Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…

Well. not so much when temperatures are in the *90′s and *100′s for long periods.

I make herbal teas (or tisanes) year round, but when the weather heats up, I really need to cool down, so I make sun tea. Herbal of course!

If you are growing herbs, it is incredibly easy to make your own herbal sun tea.

All you need is a handful of crushed herbs, a jar of cool water, and sunny spot where your tea can brew.

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Chicken in Mint

I know…this should be a photo of a finished recipe, but this crazy bird insists on nesting and laying eggs in a tub of mint so she gets to be our Cover Girl, um bird for this post.

Silly birds aside, you can make several really good chicken and mint recipes.

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Herbs in Basket

Baskets of any kind, and wire or metal baskets in particular look great planted with herbs!

If you’d like to try one at home here’s a simple way to get a beautiful basket that produces a nice crop of herbs.

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Wilted Lemon Balm

When temperatures heat up watering your herbs becomes crucial- especially when you are growing herbs in pots.

Pots can dry out quickly. If you are using unglazed terra cotta pots, they will dry out even faster. Add a little breeze or wind and you can have extra crispy herbs in a hurry!

Some potted herbs can take a little dry soil, but even herbs like Sage and Lavender will die if left in overly dry containers for long.
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Well, it has been brought to my attention that my posts have not been posted for some time and so the summer growing herbs series is waaaaay behind. I wondered why comments were scarce.

I suppose that is what I get for attempting to pre-schedule those posts for you. Well it’s back to the drawing board and you’ll get the posts- done manually and more than a little behind. So sorry!

See you soon

Historically speaking,

Roses have always been grown in herb gardens. They were used for medicines, fragrance, sweet rose water, cooking, and more.  If you have considered growing them you should know that starting roses from cuttings is actually easy!

Getting started:

You will need a plastic drink or soda bottle, soil mix, sharp scissors or knife, a rose bush, and you might want the optional (but helpful) rooting hormone or compound. Read the rest of this entry »

For the new herb grower Catnip is an easy one!

Catnip

It’s a member of the mint family, but is not as invasive as many of the mints. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s mine?

When my gang gets sick I break out the Buck Tea!

Sam the Buck

Doesn’t sound very herbal?

It is, and I’ll give you the easy recipe. It’s really a sort of hot,spicy lemony herb tea. Think of it as Granny’s herbal cold remedy.

So, why do we call it Buck Tea? Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in a colder area and want to start some herbs (or anything) early this is a great trick.

It’s a sort of mini greenhouse or portable cold frame. Read the rest of this entry »

HerbTips! Issue 18

Where to Find Herbs- Part Two

We talked a bit last time about finding herbs locally.

If you aren’t afraid to try starting your herbs from seeds, there are lots of options.

Sage Seeds

It is amazing how many places carry herbs seeds now, years ago they were very hard to find.

Why start from seed?

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HerbTips! Issue 19

Water…

How much is too much?

Most herbs will not tolerate huge amounts of water.
They don’t like to have “wet feet” or their roots standing in water.

Sometimes out in the real world this can’t be avoided- like during
heavy rains. If you garden outdoors in a climate where lots of water
happens- think UP!

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Looking for herbs?

Very often at the beginning (and end) of the growing season you can find basic herb seeds for sale at markets, home and garden centers and other retailers. If you store them in a cool area (or the fridge) many are often viable the next year… so go ahead, try everything but  peppermint seeds !

I pick up seeds all the time and try new ‘stuff’, but for specialty herbs or uncommon herbs here are a few of my favorite places to buy herb plants and seeds.

All of these nurseries will ship live plants and seeds: Read the rest of this entry »

HerbTips! Issue 17

In the USA most you can often find basic started herbs at your local
garden or home center, and sometimes even at the grocery store.

Sometimes you want to grow something different. Something new.
Herbs you haven’t grown before and don’t know much about.

Awesome! That’s what gardeners do. Read the rest of this entry »

HerbTips! Issue 16

I love herbal folklore.

Some of the old wives tales are wise, some have a grain of truth
and some are just plain absurd!

Much of what the ancients did was based on superstition, and it
seemed that keeping away evil spirits was nearly a full time job! Read the rest of this entry »

Just Delivered Wood Chips for Mulching

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HerbTips! Issue 15

Remember the benefits of mulch?

Today I’ll tell you when you should not use it!

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