Harvesting Your Herbs

Reaping your bountiful herb harvest is a very simple process, but a few tips can improve your harvest and preserve the health of your plants.

1. Give young, recent transplants time to adjust to their new home in the garden, and sufficient time to grow before the first harvest.
2. When harvesting herbs for cooking, harvest them the same day you are going to use them to preserve freshness.
3. Never cut off more than one-third of a plant at a time, and give young plants time to re-grow before harvesting from them again.
4. Use sharp scissors and make a clean cut on the stem, taking care not to cut any leaves. Never pull leaves off of a plant.
5. When harvesting culinary herbs for drying, harvest just before the plant produces blooms to ensure the highest oil content in the leaves.
6. When harvesting plants for bloom (i.e. lavender), cut the blooms just before the earliest blooms on the stem start to wither.
7. On annual herbs, always harvest from the growing tips of the stems, like ‘pinching back’ the plant. This will make the plant produce more leaves, reduce flowering, and lengthen the life of the plant.
8. On perennials, always consider the shape of the plant, and make sure that your cutting does not misshape the plant. Think of this harvesting as a ‘mini pruning’.
9. When harvesting chives, always cut spears at the base of the plant. This will encourage new growth.

Growing An Indoor Herb Garden

Instead of planting a big outdoor herb garden consider planting one indoors. Many smaller varieties and dwarf varieties of herbs grow quite well in small pots that can be placed on a kitchen window sill. Now when you are cooking you do not have to run to your outside garden to pick a few herbs to add to your cooking. You can just simply turnaround and grab a few leaves!

It's easy to grow your own indoor herb garden. Many kits are available that have everything that you need to get started. Look for the chia herb garden which is a fun way to get the kids involved too. You can enjoy the same benefits that you would outside, but with a few distinct advantages with an indoor herb garden.

Advantages Of An Indoor Herb Garden

With an indoor herb garden you can easily monitor your plants. You will notice quickly if they need any maintenance. If they need a quick misting you can accomplish the task with little effort. Outdoor gardens are more frequently overlooked. Indoors you will not have issues with bugs eating the leaves of your herbs. You will not have to contend with trying to find a safe chemical that can be used to treat your herbs to keep bugs away.

You can do it within the comfort of your own home when it is time to harvest all of your fresh herbs. You will not have to deal with mosquitoes or other bugs while you are trying to garden.

When you plant an indoor herb garden you can bring in the wonderful fragrance that they provide. Now your kitchen will smell delicious like fresh basil or rosemary. Being surrounded by the fragrances of an indoor herb garden might even inspire your cooking. Instead of using dried herbs that have been sitting in a cabinet, any meals you do cook will now taste even better as you will be able to add fresh herbs.

Having an indoor herb garden will also protect any other plants that might be in your garden. Known to be extremely invasive are some species of herbs. Once they start growing they are hard to stop and before you know it your herb garden has taken over. By planting your herbs in small individual pots inside you can control its spreading.

Plants can make indoor spaces feel warm and cozy. Why not add a few practical plants to your kitchen to achieve the same result. You can generate an inviting atmosphere while growing herbs to use in your cooking.

Growing your own indoor herb garden is simple. Several kits are available that have everything that you need to get started. Now when you are cooking you do not have to run to your outside garden to choose a few herbs to add to your cooking.

Basic Leaf Mold

Instead of carting leaves to the curb, recycle them the way nature does, by turning them into an invaluable soil builder. Leaf mold greatly improves the structure and water-holding capacity of soil. It also creates the perfect conditions for the community of beneficial organisms that dwell in your soil, and it's great in potting mix.

There's really no excuse not to make leaf mold. It's free, easy-to-make, and readily available. If you don't have enough leaves in your own yard, trade raking duty with your neighbors in exchange for theirs. Before you use leaves that have fallen on your neighbors' lawns, be sure to ask them if the grass has recently been sprayed with synthetic chemicals. If so, don't use the leaves. Grass clippings with chemical residues can get mixed in with the leaves and contaminate them, says William Brinton, Ph.D., director of the Woods End Research Laboratory, in Maine. Still, Dr. Brinton explains, chemical contamination is not a significant concern with leaf mold because its lengthy decomposition time allows for chemicals to break down as well. Do not use leaves that have been raked into the street for municipal pickup, because they may contain lots of sand, fuel, or oil residues.

Do-It-Yourself Leaf Mold
Making leaf mold couldn't be easier. Start by ensuring that the leaves are thoroughly moistened, says Abigail Maynard, Ph.D., of the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station. Dehydrated leaves begin to lose nitrogen, and this hinders the decomposition process. Here are two ways to transform leaves into leaf mold.

• The lazy gardener. Pile leaves in a sheltered, inconspicuous area of your yard and leave them for two years.
• The ambitious gardener. Make a 3-by-3-foot leaf mold "cage" from stakes and chicken wire. Speed up the leaves' rate of decomposition by running a lawn mower over the pile a few times. To ensure even decomposition, Dr. Maynard suggests, turn the pile occasionally.

Using Leaf Mold
Now, here's how to use this nutrient-rich soil conditioner.

