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Herb Gardening Books Review

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:44:50 +0000

Gardening and cooking are related in many ways. Both start with basic ingredients and produce something fragrant, aesthetically appealing, and very fulfilling. Growing an herb garden is the perfect way to combine a love for gardening and cooking. Cultivating herbs and spices yourself, and then incorporating them into your cuisine forms a delightful duo. The books we review here will provide you will all the instruction you need for growing a first-rate, useful herb garden.

1. Your Backyard Herb Garden: A Gardener’s Guide to Growing Over 50 Herbs Plus How to Use Them in Cooking, Crafts, Companion Planting and More, by Miranda Smith: That title is a mouthful, and you’ll love the mouthfuls of delicious food you prepare with herbs from your own garden. Smith writes with an enthusiastic, engaging style that will have you excited about the possibilities. Her detailed explanations make growing healthy, productive herbs easy and fun. Helpful sections on soil preparation, fertilizing, irrigating, and preparing harvested herbs for use are worth the price of the book. Bonus material covers employing herbs outside the kitchen, in potpourri, cosmetics, crafts and more.

2. The Herb Gardener: A Guide for All Seasons, by Susan McClure: Practical and inspiring, this guide offers clear instructions illustrated with generously provided color photographs and drawings. Solid basics about herb cultivation are covered before McClure turns to a discussion of maintaining outdoor and indoor herb gardens that will keep you in fresh herbs all the year round. Herb garden designs that feature beauty and accessibility are included. The section on dividing your plants offers you the opportunity to share your hobby with family and friends, giving them a memorable gift they’ll appreciate with each herb-enhanced meal!

3. The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs, by Lesley Bremness: This full-color best seller is a gold mine of practical advice, beginning with clear explanation of how to plan a design a productive herb garden. All the details of planting, nurturing, and harvesting your lovely little crops are at your fingertips. Helpful extras include a guide to herb identification, gift ideas to spread the bounty of your efforts, medicinal uses, and fantastic recipes that deliver fresh flavor in each meal.

4. Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens–Indoors and Out by Georgeanne Brennan: Herb gardens are as easy to grow as they are delightful to use, and this enjoyable book will detail how to cultivate and fully enjoy your herb garden. This book is unique in that Brennan offers an extensive guide to container gardening, in addition to sound instruction on creating luscious outdoor herb gardens. This best selling guide offers detailed profiles on 30 different herbs, offering instruction on how to grow them, and tips for using them to create culinary masterpieces.

Herb Gardening for Beginners

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:56:20 +0000

Every gardener should get an herb garden started! Herbs are easy to grow, aesthetically appealing, and offer so many useful contributions to cooking and natural home remedies. The good news for herb gardening beginners is that most herbs do very well all climates where outdoor gardening is possible, as long as they get good sun, adequate water, and an encouraging bit of compost or fertilizer. More good news is that indoor herb gardens do well, also, and deliver year-round bounty. See our guide on the Indoor Herb Garden for all the tasty details!

When starting your herb garden, attention to a few important details will set you up for success. First, prepare the soil by turning and loosening it, removing all weed and grass stems, and raking in a small amount of compost or manure if you have it. Herbs are hardy plants, very adaptable, and will grow well in most soils that have decent drainage. If you do not have ground space available, herbs will also thrive in pots on a sunny balcony or porch.

Secondly, start with plants that are already established. Inspect them before you buy, or immediately when they arrive if you order online, to make sure you begin with healthy plants. Most come ready to transplant, and about 2-3 inches in height. If the pots contain those plastic informational markers, place them in the ground or pot after transplanting, for reference and identification.

Next, understand that herbs are vigorous growers, so give them plenty of space to spread their leaves and thrive. Rosemary, for instance, will become a large bush with basic care, so give it 2-3 feet on either side. If you don’t like the empty places, fill them with annuals that won’t require a permanent spot, or put down mulch to keep weed growth under control.

