The Dill Plant

The dill plant is a perennial herb and a plant that is part of the Anethum genus. The seeds of the dill plant are often used as spice and its fresh leaves and the dried leaves are often used as herbs. The fern-like leaves of the plant are aromatic and used to flavor many foods like gravlax, borscht as well as soups and pickles. Though dried dill leaves can be used, fresh dill are is preferred when it comes to cooking. Essential oils can also be sourced from this plant. Aside from being used as spice and herb for use in cooking its seeds can be used as well to soothe the stomach right after meals.

This plant is one example of plant that thrives on warm and hot weather. With this in mind; it’s best to plant and cultivate the dill plant during warm and hot summer months. Dill also likes rich and a well-drained soil. Where other herb seeds lose their viability quickly, dill seeds on the other hand, are viable for up to three to ten years.

When planting dill you want to make sure that you don’t combine the fennel and the dill plant in one planting season or in one area since these two species can hybridize. When the seed is beginning to ripen, then that’s the time when the seed is about to be harvested. Seeds can be harvested by cutting the flower heads from the stalks. The seed heads are usually placed upside down in paper bag and the paper bag is left in a warm and dry place for at least a week.

Verbena Care – How to Grow and Maintain Verbena

In the vast field of botany, Verbena is known as a large genus that carries the common name Verbena. Therefore, there are several verbenas that differ from each other in characteristics. Although various species may come to mind, what is important is that verbenas all need tender love and care in order to grow and thrive in your garden. Without the proper verbena care and understanding, your precious plants will die and you won’t get to enjoy the many benefits they offer.

You have the option to plant either an annual verbena or a perennial verbena; garden centers usually offer both. There are also a number of varieties or cultivars you can choose from; some tend to grow woodier and can survive frost, while others are tender and sensitive to cold. The tender varieties or cultivars need more verbena care than the others – sunlight and protection from frost are essential. When you plant verbenas, you can expect then to start blooming come summertime, and they will continue to do so until the first sign of frost appears.

Verbenas are a colorful breed. They carry flower colors, so your garden is sure to look bright and lively when you have these plants around. There are solid-colored verbenas and bi-colored verbenas. Colors include different shades of white, yellow, orange, red, peach, and purple. Verbenas often appear as having cream-colored eyes – a kind of special glaze around them. Their leaves are thin, carry a lance shape, and are green in color. The foliage, when fine cut, is known to be very attractive and can combine really well with a number of other plants.

You need to understand that verbenas generally have a sprawling, loose growth habit. This makes it nice for them to be placed in hanging baskets and containers. The flowers are perfect for display – they have five petals and are tiny singularly but can grow in gorgeous clusters and even dome heads boasting proudly at the top of fine-cut foliage. Verbenas follow a trailing form, prompting a distinct variety to be called as Trailing Verbena.

The perfect place to plant verbenas is in an area that can be reached well and good by sunlight. These plants love and worship the sun, so giving them plenty of sunlight will help their growth immensely. Partial shade is tolerable. The kind of soil is not that important because verbenas can grow in most types of soil, provided it is drained well. Mildew is considered an enemy of almost all varieties and cultivars; when mildew occurs, verbena plants become prone to diseases and pest problems. This is why it’s highly recommended to raise verbenas in sunlight and in well-drained soil. As far as verbena care goes, soggy conditions are to be avoided at all cost.

There are different verbena hybrids that you can find in seed packets. These should be planted indoors a couple of weeks before the final frost takes place. Most gardeners typically gather summer cuttings and keep the stems all throughout winter indoors to preserve the plants.

Drying Garden Herbs

The main purpose of growing some herbs is just because they are beautiful to look at and have a lovely scent. But other herbs are grown and harvested for medicinal, seasoning, or aromatic purposes. This means that they have to be preserved in the right way, usually dried. There are various ways of drying garden herbs using bag, trays, air drying, and even new techniques like microwave drying.

Here are some tips on how to dry fresh herbs:

Bag

There are many herbs that have beautiful flowers, but they also have seeds which can be easily harvested. The easiest way to do this is to simply let the flowers dry on a piece of paper and then roll the paper up and shake the seeds out into a container. To save the leaves of the plant, there are a few other steps that need to be followed.

Once the flower and roots are removed from the stalk, rinse the stem and leaves in water and let them soak until any soil remaining on them will loosen and fall off without damaging the plant. When this is done, simply take them out of the water and let them air dry on a paper towel.

Place the plant inside the paper bag. Make sure that the flower end is at the bottom of the bag and the stalks stick a few inches out of the bag. Use a string or rubber band to tie around the top of the bag and put it down with the stalks sticking out of the top. Oil from the stems go through the capillaries and into the leaves, saturating them with their unique taste and smell.

The proper method for drying garden herbs is to place them in an atmosphere of moderately dry air for about two weeks. When the leaves become brittle and crumble easily, separate and place them in an air tight jar. They are then ready to use as potpourri or seasoning for foods.

Tray

Every herbalist should know how to dry fresh herbs in a tray. When undertaking tray drying, there is no need for the stalks - just the stems and leaves. Clean as above and arrange them without overlap on the tray, then place the tray into a cool dark place. Every day, take the tray and flip the herbs over so they will dry evenly. In just a few days, they will be appropriately dried.