• Peat substitute. Use leaf mold in place of peat because it has similar qualities and it's a renewable resource.
• Moisture-retaining mulch. Leaf mold can hold up to 500 times its own weight in water. Place it around (but not touching) the crowns of annuals, perennials, and vegetables to help them maintain moisture during summer.
• Soil conditioner. It's easier for roots to penetrate soil and take up nutrients when the soil is not as dense. Dr. Maynard and her colleagues in Connecticut completed a 12-year study on the role leaf mold plays in changing soil characteristics. They found that garden soil amended with leaf mold had a 20 percent lower bulk density than soil to which leaf mold was not added.
• Drought-proof soil. The Connecticut study also found that soils amended with leaf mold increased their water-holding capacity by almost 50 percent. The amended soil could hold nearly a two-week supply of water for vegetables. Caution: This water-holding capacity can be a problem for seeds planted in early spring, because they may rot in the cool, wet soil. Dr. Maynard suggests planting extra seeds to compensate for seeds lost to rot.
• Seedling mix. Mix one part leaf mold with one part well-aged compost or worm castings for a nutrient-rich potting mixture for seedlings.

What Is It?
Leaf mold: Leaves that have fully decomposed over a long time.

Leaf compost: Compost made by mixing leaves with other organic materials.

Humus: The dark, spongy material created when microorganisms break down organic matter. Leaf mold and leaf compost both eventually turn into humus.

How to Make Your Own Compost Bin

Composting is a wonderful thing. It allows you to use organic / vegetable waste from your kitchen and garden, thereby reducing the amount of stuff going to landfills, and producing something useful that will help your garden grow healthier. Making your own compost requires a little bit of effort. Although compost can be made by piling or heaping organic material, you'll get better and faster results if you use a compost bin.

A compost bin can be made of a variety of materials. Most of the compost bins available for purchase are made of heavy plastic. But you can make your own bin out of materials you likely have lying around the house, or can be purchased cheaply. Try a few of these ideas:

Heavy Mesh Wire

I found this method too wobbly for my taste, but it's a quick, easy way to contain your compost heap. It's also highly mobile - you can lift the wire easily and move it to another location when you're ready to start a new pile. Simply make a circle of the wire, and attach the openings with small wire. You'll want to be able to open and close the container fairly frequently to turn your compost. To give the container more shape, drive stakes into the ground at four corners, and wrap the wire around the stakes. Secure wire to stakes with a short piece of wire, or simply squeeze the wire around the stakes.

Wooden Pallet Compost Bins

Wooden palettes can be found at many warehouses for free. We had several left over from deliveries of patio bricks and lumber. (Watch your neighbours to see who's putting in a patio or re-doing their roof. They might be willing to give you the palettes their materials arrived on.) These we attached at the edges to make three sides. The front panel was attached at one side with hinges, so we could open and close the door, and latched at the other side with a common hook and latch. For the top, we bought a piece of thick plywood and cut it to size. We attached it at the back with hinges, so it could be easily lifted to add materials.

Old Fencing

Replacing your old wood fence? Don't throw the slats away. If possible, take down the fence in sections. These sections can be used to make a great compost bin, ready-made with small space between the slats so your compost can breathe.

Dresser Drawers

No, really. Take an old dresser / bureau. Knock out the bottom of each drawer. With a few 2x4's you can attach the drawers together to make a small compost bin. Detach the top of the dresser and attach to the top of your bin with hinges at the back for easy accessibility.

Organic gardening techniques and philosophy

Biointensive, sustainable and permaculture explained

Choose plants that thrive in your climate.

Organic gardening often is thought of as simply gardening without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers -- but it is so much more than that.

Organic gardeners strive to replenish resources the garden consumes by adding organic matter to give the soil the nutrition it needs.

And they work in harmony with nature by selecting plants best suited for the site. As a welcome bonus, plants that thrive in your existing climate and conditions won't require as much time and attention.

Under the umbrella of organic gardening, you'll find several types of natural and eco-friendly gardening. Each type offers slightly different techniques and philosophies. Here's a look at three of them.

Permaculture gardening is an integrated approach; plants, animals, land, people, buildings and nature work together to support a multidimensional ecosystem. In other words, you're working with, not against, nature.

To be a permaculture gardener, repurpose an area of your lawn to create a food-producing garden that includes fruit trees and vegetables. Or just grow meadow mixes and other flowers that are beneficial to wildlife.

Sustainable gardening contributes to, rather than takes away from, the planet. This type of gardening conserves water, doesn't use chemicals and doesn't add to pollution. And because it is sustainable (which really means it sustains itself), this gardening technique requires less work and input from the gardener, which also makes it more efficient and less time-consuming. As with all of these forms of organic gardening, the foods grown via sustainable gardening -- whether they're vegetables, herbs or fruits are much healthier to eat. So it can have a positive effect on our health as well as the environment.

To be a sustainable gardener, maintain soil health by using increasing amounts of compost. Use only natural fertilizers such as seaweed and kelp, which encourage plants to grow at a natural rate and help prevent pest problems. Choose hardy plants that are well-adjusted to your climate and will feed birds and attract other types of wildlife.

Biointensive gardening, which is rooted in ancient Chinese agricultural practices, combines Eastern and Western techniques to yield a large amount of crops in a small space while requiring little annual maintenance and no use of power tools.

To be a biointensive gardener, grow cover crops -- which include alfalfa, oats, clover and other grains during the time that your garden is not planted with vegetables. Cover crops feed and replenish the soil, which means you will have higher yields. Also, consider planting your crops in closely packed hexagonal (six-sided) patterns. This style of planting maximizes the amount of vegetation in your garden, eliminates weeds (which require extra work to remove) and decreases the amount of water needed.