When planning your garden space, choose spots for your herbs that will make accessing them easy. Put those that grow tall to the back, so they won’t block your access to shorter, bushier growers. If your space is round, put tall plants in the middle. Also consider the sun, and place larger plants so they will not block their smaller neighbors from getting their daily dose of life-giving light. Keep in mind, too, that trial and error is to be expected, and if you need to rearrange some plants after the season, they’ll most likely handle it just fine.

Many gardeners find their herb gardens to be their most rewarding. Using what you grow has inherent pleasures. Here is a brief list of good herbs to get started with, and ways in which you will find uses for them.

• Thyme offers big flavor from its tiny leaves. Sprinkle judiciously on chicken splashed with lemon, and enjoy a mouthwatering, intriguing taste. Place in well-drained soil where possible.

• Basil thrives in the heat of mid-Summer. Snip off the tips in mid-Spring to delay the blooms for optimal quality. Use it fresh to season meats, stews, soups, sauces, and salsa. It also freezes very well for year-round enjoyment.

• Rosemary will delight you with its delicate blue flowers, then provide a wonderful herb for meats, teas, and even creative desserts. You might want to bring this herb indoors over winter if hard freezes are the norm in your climate.

• Chives go great with sour cream over baked potatoes, as we all know. But flavoring eggs, quiches, vegetable dishes, and fish to taste will add new life to old recipes. Give them room to spread out.

• Italian parsley is a versatile herb that tends to enhance the flavor of other spices used in the meat dish, sauce, soup, or stew. In most climates you’ll need to restart it each year.

Herb plants are relatively inexpensive, so don’t be afraid to try several new herbs each year. You’ll soon be an expert, and will enjoy harvesting your herbs for use in your favorite meals.

Indoor herb gardening products :

Culinary Herb Garden

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:14:59 +0000

Cooking from scratch may not always be a possibility, but many cuisine-conscious cooks who know their way around the kitchen love to relax at home by producing something truly unique, with their signature stamped all over it, when time allows. To do this, a high-quality, taste-delivering culinary herb garden is a tremendous asset. Let’s begin by looking at the essential herbs you might want to consider for your garden.

Here’s a list that will add zest to any recipe:

1. Bay: Start with one plant, indoors or outdoors as weather permits. Grow it in a large pot, 8 inches or more, so the progress of its roots will not be impeded. With a bit of experimenting, you’ll find many uses for Bay that will enhance your culinary efforts.

2. Sweet Fennel: Start with two plants and divide it when ready. Prune/harvest the leaves often, and it will keep producing faithfully. This tasty herb has been used to rave reviews for centuries, and will add just the right touch of sweet and savory spice to soups, sauces, and baked meats.

3. Dill: Start one or two plants each month, so you’ll have a regular supply of this useful herb throughout the year. If you love to can your fresh vegetables, grow plenty of dill, to add tang to cucumbers, tomatoes, and beans. Added to creamy sauces and soups in the quantity you choose, it creates something special out of ordinary main ingredients.

4. Sweet Basil: . Add some fresh pasta, an Italian sausage or two, and enjoy! Any savory dish will taste better with the addition of this popular herb. Five to seven plants are a good start.

5. Oregano: Start with 2 to 4 plants, because you’ll always find something new to add this herb to. Soups, casseroles featuring tomato bases, baked meats, and crock-pot stews will all sparkle with a tasty touch of this versatile herb.

Round out your culinary herb garden with thyme, winter savory, rosemary, and mint, and you’ll never lack a way to spice up a mundane meal and make it something memorable. As you gain experience you’ll want to add the herbs that grab your fancy. Each time you enjoy a flavorsome meal in one of your favorite restaurants, let your server know you’d love to compliment the chef. When he or she appears, offer robust praise, and then, under your breath, ask what herbs created such a culinary delight. The secrets you coax from them will translate into wonderful taste experiences at home. Herbs deliver a sensuous ambience to any meal that nothing else can add. Developing a first-rate culinary herb garden will take time, patience, and experimentation, but most great cooks find this investment in great recipes to be very rewarding, relaxing, and creatively fun.

