Fall is Time for Planting Roses
Posted on 22 September 2008 by herb
Roses for Fall Planting are available at your local garden supply stores. See what’s available online before you go anywhere!
UseThatHerb
herb gardening – culinary and medicinal herbs
Harvesting Herbs: Catnip Drying for Storage
Posted on 19 September 2008 by herb
Early this morning the low temperature was 47 and sunshine is on tap for today. A great day for harvesting a few herbs and drying them in the sun.
After the morning chill is gone and the sun warms everything a bit, we’ll take the scissors or pruners to cut down some herbs. If the plant is an annual, it’ll be pulled out of the ground and the excess soil removed from the roots.
Large stems or whole plants will be draped over a wire mesh for drying. Bulky plants will be turned every so often or trimmed down so that air can circulate around the plant parts we want to collect.
Once the plant seems dry to the touch, it can be manicured or clipped into smaller pieces.
Catnip was harvested a couple days ago by pulling out the entire plant. The three feet tall stems were laid on a piece of (untreated) plywood in the garage. The stems were turned about once a day so that all parts could dry out. After three days time the plant was almost completely dry, except for a few tips of the stems.
At this point a large, black plastic bag was laid out flat. The purpose of the bag was to give a clean surface on which to collect the dried herb. Each stem was manicured by cutting off the flowering spikes and leaves, which were allowed to fall onto the plastic bag.
Leaves that had turned brown – the catnip plant was drying up from the bottom as it concentrated on flowering and producing seeds – were stripped off and placed in a separate pile from the dried green herb. The brown leaves will go to the cats and the green leaves will go into tea. When you strip leaves from the stems try not to crumble the leaves so the herb’s essence will remain intact.
The cut catnip was allowed to lay out on the plastic bag for another day before being collected into small brown bags for temporary storage. Each bag was labeled with “Catnip – September 2008″. Catnip for tea will be stored in a glass container inside a cupboard.
What are you going to harvest today?
Garden Supplies and Free Shipping
Posted on 18 September 2008 by herb
Cover Your Plants – Frost Warning Tonight for NorthEast US
Posted on by herb
Time to think about protecting your favorite plants from the cold. Frost is not quite imminent, but some folks may wake up on Friday to a nasty surprise because we have a Frost Advisory!
This growing season was not a good one for tomatoes, but that just meant that it was time for other plants to shine. Basil, for one, did excellently this year.
If you’re thinking about protecting your plants from the cold, good on ya! Get out that tarp or row cover to shade your beauties from the cold. If the plants are small and few, try a large cardboard box. Just place the box over the plant in the evening and remove it in the morning.
If you’ve got a row of veggies to protect, you’ll want to try a row cover or a light fabric so that many plants can be protected at once. Got an old sheet? That’ll do!
Feel like a little shopping? Check out this All Purpose Garden Fabric:
Garden fabric comes in several sizes, so find one that suits your needs. It’s a great time to shop for fall planting too. Save 15% on orders of $25 or more. While you’re there, check out the garden outlet shop!
Gardener’s Supply Company: Save up to 50% in our Garden Outlet
Deals on Planters for Large Potted Plants
Posted on 6 September 2008 by herb
Containers let you bring in your prized plants for the Fall season. I’ve known a few gardeners who bring in geraniums or begonias and keep them going through the cold months indoors and re-plant them outdoors when the weather cooperates.
Check out this Hummingbird Antique Bronze-Style Planter (16-inch) -
Or, this smaller Gothic Planter (9-inch) -
Don’t forget, Park Seed has more than just seeds! Shop Our Most Recent Catalogs Without Leaving your Seat!
If you don’t have any plants to bring in from the cold, there are lots of houseplants you can enjoy. See what Wayside Gardens has to offer in the way of houseplants, dwarf plants and Internet-Exclusive deals from their Container Plantings for Indoor, Patio Garden From Wayside Gardens.
Fall Planting Time is Now with Garden Sales
Posted on 5 September 2008 by herb
Time to start thinking about your Fall plantings!
Gardener’s Supply Company: Save up to 50% in our Garden Outlet
With a 50% off Sale, you can’t go wrong. Sure, the garden centers will all be having their season close out sales. I prefer shopping online – you can see so much more and never leave home.
I never know what I’ll find…look at these cute chickens for the flower garden:
How about a new planter for some of those herbs you’ll be bringing in soon?
(Those pictures are links to the catalog!)
Check out Gardener’s Supply Fall Sale: Save $10 off orders of $65 or more!