Organic Gardening

To start with, you will have to buy some plants. After they are well established, you can propagate yourself. Some will spread by themselves.

Chives are a “must” by the kitchen door. Your clump of chives will send up green spikes even before the snow is gone. The purple heads of their flowers are pretty among the long green leaves. Chop the leaves into anything which will take an onion taste. (more…)

DILL (Anethum graveolens)

This annual is characterized by its small yellow flowers arranged in umbrels and by its quickly forming seeds. Famous for their use in pickles, the seeds of dill are also excellent in sauerkraut, sauces and salads. The fine feathery leaves are also used by Europeans for flavoring.

The self-sowing dill should be sown thickly and does not require thinning. Like other herbs, it needs a great deal of sun.

FENNEL (Foeniculum duke)

Sweet fennel is a beloved seasoning of Italians. You may eat the stalks raw, use the leaves with fish, the seeds with eggs, cheese, vegetables, fish and in cakes.

Foeniculum vulgare, another type of fennel, is a tall, aromatic plant which does well in almost any soil. Stems, leaves and seeds are all useful for flavoring. Fennel has bright green, feathery foliage and tiny yellow flowers in umbrels.

Start fennel from seed in a sunny spot. Although the sweet variety requires a rich soil,  vulgare does better in a limy location.

GERMANDER {Teucrium chamaedrys

This hardy perennial makes a fine, attractive hedge. Its leaves are dark green and glossy and its flowers are a bright purplish-rose hue. The dwarf form {var. þrostratum) is a good ground cover, growing to a height of about 6 inches. It is slow to start, but spreads rapidly and is particularly charming in a rock garden. The spiked pink flowers are not fragrant. Nevertheless, they are very handsome against the plant’s glossy, dark green leaves. This type of germander is not very hardy and will have to be replanted every few years. Start germander from seeds, or beg some cuttings or roots from a friend.

HOREHOUND (Marrubium vulgare)

Horehound has been known since ancient times for its medicinal properties, and since the nineteenth century as a flavoring for candy, but only in relatively recent years has the culinary value of its leaves and flowers been recognized. It has small, oval, crinkly, greyish-green leaves. The tubular white flowers grow in whorls close to the stalk at the upper end of the stem. Both leaves and flowers may be used to season cakes, candies, sauces, meat stews and in teas.

It is becoming a weed in much of the United States and spreads rapidly by seeding and spreading roots. The bushy plant grows to about 18 inches in height. Start horehound from seed.

HYSSOP (Hyssopus officinals)

With its smooth, dark green leaves and blue flowers blooming from early summer until frost, hyssop makes a lovely hedge. About every 4 years, however, the plants will become scraggly and should be replaced. Remember to cut back your hyssop hedge after the first blossoms appear. This herb has a spicy, minty fragrance. You can use its leaves, stems and flowers in medicinal teas and sparingly to season vegetables and stews.

Start growing hyssop from seed sown indoors, from cuttings or by root division.   It does best in partial shade.

LAVENDER (Lavandula spied)

Beautiful lavender not only has a lovely aroma, but it is nice to look at, too. Its long narrow leaves are bluish-green; its flowers are blue, and the whole plant is fragrant. Valuable as an ingredient in sachets and potpourris, lavender makes an attractive hedge which will last as long as 3 years if your climate is a very warm one. In most parts of the country, however, you will have to bring it inside during the winter. L. spica or spike lavender is most hardy in the northern states. L. vera or L. qffìcinalis, the English lavender, is the most fragrant.

Start lavender from young plants or root cuttings.

LEMON BALM (Melissa offcinalis)

This lemon-scented plant is wonderful for seasoning iced drinks and hot tea as well as for use in potpourris, sachets and floral bouquets. It spreads so quickly that unless you watch it closely, it will cover your entire garden. Lemon balm grows to 1½ or 2 feet tall. The oval leaves have slightly serrated edges and clusters of small, whitish flowers.

Start from seed or young plants. Lemon balm will sow itself, but a second method of propagation is by root division.

LOVAGE (Levisticum qfficinale)

This handsome, hardy perennial makes a good background plant, for it grows as high as 6 feet. It puts out fairly inconspicuous yellow flowers growing in umbrels and pale green, shiny, celery-like leaves. For a celery taste use the young tender leaves either fresh or dried in soups. The seeds are excellent in cakes, candies, meats and salads, and if you like, you may blanch the stems and eat them raw.

Start lovage indoors from a plant or a root which you might get from a friend or herb dealer, or sow seed early. Let lovage have a rich soil in a sunny or semi-shady place.

