I am so blessed to have a hubby who not only takes an interest in my herb garden, but he has so much knowledge about cultivating and managing soil. Because of his continual commitment to that goal, my garden is flourishing. ?? Four years ago, the entire area was a graveled parking lot, and now …
Calendula officinalis has proven to be one of the easiest plants to grow. You can start it inside to plant out in the spring or sow the seeds directly in the ground. It prefers healthy, loamy soil in full sun. You will not get good results if you pick a shady area. It likes a …
If you’re looking to add lemon balm to your garden (which you should!) there are a couple of tried and true methods of doing so. Lemon balm grows well from seeds that have been stratified for at least one week. You can start the seeds indoors and transplant in the late spring. You can also …
We love growing garlic in our gardens. It adds some beauty, medicinal value, edible bulbs (as well as the scapes), plus it makes a great companion plant! Garlic has a strong, pungent smell, and many garden pests really don’t like it – thank you secondary metabolites! Plants that do better with garlic near or around …
Let’s continue our overview of some botanical basics. Last time I talked about leaf venation and this time I’m going to talk a little about leaf arrangement. Alternate: This is when you see a leaf on the left side of a stem, then a little bit up there’s a leaf on the right side of …
Daisy, dandelion, viola, mullein; these are names that many of us are familiar with and use in everyday language! So what’s the big deal with learning botanical names that sound unfamiliar and are difficult to remember? Common names can cause confusion when communicating with others, especially when discussing edibility and medicinal qualities of an herb, …
Nettles are a favorite spring treat. I know, you may not have fond memories of its stinging stems, neither do I, but the nutrients and health benefits it provides are pretty awesome. I’m fortunate enough to have a couple of very productive stands on our homestead that yield plenty of nettles for spring eating. I …
