Nov
How To Start Your Own Herb Gardening
Herb gardening Is one of the most rewarding pastimes you’ll begin. I say will begin because by the time you finish reading this you WILL begin! You’ll need some basic information & knowledge about the herbs you select to use & grow, but after that the actual process is easy & fast. The best thing is that after you work out what you really need to do, it becomes a passion that lasts forever and, even better, it is a real money saving hobby.
What you Need to Know About Herb Gardening
Basically you really need to work out your seasonal needs. Choose the herbs you like or use most often in your cooking. Do you follow? The easiest way is to go straight to your kitchen shelf & look at what you have accumulated over the past & decide which ones you really use. Then, look up the growing requirements. You can do this on the Internet or go straight to your local nursery for free tips. Most plants are easy to grow, but will need a little attention & need replanting in spring.
Next you really need to learn how to dry your herbs for storage & use during those times when fresh plants are unavailable. Here are my tips for drying herbs successfully:
? Cut off tops of the leafy varieties in midsummer.
? Hang them up just long enough so that the drops of water can evaporate.
? Wash them off with cold water.
? Tie them with string, binding them quite tightly at the end of the stalk.
? Place them in a paper bag with the stem ends at the opening, & then close the bag with a rubber band.
? Then you really need to use a paper clip as a sort of hook through the band & then place the other hooked end over your line where you’re going to hang the herbs to actually dry.
? Wait for a couple of weeks, to ensure they have dried out completely.
? Remove them from the paper bags, & then crumble the leaves & place them on a shallow pan & dry them out in the oven ? just make certain that the oven is not set to be too hot, because you can burn them, & you certainly do not want to do this.
A lot of herb gardening enthusiasts prefer to use the open air as their preferred way to dry herbs. There is more. This method howevercan be messy as insects can interfere with the drying plans & get caught up & become part of your larder! If you’re careful & pick them out it may be OK. My view is that open air drying is unnecessary & doesn’t yield better results at all.
Michael is the owner of Herb Magic, the BEST site for all herb lovers. You’ll also find great herb gardening tips & healthy herb recipes & information at http://www.HerbWorldBlog.com
