anyone growing their own herbs?

[11antoniacourt]

And don't start with the jokes. I said herbs, not herb.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens has an annual fundraiser that consists of a huge plant sale. Some of the plants are very inexpensive. I ended up getting one sweet basil plant (two was way too much last summer), two tomoto plants, two lavender plants, and a cillantro, but the most interesting of all was the little curry plant. I love making tomato sauce, salsa and even just tomato sandwiches with the fresh tomatoes.

Last year I had so much basil that I ended up freezing an enormous amount of individual leaves on cookie sheets and then eventually storing them in the freezer in baggies. They turn a creepy color of green when you freeze them, but the flavor was still luscious all winter when I cooked with it.

Just wondering if anyone else is doing any gardening for the kitchen.

[Aja]

And don't start with the jokes. I said herbs, not herb.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens has an annual fundraiser that consists of a huge plant sale. Some of the plants are very inexpensive. I ended up getting one sweet basil plant (two was way too much last summer), two tomoto plants, two lavender plants, and a cillantro, but the most interesting of all was the little curry plant. I love making tomato sauce, salsa and even just tomato sandwiches with the fresh tomatoes.

Last year I had so much basil that I ended up freezing an enormous amount of individual leaves on cookie sheets and then eventually storing them in the freezer in baggies. They turn a creepy color of green when you freeze them, but the flavor was still luscious all winter when I cooked with it.

Just wondering if anyone else is doing any gardening for the kitchen.

Herb ..herb did i hear herb ??? just kidding

Its a bit to early to start growing anything here yet ....we normally start in May ......last year we did cherry tomatoes plum tomatoes and huge tomatoes.... Aubergines (eggplant) and seedless cucumber .....of the herbs we did basil ..sage and rosemary and parsley and mint .....also a Jamaican plant called calloloo its a bit like spinach.....(that was a couple of years ago) We don't have any seeds left.....

this year I would like to add hot peppers and cilantro to the list and i like the sound of the curry plant .......whats the real name ???? and u have just reminded me to get on my friends case to bring me back some seeds from Jamaica when he comes back this month also i may do red and green peppers and radishes ......LOL i am getting brave ...... a few years ago .....I had decided to plant tons of stuff ......but i was a few rums worse for wear ..... we just called it my pot luck garden ...cos i had no idea what i had planted.....or what was going to grow ...........I have some pics of last years garden I will try and find them and post .....

[Aja]

ps ..Ant do U live in Birmingham Al .....???? I have traveled quite a lot in the States ....but Birmingham Al ...is a place I have always wanted to visit because of my interests in American Black History..... Hey I may have to Put to use the nearly free tickets i get from the fellas job at US air ... and visit U for a weekend before he quits the job

[luke]

i've usually got a few things on the go, usually just basil, mint, parsley and coriander - my parsley and mint are going great, i keep loosing basil plants to spider mites i think - although they do great until they get attacked, and my last coriander plant went all crazy ...

i;d like to try some other things, like tomatoes, other herbs, curry plant sounds good! peppers if i could if i move to a new place with a bit of garden if i could i'd plant all sorts

i've heard of calloloo aja! i've not tried it though ... shame you don't have any seeds

[eefanincan]

Antonia, I'm so glad you asked this question --- I was thinking of posting it, and there it was!

I was thinking of growing some herbs on the deck this summer but haven't started seedlings or anything yet. I'm not much of a green thumb though, so not sure how it'll all turn out. Fresh herbs are so much better though

[Skylace]

I haven't started just yet here in my new digs, but I have for quite a while. I love growing my own herbs. I am also hoping to start some of my own onions, garlic, toms, etc.

[Twirley]

Herbs are being sown this weekend - usual stuff - basil, mint, cilantro, etc. A few weeks ago we sowed vegetable seeds in our organic garden - peas (two kinds), cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, cauliflower, broccoli, mesclun, and I cut up and planted some very well-rooting red potatoes (they did well last year!). I'm also going to sow melon seeds this weekend. Last year I did cucumbers and inadvertantly got some canteloupe melons - they were fantastic!

Have fun with your gardening , everyone! Here's to lots of harvesting later this year.

[11antoniacourt]

I am duly impressed by those of you who grow from seeds. I have never had any luck with that. It is so interesting to know what each of you grows. I think we probably grow what we like to eat and everyone's preferences are unique. but tomatoes have a strong showing I guess. I forgot that it could be too cold in parts of the world to start growing.

Do you guys preserve or can anything you grow? I've never done anything other than just freezing but have wanted to learn canning or preserving. Bordering on Georgia and Florida has its advantages; we have a tiny pristine coast and beaches, and we seem to also have the right growing conditions for the most llllluscious, juicy peaches. I blanche them, cut them up and freeze them in baggies to have all winter long.

Yes, Aja, I am in Birmingham, Alabama in the US. We have been here for about 12 years. I do not love it here and we hope to move back to Massachusetts in the next two or so years. When we came here I promised myself I'd visit two places; Ivy Green, where Helen Keller was born and raised (The Miracle Worker, Anne Bancroft,favorite movie) and the court house in Monroeville, Al (Harper Lee's home and movie setting for To Kill a Mockingbird (another favorite movie). We have made it to Ivy Green. The Civil Rights Museum is also on my list of things to do. My friend Penny told me that her father was one of those Birmingham policemen involved in the riots of the 60s; you've seen the pictures of the Birmingham police hosing down blacks who marched. A new friend of mine lives in Selma and I asked her if I could visit her and see the Edmond Petis bridge. Hey, come on down and we'll take an American civil rights tour. Just come before we go back to Massachusetts.

[girldorksrule]

i've usually got a few things on the go, usually just basil, mint, parsley and coriander - my parsley and mint are going great, i keep loosing basil plants to spider mites i think -

I have found the one of the best ways to get rid of spider mites is a nice shower for the plants. If they are outside, just squirt them down w/ a sprayer (needs force). Indoor, spray w/ water or put under the tap...you may need to wipe the leaves and stems down as well.

[luke]

thanks girldorksrule usually i'm so shocked at how quickly they've taken over i just chuck it out instead of trying to clean them off - maybe if i could catch it quickly, but it seems to be like one day it'll be fine, the next morning its covered - i don't really get how they move in so quick! i've heard of some preventative methods but they all seem to involve spraying stuff that you don't really want to be spraying on plants then eatting ... the spidermites only ever go for the basil, which just happens to be my favorite herb

[girldorksrule]

If they are planted outside, you might try planting marigold around them as well. The smell (stink...not offensive to human noses) helps keep a variety of bugs away. I typically spray my plants with water as a preventative measure anyway, so blasting the basil with water every few days may help prevent the buggs from ever showing up Just make sure it isn't done during the heat of the day or the leaves may burn and don't do it too late in the evening or you might end up with mold problems.

[faceless]

I'm pretty sure I saw something once about spraying the plants with diluted vinegar. I could have imagined it though...

[girldorksrule]

I've heard that too. Haven't tried it though. I did once try the diluted dish soap spraying method. It did NOT get rid of the aphids and it DID make my hibiscus extremely sticky.

[eefanincan]

Got all my stuff to start my herbs but it's still a bit cold here yet. I think maybe I'll start them inside under a grow light. There are advantages to hubby working at a hardware store though --- discount comes in handy. Cost me less than $6 for the whole lot of stuff, pots, soil, seeds.

[Skylace]

I've heard that too. Haven't tried it though. I did once try the diluted dish soap spraying method. It did NOT get rid of the aphids and it DID make my hibiscus extremely sticky.

Not Gary! Or was it Sirius?!? Either one just breaks my heart!