Our list of returning herbs includes -

• thyme
• oregano
• parsley, curled and flat
• tarragon, russian and french
• cilantro or coriander
• chives
• peppermint
• spearmint
• lemon balm
• chamomile
• catnip

The herb I’m missing the most is rosemary. Gotta find a rosemary plant this year. It’s one that doesn’t start well from seed, so I’ll be combing through nursery aisles looking for a plant instead.

All of our herbs are easily accessed from the kitchen and that’s something to keep in mind when you’re planting herbs this year. If your herbs are way in the back of the backyard, or somehow not so accessible, then it’s likely you’ll do without them in your cooking. Our herbs are but a few steps away from the kitchen, so even in the middle of cooking dinner I can walk out there, snip a few springs of oregano or thyme and be back inside before anything gets too crispy.

So far this Spring I’ve used the tarragons, parsley, thyme, chives and lemon balm. What herbs have you used from your re-growing herb garden?

The past couple of weeks we’ve had to cover the sprouts coming up in the garden to guard against freezing weather, but only two times. We covered the lettuces, peas, radishes and onions with an old sheet, a piece of muslin cloth, or black plastic sheeting or garbage bags. The covers were weighed down with rocks or boards. The next day the covers were removed at mid-morning.

Lettuce seeds were planted on the 11th, onion sets and snow pea seeds were planted on the 14th, and radish seeds were planted the 18th of March 2012. These ‘cold crops’ seem to do well in the chilly months if they’re protected from the frost.

Snow peas sprouting in a row. Photo taken 30 Mar 2012.

Snow peas will just about be finished for the season when we want to plant tomatoes, but until then we’ll be enjoying the fresh pea pods. It will probably take another 4 weeks until the snow peas are ready to eat, so we’ll just have to wait!

The seeds of chamomile, Chamomile boldegold also known as Matricaria recutita and Matricaria chamomilla, are so small that thousands of them were held inside a 1 x 2 inch plastic zip-bag that was itself inside of a labeled seed packet. Surely, the plastic bag was necessary to keep the tiny seeds from falling out of the standard seed packet or paper envelope.

Chamomile boldegold seeds.

By the way we were totally happy with the seeds we’ve purchase from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds.

The instructions indicated that germination is aided by freezing conditions, which may explain why only two plants grew from the pinches of seeds that were sprinkled in late Spring. Flowers that were allowed to drop on the ground last year should contribute to a larger crop this year. If you’re going to try to sow chamomile seeds indoors, put the seeds in the freezer overnight for more germination success.

The bright green foliage is bipinnate, where the leaflets themselves have leaflets. The segments that make up the leaflets are very narrow. Leaf stems of chamomile are round, but hollow. Our mild weather probably had something to do with the chamomile plants surviving the winter. Most sources claim this plant to be an annual, but under the right conditions chamomile is a perennial.

Chamomile leaves re-growing from last year in front of the tulips. Photo taken 30 Mar 2012.

Chamomile is a fragrant little plant. The leaves have the smell of pineapple and the flowers smell like apples. The herbal tea we make from the flowers is gently fragrant of green apples.

Flowers are like small daisies, composites with white ray flowers and yellow disc flowers in the center. The disc forms a dome in maturing chamomile blooms.

The whole plant seems to appreciate cooler weather. The scorching heat of last summer made the plants grow very slowly. These chamomile plants were still producing flowers in the cool autumn days until frost halted their activity.

Flowering chamomile in the autumn. Photo taken 11 Oct 2011.

Chamomile is native to Europe, but it’s now naturalized nearly everywhere else. In the United States it’s said to be found growing along old fence rows and in fields. We have it growing near the house because we planted it there. I haven’t seen it in the wild, yet, but I’m curious if others have? If so, leave a comment and let us all know!

Image via Wikipedia

A couple of weeks ago I started some seeds indoors. I was glad to see some sprouting going on already. It took 4 days for the first seeds to sprout and the temperature ranged from 62 to 65 degrees F. A grow lamp was hung a foot above the seed pots.

The first seeds to sprout were Chamomile. The seeds are miniscule, smaller than poppy seeds. As the days went on the little plants got stronger, but alas…they reached a point where damping off killed them. Perhaps it would be better to start Chamomile seeds directly where you want it to grow. Does anybody know? I’ll try it in a couple of weeks when the temps outside warm up a little more. Out last frost date is May 15, so maybe around then I’ll plant the Chamomile.

We never had any garlic in the garden until last year. The year before last we were given some bulbs from a friend. He didn’t know what kind they were, but being Italian and a great chef, we took his word that it was some great garlic. He has since remarked that we’ll be mad at him this year because we’ll have garlic all over the garden. He’s not too far off the truth, either!

We planted in about 6 garlic bulbs in the Summer of 2008. Those bulbs matured and we harvested a few. The others were let go over the winter. In the late summer their seed heads fell over and planted many new garlic sets.

The garlic sprouts were thinned out and grew last summer and left to grow and overwinter. Now they’re growing again, and noticeably so! (Photo taken 29Mar2010.)

Garlic plants in the garden, two years old.

I’m looking forward to harvesting that garlic in the weeks ahead!

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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.

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!

Free Shipping!

If you like roses and you’re ready to shop for perennial plants to grace your garden, you’re gonna love this deal. A new promotion by Wayside Gardens offers you a free Don Juan Rose – check it out:

Offer: Receive FREE Don Juan Rose with $75 Purchase at WaysideGardens

Coupon Code: FREEROSE
Expires: 04/30/2008

During the checkout process look for “Enter Bonus Codes Here”
Coupon code is required to get discount.

Visit Wayside Gardens and look at their selection of perennials. You might find something you like!

Composting is a major part of reusing materials. Yes, our mantra reduce, reuse, recycle can be put to work in our gardens. Avoiding the purchase of fertilizers and insecticides is a side benefit of making the best compost. Read on to learn more in this great resource, World’s Best Compost.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll discover in Worlds Best Compost:

• The method of feeding plants in a totally natural way that results in the most tastiest, divine food you and your family will ever have.
• Why do you use much less water in your garden now using colloidal humus compost? (and how you will be saving money and effort and the environment)
• What’s the sheep mentality that almost all agriculture and garden advisors suffer from that costs you time and money on dangerous, toxic gardening and horticulture practices. (and is killing our planet in the process)?
• How to achieve a soil that “feeds itself” so you always get consistent results!

Read more about composting!

Some of the varieties that may be available include: American Arborvitae, Eastern White Pine, Black Walnut, Red Maple, White Oak, American Cranberry and Serviceberry. Birdhouse kits and Wildflower mixes are also available by some districts.

You might want to act fast though, a few conservation districts in our region are no longer accepting orders. Clinton County will take orders until April 1, Union County until April 7, and Synder County until March 31, 2008, to name a few that are still accepting orders.

The seedlings are inexpensive and the monies go toward supporting the Conservation Districts. Do something a little green today. Purchase a few seedlings and support an organization that helps to educate our children about conservation of our natural heritage.