CAMOMILE (Anthemis nobilis)

The English variety of camomile makes a beautiful ground cover, for it grows low and spreads gracefully over the earth. It blooms from midsummer until the first frost, producing small white and yellow daisy-shaped flowers. It has light green pinnate, or feather-shaped, leaves, and should get plenty of sun even though it does fairly well in shade. Plant seed, and camomile will self-sow from then on.

CARAWAY (Carum carvï)

With its delicate finely cut leaves and small creamy flowers growing in umbels similar to Queen Anne’s lace, caraway is quite lovely. Dry the seeds for use in cakes, rye bread, kraut, cabbage, pickles, cheese and stews. Bake a sprig of caraway with fruit.

It grows to about 2 feet, but if planted in the spring, it will only reach 6 to 8 inches the first year. If sown in the fall, seed may be harvested early the next year. Buy your first seed and it will self-sow thereafter. (more…)

SANTOLINA OR LAVENDER COTTON (Santolina chamaecyþarissus)

Santolina is sometimes known as French lavender. A fragrant, small plant, with soft grey, fine foliage, it is very decorative. The button-like discs of flowers are yellow. Formerly it was used as a moth repellent and packed with clothing. Now it is grown as an ornamental plant. Except for the color of its leaves, it is not at all similar to lavender in spite of its name. A bush may grow to 6 feet across, making santolina a favorite edging for knot gardens. Start it from plants and let it grow in a sunny spot.

SAVORY (Satureia hortensis)

A fragrant, shrubby plant with small, narrow downy leaves and tiny flowers ranging from pink to purple, savory is a valuable addition to any garden. Summer savory has the best flavor, similar to that of marjoram although stronger and more aromatic. The dried leaves are particularly good with beans, in soups, stews and ground meats. Of the 130 to 140 known species of savory, winter savory, S. montana, is also worth cultivating. It is not as fine a culinary herb as summer savory, but you can use it discreetly. Since the seed of savory does not germinate well, start it from root cuttings. Let savory have a great deal of sunlight and a fairly poor soil. (more…)

MARIGOLD, POT (Calendula officinalis)

This flamboyant plant puts forth bright orange and yellow flowers. It is a cheerful addition to any garden and can be used as a substitute for expensive saffron. Pot marigold should be started from seed. It is self-sowing and thrives best in rich soil.

MARJORAM, SWEET (Marjorana hortensis)

Of the more than 30 species, M. hortensis is the most valuable for kitchen use. The leaves are similar to oregano in taste and may be used either fresh or dried. They are small, greyish-green in color and quite pungent.

Start marjoram from seeds sown indoors, from stem cuttings or crown division. It does best in a warm, moist, light chalky soil, and you will have to keep it cut back to inhibit its woody growth. If your climate is relatively cold, treat marjoram as an annual. (more…)

Most annuals are started from seed sown in the garden. As for biennials, you may grow them just as you do annuals. You can buy many varieties of herb seed at your seed store, nursery or supermarket, but you cannot always be sure of what you are getting.

For example, tarragon may be in the seed rack but it is not a true tarragon and is hardly worth planting. True tarragon does not set seed in this country, so it is necessary to buy plants. Then there is basil. I bought “sweet basil” and got the “great ocimum sweet basil.” Later, I bought another packet with the same label, same brand. It turned out to be “small ocimum bush basil.” Now I save and plant my own basil seeds, so I can be sure what variety I’m planting.

But don’t worry. Except for tarragon and basil, commercially packaged seeds are reliable (more…)

Be lazy and love it! You might call that my gardening motto.

There is a garden club called “Plant and Pray” and that name pretty well sums up my system. If a plant could sigh, it would do so when I put it in the ground. But, fortunately for me, herbs are the friendliest, the most adaptable of all plants. Most herbs love sun, but will grow in partial shade. Of course they need some sunshine to develop their fragrant oils, and if they get too little sun, their flavor will not be so good.

The herbs do not overly care whether their soil is poor or rich. In fact, rich soil will produce large leaves, but relatively little fragrance and flavor. Unless you want herbs for looks alone, do not use much fertilizer. Although a light loam is preferable, our own herbs must grow in clay. And they do. We have always garnered all the herbs we and our friends can use.

Planting the Herb Garden

The actual planting of your herb garden is a simple matter. But whether you have your herbs all gathered together in one small patch, or spread out over a large area, there are some basic planting procedures to follow. (more…)

If  you are interested in herbs you may be astonished to realize how many herbs you are already growing.

Kinds of Herbs to grow

Parsley, chives, garlic, spearmint, dill and sage appear in almost every garden. And they are among the most valued herbs. Do you raise violets, roses, nasturtiums and marigolds? These, too, are herbs, even though we call them flowers.

Along with these herbs, add thyme, summer savory, sweet marjoram, basil, lemon balm (Melissa), borage and chervil, and you will have a good start on a herb garden which will provide for most of your needs. (more…)