When you grow more than you can use, trade herbs with your other gardening friends, or simply give away your over-abundance to those who will appreciate it. Drying, freezing, and storing your herbs is another great idea, so you’ll have them available even in winter, even when not growing an indoor herb garden. Most herbs dry very well on the stem, but tarragon, parsley, and basil also freeze very nicely. With a little planning, you’ll enjoy the best herb flavors throughout the year!

Indoor herb gardening products :

Indoor Herb Garden

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:07:10 +0000

Fresh herbs year round, what a fantastic concept! Even in winter, when your local grocer has very little that looks invitingly fresh, you can be harvesting your own fresh herbs at home, for a perfectly seasoned sauce or an herb blend that turns a mediocre recipe into a masterpiece. Developing your own indoor herb garden is actually quite easy. Choose the herb seeds you want, and plant them in potting soil and 4” to 6” pots. Or, select plants already started at your local nursery, and create a home environment that will allow them to thrive. From there, make sure your indoor herb garden excels in these areas:

1. Light: You’ll need at least 6 hours of natural daylight per day, with the more the merrier. If this is impossible, purchase an artificial grow light and use it 12 to 16 hours per day.

2. Temperature: Herbs grow well where temps are consistently between 60 and 80 degrees F. They’re not too choosy, but consistency is important.

3. Water: Especially in winter, when heat sources like the furnace are drying out the air, you’ll need to keep the soil moist, per the seed provider’s specifications. A bit of research, followed by careful observation, will let you how much watering each herb likes best. Avoid over watering and letting the herbs go too long without a drink. Many green thumb herb gardeners recommend flushing your herb plants monthly, by watering them thoroughly, letting the excess water drain, then repeating the process. After that, do not water for at least one week, then resume your normal schedule. This is especially important when you are using ready-mix fertilizers that can cause a build-up in the soil of harmful substances like sodium.

4. Soil: Straight potting soil will work well for most herbs. If you are bringing them in from an outdoor garden, the pot them in the soil they’re accustomed to in your yard. If your preferred herb likes a drier setting, mix up one part potting soil, one part sand, and one part peat moss.

5. Fertilizer: Fresh compost is always welcomed by potted plants. Be cautious with ready-mix fertilizers. Start slow to avoid burning out the roots of a plant. Follow directions and you should be okay.

6. Keep pests at bay: It is most likely that pests will not bother your indoor herb garden. But give each plant a regular inspection when watering. At the first sign of pests, remove any affected leaves and spray the rest with a soapy water solution.

7. Pruning: When speaking of herbs, pruning is another name for harvesting the great-tasting leaves and stems, which you can add to your next adventure in cuisine artistry. Herbs thrive on being pruned, so prune with confidence – and reap the benefits via your tastebuds!

With time, your own experience will grow into expertise, as your herbs grow into succulent, tasty, means of making every dish come alive with wonderful aroma and flavor. You’ll watch with mouth-watering anticipation as your herbs grow healthy, robust leaves, thinking of all the culinary delights that their presence will produce. Here is a partial list of the herbs which will prosper in an indoor herb garden: Chives, thyme, French tarragon, oregano, basil, sage, sweet marjoram, lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and angelica. Life’s homegrown pleasures are the best!

Indoor herb gardening products :

How to Select Herb Garden Plants?

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:52:35 +0000

Within many other plants and gardening types, herb garden plants are the ones that are used and applied for the most part. Annuals, perennials or biennials are the herb types that are used for the purpose for herb gardening. All of these herbs are unique in their own way and all of their categories are demanding and responsive as well. However, if you want to have any information on how to select herb garden plants, then you must divert your attention towards the following passages because in the following passages I will be sharing relevant information and tips for selecting most appropriate types of herb garden plants.

If you are looking for some herbs that are short living and that could be long lasting according to the summer weather, you can select Coriander, basil and Aloe Vera because they are categorized as annuals. These are unable to survive through the frosting atmosphere and the herbs would generally die or get brittle in the winter frost. You can have them replanted as much as you want from seeds and seedlings of your choice as well.