Microwave

If time is short, using the microwave oven to dry herbs is an option. Place the herbs on a paper towel or paper plate (doing so will help absorb the moisture better than a microwave-safe plate will). Set the microwave to medium power for about two minutes (altering the time based on the type and amount of herb).

Rub a leaf between your fingers to check its dryness. It should be quite brittle and crumble with little pressure. If that is not the case, check again at 30 second intervals until the proper level of dryness is achieved.

Caution: After so much time in the microwave, the herb is no longer drying. Since microwaves stir up water molecules in the food, causing them to heat up and then evaporate, once the moisture is gone you may cause damage to your microwave by keeping it going. And if you have the power too high when drying garden herbs or you cook for too long, you may end up cooking the herb. Keep trying until you get it just right.

So there you have it, 3 different methods on how to dry fresh herbs!

How To Grow Herbs Indoors

Many herbs are versatile enough to thrive equally well indoors or outdoor. As long as they get adequate care, you’ll find a lot of overlap between indoor and outdoor herbs. When beginning an indoor herb garden, just remember that containers dry out quickly and you should check moisture levels frequently for healthy herbs. Other than that, learning how to grow herbs indoors is basically the same as starting an outdoor herb garden.

Luckily, herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow. They require almost no care if they are planted in the proper soil. They also do well in soil not suitable for other plants. Other advantages to growing herbs are that they hardly ever need fertilized, are drought tolerant, and come back annually. The only thing you need to be careful to watch for is the amount of sunlight they need. Always be sure to place your herbs in places where they can get the exact amount of sunlight they need.

So what herbs do you choose for an indoor herb garden as opposed to an outdoor one?

As a Mediterranean native, Bay laurel requires arid conditions and a good amount of sunshine. But if you want to learn how to grow herb indoors, it can be a good plant for that too. If you plant Bay Laurel in a pot, make sure that you pick one with drainage holes. Let it grow in a spot with plenty of sunshine. Plant it is pre-dampened potting soil and make sure there is lots of room for roots to expand and grow inside the pot without becoming tangled. Allow it a minimum of 6 hours of daily sun exposure, and it will need to be replanted in a bigger container within the year.

Chives grow well in pots, but they really flourish in outdoor gardens. They absorb heat and will grow up to or over a foot with gorgeous purple flowers. They thrive in bunches and can do so for many years, even weathering the cold seasons with little difficulty. Prune leaves near the bottom instead of at the top.

When choosing an herb to grow, parsley is one of the best picks. It is best to grow inside. If you choose to plant your parsley seeds outside, you will have to replant each season. If you grow this herb indoors it will last as long as you take care of it. Once you plant your seeds and it begins to grow, remember that the new leaves grown from the center of the plant. When you trim, always remove from the outside first. These plants are lovers of sunshine. It is important to place them where they will receive southern expose (in the Northern Hemisphere).

It is best to keep the Lavender outside until you are ready to prepare it for potpourri or a perfume sachet. Not only does it make for great ground cover, but it also makes your garden smell great and provides outdoor beauty.

Learning how to grow herbs indoors will guarantee you a fresh supply all year. Make sure the soil is a good mixture of sandy loam and clay to allow some water retention. Whether from an indoor herb garden or an outdoor one, they are a pleasure to behold and smell and will add some zest to your cooking as seasonings.

How To Build An Herb Garden

In comparison to other plants, herbs don’t need that much care. It is necessary to spray roses and trim orchids, but herbs can grow in poor soil and don‘t need any trimming or special care. As long as there is sunlight and a water, they can thrive, therefore learning how to build an herb garden is quite easy.

However, it’s not quite as easy as just tossing seeds on the ground and leaving them there so you do need to have a few herb garden plans in mind if you want to grow these plants successfully.

Since herbs can do well in not so great conditions, they can overtake your yard quite easily. Lavender is known to spread and Yarrow may take control of large areas. Chives can even become bushy and dense. Be sure to leave enough space in your garden or pot for the amount of plants that you deem appropriate.

Most herbs will do great as long as you give them at least a foot of space between your major sections. For example, chives prefer to grow in a bunch so keep that in mind for your herb garden plans. However, it is important to remember that their roots will need both water and nutrients because other nearby plants will try to compete with them.

The need to prepare soil for herbs is minimal, however that does not mean that it doesn’t have to be done. To support a wide variety of herbs, a good compost or mix of clay and sandy loam will suffice. Also, adequate drainage is necessary when you learn how to build an herb garden. Since many herbs are native to the Mediterranean area, they will grow well in rocky, relatively dry soil. Drainage was perfect where they evolved. All herbs have the need for some water. It has a need to be moist and not soaked.

Two herbs that can usually get by without manually watering them are lavender and sage. Any occasional rain will suffice. Peppermint, however, will need more which can be given by an automatic drip system.

By putting down some landscape fabric, you should be able to limit the amount of weeds. This will help avoid pulling up weeds later or resorting to the use of herbicides. Herbicides will possibly kill the biological similar herbs along with the weeds and also spraying them onto your food does not bode well.

Herbs stand up well to bugs, however you may want to use some to sacrifice for the good of the others. Dill is used as a ‘trap crop’, which attracts insects away from more important crops such as tomatoes. However, if your desire is to grow dill, using insecticide should be a part of your herb garden plans.

When learning how to build an herb garden, it‘s important to know when each herb should be planted. Some herbs can be planted at anytime, however others should be sown at 4 week intervals and others even as soon as the snow finishes melting.