Planting vegetables can be relaxing and fun and it is always rewarding to gather the fruits of your own work.  It may seem easy enough – you dig a hole and plant a seed or dig a small channel and scatter the seeds – but there are a couple of things you’ll need to grasp if you want to experience an abundant initial harvest.

Cultivating veggies can be relaxing and enjoyable and it is constantly rewarding to pick the fruits of your own labor.  It may seem easy enough – you dig a hole and sow a seed or dig a small trench and scatter the seeds – but there are a couple of things you will want to grasp if you wish to have a plentiful 1st harvest.

Go For Small – Most new gardeners fail to think about yield when they are preparing their first plot.  When growing vegetables you’re going to get much more than 1 sprout or 1 marrow or 1 handful of peas per plant.  You could get a dozen or more tomatoes for each tomato plant in your patch. Who’s going to eat all those tomatoes? Do you have neighbours and family who will be pleased to take the surplus from you? In advance of starting, think about the probable yield of every plant you sow so you do not over produce veg that you have no use for.

Map Your Design – When raising veggies it’s crucial to bear in mind that particular plants grow up and tall, such as maize, and other plants spread out, like zucchini.  You will need to allocate a lot of space for the creeping plants to spread out and you do not want your taller plants producing a shadow over your garden.  Outline your plot before growing your vegetables to make certain there is adequate room for everything to develop correctly.

Experiment With Something New – Your first inclination when cultivating veg will doubtless be to grow veggies that you are sure you enjoy eating. But, in addition, why not try cultivating something new and interesting, as well. For example, if you already know you like cherry tomatoes try cultivating some heirloom ones also.   Go ahead and grow carrots but perhaps sow some radishes, too.  It’s always fun to try new vegetables, particularly if you grew them yourself.

You’ll find there is large amounts of work involved when you grow a vegetable garden so you need to be ready for some work. You need to prepare the land to begin with and after that you will need to attend to the plot every day – weeding, thinning out seedlings, making sure it has adequate water.  You’ll have something to carry out almost every day of the week throughout the growing season so make sure that you are prepared to keep it up.

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Many people around the world rely on Chinese herbs to cure different types of diseases. Although a lot of skeptics argue that the use of Chinese herbs for certain diseases is not practical, many people still believe that it is a lot better than pharmaceutical drugs. If you are one who hasn't decided whether or not Chinese medicinal herbs is a good option to cure some ailments, here are some points that may convince you to make that switch.

Effects and Side Effects

Pharmaceutical products are mostly made of synthetic ingredients that are manufactured in the laboratory. Although synthetic ingredients are able to cure certain types of diseases, there is no telling what negative impact it may have on the body as well. It cannot be denied that pharmaceutical drugs do have side effects. Some pharmaceutical products may not have serious side effects on the body but just the same, there are still some slight negative effects especially when they are taken over a long period of time. Studies show that people who have been exposed to some types of drugs for a long period of time often suffer from certain types of disorders including abdominal disorders, nerve disorders, weakened immune system and the likes.

On the other hand, Chinese herbs come from natural sources and are most of the times organic herbs and have been proven to effective for many generations. A lot of the Chinese herbs that you can find in the market today have been used as early as the 1st century Han Dynasty by the Chinese people. Although some of these Chinese herbs are said to be poisonous when taken in great amounts, most of these herbs are beneficial to the body. According to experts, most types of Chinese herbs do not have any know side effects. Most people who taken certain types of Chinese herbs regularly do not complain of any negative changes in their body.

Cost

Most pharmaceutical products are considerably more expensive that certain types of Chinese herbs. If you happen to live in the countryside and you have plenty of space to plant herbs, you can grow your own Chinese herbs, it can easily be grown like any other herb garden plants.  Doing this means that you have ready access to fresh herbs anytime and at a minimal cost at that. On the other hand, if you are living in the city and there is no place to grow herbs, you can always get them in the market.

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When I was a kid, I lived out in a rural community and we only had clay sod once you dug about 6 or 12 inches down. When you are planning your garden, you have got to put natural light and earth quality at the top of the list of things to consider. Without the right amounts of both light and water, your garden won’t prosper. With the right combination of water, soil and sunshine, you can grow just about anything.

To solve my clay earth problems, I turned to rock gardening, which focuses on adding lots of rocks to your landscape and focusing on plants that only need a few inches of good sod.

If you’ve got a similar situation, you can grow your own rock garden. Some herb plants truly love the rocky craggy sod that you have in areas like this all over the world. With excellent drainage, adequate natural light and all the nooks and crannies around the rocks where roots can dig in, rock gardens may be just the thing for you to try your hand at.

When planning your herb garden, be sure that you are choosing plants that can stay compact, because with limited room you do not want anything taking over. Another tip is to seek out herbs with silver or gray foliage. This is a big tip-off that these herbs will do well in this environment.

• Hen-and-Chicks: {I can’t imagine cutting open a hen or chick and rubbing it on a wart, but this perennial succulent herb, which is also known as St. Patrick’s cabbage, has a long history of doing just that.} The leaves of this herb store water for periods of drought. Your hen can get up to four inches across before you know it. Soon little off-shoots, or chicks, can sprout up from the edges of your hen. You will enjoy the reddish-pink blooms that can appear atop a nine inch spike that shoots straight up from the center of each hen in the summer. Before you know it, you will have a colony of hens-and chicks.

• Wild Oregano: This perennial from the Mediterranean region will grow energetically up to 30 inches tall with its oval leaves and purple blossoms that come out late in the summer. This isn’t the same variety of oregano that you find in Italian dishes, but you can eat it.

• Marjoram: You can cook with marjoram, but you can use it to landscape your rock garden. It is a perennial that has a delicate scent with oval gray-green leaves and tiny white flowers. Keep it cut back so that it will stay nice and full and don’t forget that it appreciates full sun and good drainage.

