fresh or dried.


Garlic Chives
Comments: Another one I had not volunteered to grow but grew it anyways. LOL. SO easy and it thrived well. Oldest dd said it smelled like stinky socks though when I was drying some. LOL


Dill
Comments: easy to grow here and easy to dry or use fresh.


Echinacea
Comments: Grew very nicely here and I was able to dry some for this winter to head off colds.......hopefully.


Lemon Balm
Comments: This was a last minute decision to grow and I'm so glad I did. I will have to replant it this spring though otherwise it will overtake my herb garden.


Marigold
Comments: SO easy to grow and looked so pretty in the garden


Marjoram
Comments: It thrived here and I was able to harvest and dry some


Mint
Comments: Excellent to grow in this zone. I was given a plant of mint as well as spearmint by a friend and they are thriving. I will have to replant in the spring so they won't overtake the herb garden. I have harvested twice from each mint plant and dried the leaves.



Oregano
Comments: Another good herb for this zone area. Easy to grow and harvest


Rosemary
Comments: Another last minute decision to grow but one that was easy to grow. WHen I harvested it, I snip the twigs a little and dried it that way and then just brushed the leaves off which was easier than trying to dry the leaves alone.


Sage
Comments: Another last minute decision to grow but one that was easy to grow. Easy to harvest and easy to dry.



Tarragon
Comments: Easy to grow and easy to harvest. It thrived here.



Thyme
Comments: Easy to grow and easy to harvest. It thrived here.






WE are redesigning the herb garden which used to be a flower bed by the previous owners and is located in the middle of the circlular driveway. We will be putting in a strawberry tier in the middle and then making little triangle like sections with walkways in between. There will be sections for shade loving perennial herbs since there is a large tree on one side and sections for sun loving perennial herbs and one section for annual herbs that way I will have better access to them and able to replant that section easily. THe mints will go in appropriate sections (lemon balm, mint, spearmint and we hope to add peppermint) but will be planted into cut off barrels to contain them from taking over the garden area.

 

[Carla Emery]

Printed and tallied to date.

 

[slfisher]

couldn't find epazote and the cats ate the lemongrass.:-(

I have corn salad in the ground right now as a fall crop. growing *very*slowly but it's supposed to tolerate frost well.

 

[Sharon in NY]

Well, we're expecting frost tomorrow or Thursday, so I thought I ought to tally up the results of this year's herbs. My garden was a lot like Diane's - too ambitious, and the herbs got short shrift. But despite that and the appalling weather, they did fairly well.

Aloe: I've had an aloe plant in a pot for about 10 years, and other than not letting your dog eat it (my most recent problem), it doesn't take much. It lives in my cold old kitchen, in poor light, and almost never gets any attention, except when I burn myself. It gets watered when I think of it (rarely) and goes on getting bigger and happier every year. Eventually, I pass it clumps on to friends - which is how I got mine. I can't imagine why everyone doesn't have one!

Angelica - very beautiful, I didn't do anything with or to it, and yet it got huge and happy despite the weather. I'm moving it to the ornamental garden next year - so pretty. I started it from seed, which was slow, but worked just fine.

Baby's Breath - I only grew this because I found the seeds lying around. It was reasonably pretty and prolific, required no special effort, and didn't seem to mind being neglected. Again, I have no idea what to do with it other than throw it in bouquets, but since we send flowers out with our CSA baskets each week, that's fine with me.

Burnet - I *love* this stuff and its wonderful cucumber taste. I have no idea why you consider it a pest - it isn't weedy at all in my garden, and actually grew quite slowly. Maybe we eat too much of it. My customers love it as well. I started it indoors, but the seeds I threw in the dirt did just as well.

Calendula/Pot Marigold - I'll have more on this in my comments to my herb chapter, but it isn't a true marigold. I make a calendula baby ointment from it, and I really like the dark brown/red variety I grew this year, Arroncio Marrano, from FedCo. I haven't tried dying with it yet, though.

Caraway - drowned, sorry. We had 2xs the rain we usually do this year, and the herb garden got flooded repeatedly. My only observation so far is that Caraway apparently cannot swim.

Cattail - unsurprisingly, did very well. We dug the roots, steamed, mashed and ate them - they were very tasty. I liked them a lot. We dry the tops for floral arrangements as well.

Catnip - Please, someone come and take some catnip away from me!!! It was the only thing from my first herb garden that survived the -35 degree temps last winter (10 degrees lower than our normal low), but boy has it flourished. I only have 5 cats, and they've got mice to catch, so I can't keep them stoned *all* the time. I tried catnip/chamomile tea as a relaxant, and it seemed relaxing to me (I added lemon balm for flavor), but then I'm pregnant and have two kids under four, so getting me to sleep is not exactly the problem.

Chamomile - I grow this in pots, as well as out in the garden, and dry it for tea and to water my seedlings with in the spring. Weak chamomile tea supposedly prevents damping off disease, and it seems to work.

Chives - Got them by the thousand. Anyone want some? They've done great, even in the wet. I started them from seed, no problem.

Garlic chives - aren't as vigorous as the chives, but are nice too. I started them from seed, but they've been slow. Still, a lot cheaper than buying them.

Cornsalad/Mache - Very small, mild flavor, likes the cold, I'm curious to see how late into the season I can keep it going. Very slow starter from seed.

Curry Plant - I didn't bother trying to plant it outside - too cold and wet, so it is living on my desk. Smells wonderful, and very happy as a container plant.

Ok, made it through the Cs - I'll try and do the rest tomorrow!

Sharon