Start Your Seeds Between the Sheets

If you save your garden seeds from year to year and wait expectantly to see if they'll germinate in their peat pots, there's a way to make the process easier, faster, and less expensive.Start Seeds Between Sheets of Paper TowelsFor the last two years,...

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Herbal Astringent Skin Treatment With Sage

Sage is a natural antibacterial and makes a good oily skin astringent that helps deep clean and tone.Sage Astringent1 Heaping tablespoon fresh sage chopped fine¼ Cup white vinegar¼ Cup boiling waterSteep fresh sage in boiling water until the liquid cools...

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May Wine, May Punch

In order to make traditional May wine, you need to infuse dry white wine, often Rhine wine, with dried woodruff.Recipe for May Wine with WoodruffAdd a half cup of dried woodruff to a bottle of dry white wine, seal, and store in a dark place (like a...

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Thoughts on Lemon Balm (Melissa)

Lemon balm is one of my favorite herbs. It has a light, sweet, lemony fragrance that can be used in many ways in your cooking and crafts. It is also easy to grow.Lemon Balm PotpourriOne of its traditional uses is in potpourri, where it works well with...

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Sage Tips and Facts

Sage is a very handy herb. When used as a seasoning for game, it evens out the strong 'wild' flavors. It adds depth to sausage and other fatty meats, and minced fresh, enhances the flavor of creamy cheeses. Sage will usually compliment most foods that...

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Growing Rosemary

Growing rosemary can be a breeze in warm climates. Since it does well as a houseplant, it can also be grown easily in colder climates if brought indoors in winter. Check out my article on rosemary for more details: Growing Rosemary. There are now...

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Laying out Your Herb Garden

Preparing the soil and selecting the plants or seeds is only part of the adventure, now comes the layout. Let's recap for a moment.You have prepared your soil by amending it and working it to a depth of at least six inches. The site you have selected...

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Easter Thoughts

With Easter coming up, I thought I would make some recommendations about how to celebrate this holiday in a way that will help make your family more ecologically aware. Please visit my holiday blog for thoughts on how gardening can educate a new generation...

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Soil Considerations for Your Herb Garden

Although herbs can tolerate poor soil, the addition of organic material and good drainage are important for the growth of healthy plants. Stressed plants are more susceptible to disease and insect attack. The preparation of good soil will go a long way...

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Herb Locations

Like real estate, important considerations for plants are: location, location, location. Areas that are exposed to high winds, brutal heat, constant heavy shade, abundant shallow tree roots, and standing water are not good choices for most plants, and...

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Plant Terms Defined

Before we start discussing plans for an herb garden, let's define some terms. Herbs and vegetables fall into three broad growing categories that will help you understand what type of future you can expect from them.Annual Herbs DefinedPlants that complete...

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What's the Difference Between an Herb and a Vegetable?

Herbs differ from vegetables in that they are primarily used as an accompaniment and not served alone. Vegetables can be eaten alone, cooked or raw. Many herbs can be raised with vegetables, and they can make good pairings to promote a pest free growing...

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What's the Difference Between Herbs and Spices?

There is some overlap, but the basic difference between an herb and a spice is that spices are considered tropical or semi-tropical in origin. They can be composed of leaves, bark, roots, dried fruits, seeds, or nuts. Almost all spices are imported,...

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Growing and Harvesting Ginger

Ginger grows from a spreading, tuberous rhizome. It does well in moist fertile soil in warm winter areas. If you have seen ginger in the grocery store, the root looks like a flattened, beige, segmented bulb. The foliage is tall and dark green in color,...

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Starting Garlic From Cloves

You can start garlic from the bulbs you buy at your local grocery store. This is true of regular and elephant garlic. Here's how.Starting Garlic from ClovesSeparate the cloves and let them dry on your counter for a few days, but don't peel the paper...

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