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[E72]Easy To Grow Vegetables

by India Cooper, Ind

Herb gardens have been popular in the UK since Roman times in private plots, monastery gardens and of course the kitchen gardens of great houses and castles. The plants were grown not only for culinary purposes but also for medicinal, cosmetic and symbolic reasons and to create soothing aromatic areas for relaxation and contemplation.

Its good to start with some perennial, evergreen herbs such as sage, thyme, bay and rosemary. These will not only flavour your roasts and casseroles throughout the year but will give a good visual structure to your layout. You should then decide which herbaceous perennials you'd like. These include chives, fennel and tarragon. They will die down during the winter, leaving empty spaces, but will reappear in the Spring and grow throughout the Summer.

Then there are biennials such as parsley and angelica which have a two year growing period, and lastly the annuals which can be showy but only last a year. Amongst the annuals are basil, rocket, coriander, chervil and borage.

There are all sorts of interesting inspirations for herb garden design. For instance a "pizza garden" concentrates on Italian cooking - with marjoram, basil, bay and rosemary prominent. If you enjoy traditional English cooking you will want parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. For those who love French cuisine sorrel, tarragon, sage and chives would be the main focus. Or if you can't choose, then divide up the herb garden into global zones - include coriander, thai basil and pak choi for oriental cooking and chilli peppers for a Mexican flavour.

A modern choice is to grow a bed of edible flowers. Celebrity chefs are increasingly encouraging us to add flowers to salads, cakes and desserts - just make sure you check that whatever flowers you plant are in fact edible. Nasturtiums and lavender are well known choices.

Alternatively you may want to highlight herbs used for medicinal purposes or those that children will enjoy growing, such as colourful nasturtiums. Or maybe you want a herb garden to produce your own pot pourri or cosmetics.

Of course whatever design you come up with, you will have to make sure it is a sensible choice for your particular garden. The best site for any herb garden is one in full sun with shelter from wind. This can be provided by a fence, hedge or wall. Also, get an idea of your soil type and how fertile it is. It's worth preparing the soil and improving its general fertility before planting it up. As for location, if you're planting a herb garden for use in the kitchen, you will use it most if it's near your backdoor.

Herbs tend to require quite a bit of looking after especially in the summer when many need regular watering, especially if planted in pots which can dry out very easily. And regular picking will encourage new strong growth and maintain the shapes of your plants. Try and pick evenly from the plants so that there is a balance of use - the plants will benefit. If you are planting herbs with edible leaves then it's important to pick flowering stems and buds as soon as they appear, to encourage the plant to keep producing the leaves that you want. At flowering, and after flowering the essential oil content of the leaves is reduced, making them less palatable.

Growing herbs is rewarding and satisfying and if you're a keen cook it is handy to have herbs readily available. They can be grown in pots or flower beds, so make some space for them and start cultivating.

• Both under-watering and over-watering, can be harmful to houseplants.

• Check the soil moisture to determine whether a plant needs to be watered.

• Typically, a houseplant needs to be watered about once a week. Avoid rigid watering schedules and only water when needed.

• Be sure to completely saturate the soil when watering.

• Use a good potting soil mixture. Good potting soil mixture provides the houseplant with nutrients, adequate drainage, and proper aeration. Most potting soil mixtures contain a combination of dirt, peat moss, and perlite or vermiculite.

• A good potting soil mixture can usually be purchased wherever potted and garden plants are sold.

• Plants use light to make energy through the process of photosynthesis.

• Windows are the most common light source for houseplants. Southern facing windows provide the most sun and light exposure. Western and eastern windows have much less sun and light exposure.

• Artificial light, such as fluorescent lighting, also provides excellent light quality for houseplants.

• 8-16 hours of quality light is ideal for most houseplants.

Temperature:

• Most houseplants grow in a tropical climate which ranges from 60-80 degrees.

• The majority of homes are kept around this temperature; therefore, houseplants can thrive inside the home.

• Night temperatures should be 10 degrees lower to duplicate nature.

Humidity:

• Nearly all plants thrive in 80% relative humidity. Generally, most homes are kept around 20%-60% relative humidity.

• One of the most popular methods to increase relative humidity is to use a pebble tray beneath a houseplant. To make a pebble tray, fill the drainage tray with small pebbles or rocks. Then fill the tray with water as high as the pebbles or rocks are and then set the potted houseplant on the pebble or rock tray. Be sure to keep the pebble or rock tray full of water.

• Another way to increase relative humidity is to purchase and use an indoor humidifier.

• Other simple ways to increase humidity are to group plants together and avoid placing them in drafty areas.

Fertilizers:

• Adding fertilizer to houseplants provides nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium that the plants need to enhance growth.

• Fertilizers are usually marked with a number such as 20-20-20. These numbers represent the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.

• A 20-20-20 mixture is good for green foliating plants.

• A 10-20-10 mixture is ideal for blooming plants.

• Be sure to carefully read the instructions on the fertilizer container because too much fertilizer can be harmful to plants.

• Proper pot size is an important fact to consider. A pot that is too small may halt a plant's growth while a pot that is too large may cause root disease because of the excess moisture retained in the soil.

• Generally a pot can stay in the same pot for about two years.

• Porous pots (usually clay) provide better aeration because air passes laterally through the sides of the pot.

• Non-porous pots (glazed or plastic) tend to hold moisture for a longer period of time and can restrict airflow.

• Be sure all pots have drainage holes. If a pot does not have adequate drainage the plant may end up with root rot. A substitute drainage mechanism can be made for pots without drainage holes by placing clay shards or pebbles in the bottom of the pot before filling it with soil. This will allow the excess water to pool in the bottom of the pot instead of the soil.

Ten Easy Houseplants to Grow:

1. Orchids
2. Spider Plant
3. English Ivy
4. Philodendron
5. Fishtail Palm
6. Rubber Plant
7. Calla Lily
8. Christmas Cactus
9. Butterfly Palm
10. Baby's Tears

Many species of plants are suitable to grow indoors. To learn more about caring for houseplants and finding the right houseplants for your home, visit the Better Homes and Garden website at: www.bhg.com.

Article Source : Pg. 23

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Both India Cooper & Lesley Dietschy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

India Cooper has sinced written about articles on various topics from Arts, Environment and Gardening. Expert gardener India Cooper explores the rewarding activity of growing herbs awakening the in each of us. To find out more please visit. India Cooper's top article generates over 673000 views. to your Favourites.

Lesley Dietschy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Arts, Gardening and Home Management. . Lesley Dietschy's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.