• Thyme: The shiny, little leaves of the thyme plant are clustered along woody stems that are adorned with numerous white or pink flowers and grows to a height of up to 12 inches. Thyme grows best when the sod is sandy, well-drained and gets a whole lot of sunlight. Thyme has a tendency to grow like crazy, so keep it snipped back to maintain its compact shape.

The contrast between the rocks and the herbs can amaze the eyes, without losing any of the other sensations, including smell and flavor.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Designs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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I collect cookbooks and love to experiment with interesting dishes from other culture like a Mexican mole. Do you enjoy cooking yummy international meals? Like me, you cultivate many of the ingredients if you start your own themed kitchen herb garden.

Just about any plant you’ll need for your flavorful dishescan be cultivated in your herb garden.

A themed kitchen garden can be cultivated in the ground or you can grow your themed kitchen garden in pots.

These are some suggestions on raising your own themed kitchen garden:

• Asian: There are so many different cultures and folks in Asia, including Thai, Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese, so how could the food be boring? Some fabulous herb plants to grow in your Asian-themed garden are lemongrass, cayenne pepper, cardamom and anise. The licorice taste of anise adds a warm sweetness to baked goods, soups and Indian dinners. You can also try it in tea as well as in baking a savory-sweet cookie. The growing popularity of Asian cooking has helped it fall back into favor in the US in recent years.

• Mexican: Would you love to chow down on a Mexican herb fiesta? I love to eat my favorite Mexican meals, including burritos, fajitas or quesadillas at least once a week. Can you even cook a real Mexican dish without Cayenne pepper, Cilantro and Garlic?

• Italian: What’s your favorite Italian dish? Mine is lasagna, of course. The best I ever had was my mom’s which included all these awesome herbs: basil, fennel, parsley, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme. You can add garlic to all your favorite Italian dinners and savor the oniony flavor! Put a little of it on your roasted chicken or add it to your soups and stews. You can even put some chopped garlic in your mashed potatoes. Do not overcook your garlic because it loses its flavor the longer it cooks.

• Middle East: Foods from the Middle East and north Africa are only growing in popularity these days. The flavors are so varied and the recipe items are so out of the norm for most of what I usually have in my recipes, such as chick peas, figs and couscous. These herbs are often to be found in the recipes for Middle Eastern dishes: cardamom, garlic, parsley, rosemary and saffron.

• German: You can have your own Oktoberfest any time you like if you have got all the right German herbs. For authentic German dishes, use these herb plants: chives, dill, horseradish, sage and thyme. Horseradish, which is related to mustard, is a wonderful condiment, opening the sinuses while adding tang to the taste buds. Horseradish is a fantastic addition to your meals. Try horseradish in mayonnaise and potato salad. Horseradish will also go well in cream cheese spreads or meat loaf.

One of the great things about herb gardening it that herb plants are a gift that keeps on giving. Once you snip off some lemongrass for your pad Thai, it can grow back. Most herbs appreciate being cut back from time to time and will likely grow bigger and fuller as a result.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Fresh Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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Did you know that many of the drugs that you buy in the drug store have herbs in them? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier and cheaper if you grew your own medicinal herb plants? I know I have saved a lot of money by planting my own little first aid kit at home.

Herbs are fabulous to use for the following ailments:

• For aching joints, experiment with chervil, coriander and thyme. For a cheap antibacterial, try calendula, lavender, lovage, marjoram, oregano or peppermint.

• No one likes bad breath. Parsley, mint, anise and sweet cicely will help everyone breathe easier.

• Constipation is never any fun. Both dandelion and fennel will help in getting things moving again.

• I am surprised that there are a lot of herbs that assist with flatulence, such as beebalm, caraway, coriander, ginger, lemon balm, lovage, peppermint and summer savory.

• There is not much more soothing to your frazzled nerves than a lovely cup of chamomile tea at the end of the day. Some other herb plants that might help include dill, goldenrod, lavender and lemon balm.

• There is no better cure for a hangover than thyme. It works better than the raw egg/tomato juice concoction some folks might tell you to drink.

• Cannot cure your hiccups? Dill will take care of them. Dill not only has a fantastic flavor; it also works like a charm.

• Goldenrod, aloe, summer savory and hens-and-chicks are fantastic for taking the sting out of those insect bites, even mosquito bites.

• Can’t sleep? Your best bet for some shut eye is chamomile or dill, but any of the herb plants that calm your nerves can help.

• If you suffer from seasonal allergies or nasal congestion, sage, horseradish and violet are great options. The horseradish will clean out your nasal passages fast.

• Indigestion and stomachache respond well to dill, fennel, lovage and of course peppermint.

Among all these remedies you might be feeling like herb plants are the next snake oil. You don’t believe me? Try it for yourself!

• Aloe Vera: I have 2 different aloe vera herbs that are constantly suffering from me breaking off bits to treat burns (including sunburn) and mosquito bites. Be careful not to over-water it. It is a succulent and doesn’t require much water or any other creature comforts. Just be sure that it gets a lot of light and that its well-drained soil keeps it firmly rooted in the container or garden bed.
• Chamomile: You may already be familiar with chamomile because it is well-known as a healing herb that will assist with both mental and physical maladies. Chamomile [has|comes in] [2|two] [varieties|types|kinds] (German and true or Roman chamomile), both of these plants will self-sow if you allow it, which can reduce the amount of time you will have to spend replanting these perennial jewels.
• Horseradish: If you need to clean out your sinuses, just take a sniff of this herb. Believe it or not, even though it has a peppery taste, the horseradish herb is a member of the mustard family. Although the leaves can grow to 2 feet long, it is the root that is important for the herb gardener.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Kits. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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