TOTM December '14 - Herb Gardens

We have grown chives, basil and oregano in our garden and cook with them. My knowledge of herbology is limited but speaking from personal experience I can vouch for some of the health benefits of garlic. There are varieties which can tolerate different climates so you could grow this pretty much anywhere. I like to cook using fresh garlic and have been known to chew on a clove when I feel a cold coming on.
Be cautious with that last one if you need to deal with the public 'cause you'll have Godzilla breath.

 

Ive been doing the veggie garden, but this is a push into expanding into herbs. fresh herbs are so much more potent. Garlic, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, chives, are a definite.

 

I have been collecting my seeds man. Those things don't smoke worth a damn. It's really irritating when they pop and ruin a perfectly good smoke. I am going to do the gorilla gardening thing and just go on a wandering walkabout planting those seeds. Power to the people man. Peace, ... out .............. tic
.
Hey if you happen to come upon some of my wild herb, well just help yourself man, enjoy.

 

It's BECAUSE of careless m-gorilla gardeners that just chuck seeds all over the place but never come back to remove the males that you have seeds in the first place.

Newb.

 

Catnip.

This year my 2 catnip plants bolted super early and I got quite a few seeds.
I didn't eat any of the leaves but I know some vegans who are fond of it.

Even though it's not a herb...i'm going to get a pile of watercress seeds and see what they taste like as sprouts.

MG

 

I have a ton of greek oregano, mint, and rosemary. I get really like cooking with fresh herbs during the growing season. All three grow like weeds and need very little care. I grew basil one year but we do not eat much of it so have not grown it since. This year i want to try anise, we use it for cookies. I also have been reading up on herbs and their protective qualities in regards to vegetables

 

Well...this thread got me thinking and talking to the google....

"Wild Ginger" - looks like a real challenge....lots of medical uses but whoa...germination looks like a huge chore.



"Wild ginger" (Asarum canadense) | MGS Heirloom Seeds
"
Growing instructions
This plant is a cold-germinator. The sowing must be kept cold for a period of some weeks (refrigerator) or you sow them in very early spring or autumn. Mix the seeds with damp sand in a plastic bag. The sowing must be kept warm (about 20°C / 64 to 72°F and moist for the first 2-4 weeks. After this period place it in your refrigerator at a temperature of 5°C (between 25 and 39°F) for 5 to 6 weeks. After that take the bag out and keep it at room temperature. Check for sprouted seed regulary.
"

Medical:
Asarum canadense - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"
Native Americans used the plant as a medicinal herb to treat a number of ailments including dysentery, digestive problems, swollen breasts, coughs and colds, typhus, scarlet fever, nerves, sore throats, cramps, heaves, earaches, headaches, convulsions, asthma, tuberculosis, urinary disorders and venereal disease. In addition, they also used it as a stimulant, an appetite enhancer and a charm. It was also used as an admixture to strengthen other herbal preparations.[2]
"

 

I have catnip, spearmint, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage, chocolate mint, and french tarragon growing that are doing just fine without any winter protection. Also having walking onions. Have had no luck trying to grow echinacea or garlic though, which really annoys me. The catnip I had to fence off while it got established.

 

I have tried herbs on the window sill. Always used clay pots. I noticed that the pots get a white film on them and the pots seem to suck the water. IMO the pot takes the water, turns white and the plant doesn't thrive cause it is thirsty. I try to avoid plastic pots because I am not sure on the safety of plastics (leaching).

I have heard a few ads for these Aerogardens. I wouldn't spend money to grow herbs, plus it is a miracle grow product and some of their stuff is toxic.

 

I'm not a big fan of the aerogarden. Too expensive for what it produces, tricky to seed without using the packs from the maker and needs electricity.

The white gunk on your clay pots is prolly calcium or salt build up from your tap water or fertilizer. Vinegar will do the trick to clean it off but that doesn't help while the herbs are growning....

If you're not feeling the love of clay....put hubby to work building a wooden planter box or buy some of those coco-weave-pots cheap....

Or go whole hog: build a window sill box and line it with coco-weave.

 

We have had herbs growing in the windows, in planters, ect. They all die. Why you ask? Well, because while the Nurse is a great healer of things great and small, she possesses what I prefer to call the Black Thumb of Death... It is quite lethal to all plant life on this planet. The Woman can kill a friggin cactus fer petes sake. She is getting better though, my flowers lasted to mid summer...

All kidding aside, now that I have given up my global chasing of dead dinosaur juice and have made the decision to stay at/near home, I have a number of projects that I will be starting. One of those is the garden/greenhouse. We share a garden currently with a relative, and it works well because of my traveling and the BTOD, but now I want one here as well. I'm going to try a greenhouse as well, where I plan on having said herbs during the colder months. I built a green house for a friend in Colorada years ago and was amazed how simple it was to build and how well it worked for them. All ya need is some 1" square tubing and a couple of fibre optic cable spools for the frame. Anyways, EXCELLENT choice for topic of the month!

 

Or you could spend $110 and get a 12x7x7 that sets up as quick as a tent.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0098R8GES/?tag=survivalmonke-20

 

Looks nice, but I wonder about the frame The tubing size seemed a bit light to me. Good price though.

 

You could easily frame it with schedule 40 PVC pipe and fittings. Then fill the lower pipe frame with sand for stability in higher winds.

 

Not an issue. With standard fitting you could have a 12/12 pitch (°45) or even arches if you prefer.

 

I am with @ghrit on this one. In the image of that greenhouse you can see sags in the cover, which is an invitation for snow and water to gather, thus causing weight issues. I have seen one of these Small Greenhouse Kit - 6 Ft. x 8 Ft. in the area and it has withstood all sorts of weather- wind, snow, ice.