Thinking Spring

Spring weather is popping in and out at my house these days.  These warm, breezy days bring out the gardening bug in me quickly.  I am ready to plant a new herb garden; but first a garden spot has to be established and the soil prepared.  I prefer no-till or lasagna gardening, but since we are going from established yard to garden, tilling is the quickest and least expensive way to get started (at least that's my husband's perspective, I'm still not convinced ... we'll see who wins this one!).   Once we have the soil prepared and garden beds installed, I let things be and only cultivate with hand tools, letting nature's gardener's (worms and other soil dwellers) do the tilling and soil turning for me!  It is much healthier for the garden and the environment.

I have a few winter sown herbs popping up in raised beds and containers- dill, cilantro, and comfrey are all showing signs of life.  The scented geraniums are enjoying sunny days outside, as are the bay and lemon trees.

It is time to prune the sage that has gotten ugly and leggy over the winter, and cut back the lemon balm, rue, and mints in preparation for new spring growth.


I'm still perusing seed catalogs, plotting and planning what new things I want to grow this year.  Holy Basil is one new to me herb I plan to grow.  I recently tried a tea made with Tulsi or Holy Basil and it is very nice.  Now I want to grow my own Tulsi tea!  And since rose is the Herb of the Year, I plan to add roses to the garden- some will be container grown, some planted along the fence to climb and vine and do what roses do!

I'm thinking Spring, how about you?
What are you planning to grow this year?  Anything new?
How about starting a new garden?  Do you till or do raised beds, no-till, containers ... all of them?!  

Tell me what your plans are for the herb garden this year!

End of the Year Inventory

Tomorrow I will finish up my End of the Year Inventory and continue working on my annual Herb Order.  At the beginning of the year I like to order a supply of dried herbs and supplies to restock the still room herb pantry.  I have some staple herbs that I always like to have on hand, such as:

Peppermint
Spearmint
Lemon Verbena
Rosemary
Thyme
Elderberries
Yarrow
Echinacea
Calendula
Lavender
Ginger
Arnica
Comfrey
Nettle
(this list is rather off the top of my head and in no particular order)
 
These are herbs that I use often and want to always have at my disposal.  I do grow many of these in the garden, but like Calendula oddly enough, some hate my Texas climate and refuse to cooperate and produce an adequate supply.
And sometimes dried is better than fresh, and it's certainly more convenient to open the pantry rather than trudge out to the herb garden when you need something such as a cup of peppermint/ginger tea in the middle of the night!

Other non-herb items in the still room pantry are:
press-n-seal tea bags
beeswax
honey
apple cider vinegar
cheese cloth
olive oil
sunflower oil
grapeseed oil
sweet almond oil
rosewater
glycerin
etc.

And of course a variety of jars, tins, and other containers for storing my herbal concoctions.  And labels.  Labels are very important items.  You won't remember what that salve in the little tins that are tucked away in the back of the drawer contain ... trust me, I know.  Label and date.  Always.

So, what's on your herbal to do list as this year ends?  
How about your goals and plans for 2012?
My first goal is to reorganize and faithfully add new material to my Still Room Book.
My second is to share more of that information here.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll come up with some pretty printables for you to use in your own still room book.
And then there is planting the herb garden ...

But right now I'm going to make myself another cup of tea and peruse the still room shelves, list in hand!

Herbal Blessings,
Catherine

Plots and Plans

It is cold and wintry here in Texas today, and that is the perfect time to spend a quiet afternoon dreaming of the spring garden and choosing new varieties of herbs to grow.  I'm not sure I'll try the herb of the year- horseradish, as I've heard it can be a bit "overbearing" in the garden.  Since my garden plots aren't my own, but rented spaces in the city community garden, I don't want to plant something that someone else may have to deal with later.  Sometimes volunteer plants are a blessing, such as the asparagus in my neighbor's garden plot, the flowers that seem to spring up here, there, and everywhere, and even the dill, cilantro, and tomatoes that nature planted randomly throughout my garden plot; but I'm not sure horseradish falls into this category, so for now that is on the "to grow someday" list. 

What I am planning to grow thus far, the list grows and grows and then has to be edited numerous times before planting time:

cilantro (for salsa and such)
dill (lots of dill, for pickles, vinegars, salads, potatoes, just because I love it)
basil (lemon, sweet basil, cinnamon basil, purple ... you get the picture)
lemon verbena (I love, love, love lemony herbs and this is my all time favorite!)
lemon balm (runs a close second to lemon verbena)
lemon grass (it has overgrown its pot and must be divided and conquered)
thyme (lemon, french, and a new to me one that is fabulously scented- orange thyme)
rosemary (prostrate and upright and I'll have to find a couple of new varieties, too)
lavender (my favorite herb, and one that I wish grew better for me)
chives (regular and garlic, for snipping into the soup bowl and flowers for making things pretty)
mint (spearmint, applemint, peppermint ... all kinds of mint!)
lovage (new to me, but I can't wait to try using it for straws in summer-time drinks!)
bay (My tiny tree is going to have a growth spurt this spring, I just know it!)
scented geranium (lemon and rose are my favorites)

OK, that's an even dozen, I think I'll stop there for now ... I'll update my ever changing list as my plots and plans come into better focus! 

I'd love to hear about your herb garden plans, what do you grow, why, etc., etc.!

I don't have to plant these herbal beauties, but I do love them!