If you want winter and frosting weather herbs for your herb garden plants, you can have Echinacea and fennelan. They can survive cold temperatures and you won’t have to worry about covering them up with different apparatus in order to safeguard them from chilly winter frost. You can re-grow them throughout the year because they can withstand almost all sorts of temperatures.

Biennial herbs are the most appropriate ones to accommodate within your herb garden plants because they don’t produce the seeds and the seedlings until half of their life cycle is completed. They spend time within the growing material and the first term is probably takes a lot of time to develop and strengthen up. Through the first half cycle, they basically grow and produce leaves. Seeds and flowers are produced after a long span of time so you can have plenty of time before you harvest something else from your herb garden.

Make sure you know the characteristics of the plants before selecting them as herb garden plants because they would determine your culinary or decorative uses. Wrong selection of herb garden plants will surely make your work tough because you won’t be getting the results which you desire.

Simple Tips for Designing a Mini Herb Garden

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:58:37 +0000

If you want to have herb garden in your home but you don’t have sufficient amount of place available then don’t worry, you can still enjoy the feast of herb garden in the shape of a mini herb garden. As we all are aware that there are numerous advantages associated with herb garden such as herbs carry a high medicinal value that can cure a lot of health issues plus herbs can be added to your meal to make it more energized and healthy.

If you want to enjoy all the above mentioned benefits of herb gardening but you don’t have enough space available inside or outside your house then you must divert your attention towards the following simple tips for designing a mini herb garden. Yes, I am talking about herb garden but a small one.

First, choose the most appropriate and the most suitable place for your mini herb garden. If you decide on setting things up indoor then select a location having a west or south facing windowsill so that sufficient sunlight is available and if it is outdoor then the location should have a shade avoiding sunlight half of the day and exposing your herbs for the remainder of the day.

However, if you want to plant your mini herb garden in a container then choosing the right container also affects big time since it decides on how the herbs would react. I would say that clay or plastic container or pots would be a wise choice for you to make.

After deciding the type and the location of your mini herb garden, you should know how to mix up the soil so the herbs can grow properly. Half sand and half potting soil is highly recommended for the best possible results. Lime juice needs to be added to the soil about a single table spoon since herbs like the presence of lime more then nutrients. This would be the best mixture in which your mini herb garden can grow healthy. Now if you are planting herb seeds then choose a soil base that is shallow. With your index finger just push the seed in the soil, not too deep. Providing herbs with the right amount of water would be important as well, stop the water once you see that the soil is moist.

Lastly, start planting the herbs of your choice in the soil which you have prepared for your mini herb garden and after a while you will see natural and all healthy herbs growing in your own mini herb garden.

Herb garden indoor

Indoor Herb Gardening Products From Amazon (hover your mouse over the link for more details)

Herb Gardening

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:07:54 +0000

Most of us use some kind of herb when cooking. It can be used to enhance the flavor of the food or simply to make it smell good. Having fresh herb in the food is always best. For this reason, you should consider having an herb garden.

First of all, you will want to choose the herbs that you will want to grow. This can be a bit overwhelming since there are hundreds of herbs available. But the best way to narrow your choices is to take a look at your kitchen. Find out which herb you regularly use and that should help you choose the herbs to grow.

Before planting your herb, it is important to get the garden ready for planting. Most type of herb grow best in soil that has extremely good drainage. If the soil is too saturated, the herb will have a hard time growing, and worse, the roots of the plant can get infected by diseases.
One of the best and easiest way to correct the drainage problem is to dig a foot deep in the soil, and put a layer of crushed rocks in it before adding soil. This will allow all the water to escape when watering your plants.

Each herb will have their own requirement for growing. Some needs watering each day, while other needs watering once every two days or so. To prevent under-watering or over-watering, it is best to group the herb together by their requirement. In addition, most herbs require at least 6 hours of sunlight each day to grow so be sure to pick an area where there are enough sunlight.

If you cared for the herb correctly, you should have healthy and delicious herbs to eat when it comes time to harvesting them. You can pick each one to use for cooking or dry them for later uses. Either way, you will have fresh herbs to use every time.