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Garden Gate:  New herb garden  |
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Hideaway Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1553 Posts
Jo
Virginia
USA
1553 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 08 2007 : 11:31:53 AM
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I'm been rototilling and composting and carrying dirt and finally have a 7x7 plot ready at the farm to be my new herb garden. It's been too dry to start new plants this summer, but I am starting to plan out designs and ideas for this area.
So far, I seem to prefer a random, informal pattern, containing mostly kitchen herbs along with few medicinal ones I am learning to use. I am also looking for a cute little statuary or small garden ornament(s) to add some color and whimsy.
I have planned:
Parsley, rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, garlic (is that an herb?), chives, basil, sage, aloe, yarrow, what else do I need?
I already have cuttings of some of the above from my existing herb garden, but I want to get this new one off to a great start. I'd love to hear any ideas, or see pictures of your own herb gardens.
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2007 : 12:29:58 PM
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You are missing lovely, lovely Dill and lavender, and how about some nasturtiums for eating. I know they're not an herb, but they're yummy and add gorgeous color.
I don't have a formal herb garden, just in pots. I've just always done it that way, and saved my beds for veges. I sure do love the way designed herb gardens look, though. Reminds me ALOT of England. Post some photos as you go!
"She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian. |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2007 : 8:29:58 PM
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Don't forget cilantro! Especially if you have an abundance of tomatos to make fresh salsa with!!
Garlic is finicky...Make sure to put it out in the fall, I tried mine in late winter and it rotted :( I always try to get open pollinated or heirloom varieties so that I can save the seeds of my best producing plants. |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4739 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4739 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2007 : 06:38:58 AM
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We use mint a lot, though you'll want to make sure it's contained or it will take over the entire garden! Sounds like you did an excellent job preparing your soil! Something a lot of people are too impatient to deal with first. I'm going to try to figure out where to put a small vegetable garden in next year. My yard is mostly shade, so it's a bit tricky. Right now my herbs are all in containers. Any thoughts on what will grow best in the house over the winter?
Dawn in IL |
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GaiasRose
True Blue Farmgirl
2552 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
2552 Posts |
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Bonne
True Blue Farmgirl
3003 Posts
Bonne
Littleton
CO
USA
3003 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2007 : 11:33:17 AM
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Make sure you give everything plenty of growing room. That little Lemon Balm plant will be a monster next year (mint family and tends to S P R E A D !
Oregano is easy to grow and comes back year after year. Catnip (again, mint family.....)
I got some Anise Hyssop one year and it keeps coming back~leaves smell like licorice! A rose bush is nice~pretty and you can make rose petal syrup or rose water, dry petals for potpourri. I 2nd the lavender. I've had good luck with English Lavender being more hardy than French, but it may not matter in VA.
Chamomile smells lovely and is so useful if you can get the seeds to sprout~I had luck sprouting indoors as opposed to out. Have fun! Enjoy the bees and butterflies that are attracted to it.
http://www.bonne1313.homestead.com/spiritspace.htmlSoap
http://groups.msn.com/spiritspaceCrafting Group |
Edited by - Bonne on Aug 09 2007 11:35:24 AM |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2007 : 12:10:43 PM
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I don't grow catnip anymore outside because all the crazy neighborhood strays came to my yard and rolled all over my flower beds in their euphoria!!!
I grow it in the window sill for my crew :)
"She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian. |
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Hideaway Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1553 Posts
Jo
Virginia
USA
1553 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2007 : 12:12:30 PM
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Thanks for the neat suggestions...I totally forgot about dill, oregano, cilantro and lavendar, and the borage and Anise Hyssop sound intriguing! I definitely want some color out there, too.
Dawn: Basil is the best and easiest thing to grow over the winter. I have a hardy little plant that has been in a small pot on my kitchen windowsill; it grows to about 9 inches tall, then I snip and use the leaves, and it has to grow again and is ready the next time I need it for a recipe...Basil loves well-drained soil (I put some rocks in the bottle of the container) and lots of sunshine and water. It gets watered almost daily, and rotated since the leaves and stems will start to grow toward the sun. I also had a Bay Laurel tree growing indoors in a large pot foryears, until it was moved to a spot that was too shady. It was great having a fresh supply of bay leaves on hand.
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
Edited by - Hideaway Farmgirl on Aug 10 2007 11:49:59 AM |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2007 : 2:34:13 PM
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| I have been looking for a bay laurel tree. I have one and it died when I moved several years ago. I feel bad because my herb garden got overgrown with weeds this year when I had a baby. Now there are nasty black and yellow spiders in there and I won't even venture in. There is some mint I thought I had contained, but is taking over. I also have rue, lamb's ear, and parsley that I can see still going. Around the perimeter I have rosa rugosa bushes as a hedge, for their rosehips. |
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Hideaway Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1553 Posts
Jo
Virginia
USA
1553 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 06:50:55 AM
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Heather,
The nice thing about herb gardens is that they can always be resurrected! Good luck getting your hands back in the dirt this fall, and starting your herbs off again in the spring!
New babies do have a way of taking over as the center of your universe, don't they? Hope that you are both doing well!
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
Edited by - Hideaway Farmgirl on Aug 10 2007 06:52:48 AM |
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Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 09:33:50 AM
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| Borage also has beautiful tiny blue flowers that you can float in drinks or toss in salads, and angelica has long hollow stems that you can cut off and use as drinking straws (fun for kids). I love the blue greygreen leaves of rue, too, and it is a host plant for I believe the black swallowtail butterfly, but the leaves emit an oil that gives some people who are sensitive to it, a nasty burn when exposed to sunlight so take care with that one. Yarrow (or is it tansy) has beautiful yellow flower heads that dry nicely. And the marvelous varieties of sage, too! In any event, happy planting and harvesting! Nance |
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Hideaway Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1553 Posts
Jo
Virginia
USA
1553 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2007 : 11:49:00 AM
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Thanks for info, Nance! I like the sound of borage, I will have to find some.
BTW, I have NOT forgotten the package I am sending you ... it's finally been bubble-wrapped and taped within an inch of its life and is ready to make it's "Bon Voyage" (sorry, just me being punny) from Virginia to you in France...will confirm the mailing after I drop it off at the post office this afternoon.
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
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Garden Gate: New herb garden |
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New herb garden
