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The best indoor herb garden

Are you an herb aficionado or garnish lover? Add fresh herbs to every meal by investing in an indoor herb garden.

Sometimes you can’t make it to the store, or an outdoor garden simply isn’t in the cards. An indoor herb garden is a convenient and cost-effective solution. Not only are all your ingredients on hand in a pinch, but also you’ll have attractive greenery enlivening your kitchen or windowsill. It’s so easy to grow an indoor herb garden, that some children even have their own.

If you think the idea of having an indoor herb garden is growing on you, then take a peek at our buying guide. We’re including our top choice, the AeroGarden Bounty Indoor Garden, which can grow nine plants at once.

Here are your options when choosing indoor herb gardens: https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-home-the-best-indoor-herb-garden-20191218-hqsfkzy7efefroz22khblz4vmu-story.html

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Create an Organized Home Apothecary

Choose Herbs That Meet Your Needs

The most important place to begin with any home apothecary is to accurately assess your home health care needs. If you know your family will need winter health support, then herbs to strengthen immunity will be the place to start. If you have a tendency to get colds that settle in the lungs, you may wish to have several lung-supporting herbs and expectorants on hand. Identifying the key areas where you need home remedies will help you focus your attention when stocking herbs and medicines.

The other key piece to efficiency in the home apothecary is to become as familiar as possible with the herbs you keep on hand. The more you understand about an herb, its properties, and its applications, the more versatile it will be. Most home apothecaries don’t have hundreds of herbs, and for good reason! A simple collection of 10 to 20 will do most people just fine. And the better you know those 10 to 20 herbs, the more useful you will find them.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE MotherEarthLiving.com

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There’s A Giant Lavender Labyrinth In Michigan And The Photos Are Gorgeous

Labyrinths are beautiful. Their circular, geometric paths allow for walking meditations, and they are rich with symbolism. Some people have made the analogy that walking through a labyrinth is like taking a journey to the center of one’s self and then, eventually, emerging back into the world.

Now picture a labyrinth made of paths of lavender plants and earth mounds. The labyrinth’s center also boasts an array of herb gardens. When the breeze picks up, the scent of lavender blooms intermingles with that of basil — nature creating its own soothing aromatherapy blend.

READ THE STORY AT: Simple Most

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How to Build a Spiral Herb Garden

A herb spiral is one of the most clever permaculture techniques for utilizing space and allowing plants to work together in the garden. Usually located just outside the kitchen door, a herb spiral provides a menagerie of culinary and medicinal herbs, while saving space and helping with pest management in the garden.

Easy to build and fun to work with, herb spirals allow for herbal experimentation, based on some very simple principles.

The Benefits of Herb Spirals

Architecturally, the herb spiral is an example of excellent design and nature-forward engineering. While a long, thin garden bed provides ample space for a range of herbs, herb spirals play with multiple levels to take advantage of the sun’s path, water channels, and plant companions.

  1. Herb spirals increase surface area while reducing the footprint – If you are limited by the size of your garden, a herb spiral neatly extends into the 3rd vertical dimension, instead of sprawling outward. This allows you to get the same planting areas like a vegetable bed, but without it taking up so much space.
  2. The spiral design minimizes work, making it low maintenance – The spiral design means that plants are placed depending on their water and sunlight needs, which reduces the amount of work you need to put in to take care of the plants.
  3. The materials help to create better-growing environments – The stone used to create the spiral works using thermal mass, to absorb heat in the daytime, and insulate the soil at night.

GET THE STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS – New Life On a Homestead

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Study: Sniffing Rosemary Improves Memory

The smell of rosemary enhances our ability to recall past events and remember what to do in the future studies find.

For one recent study, researchers from Northumbria University placed 150 healthy senior citizens in rooms which had been infused with either rosemary essential oil, lavender essential oil, or no scent at all, and then tested them on their ability to remember to do something at a given time, such as taking medication or posting a letter after seeing a mail box.

Those who had been in the rosemary-scented room demonstrated significantly improved prospective memory and alertness, with test scores 15% higher than those who had been in the room with no aroma.

Those who started in the lavender room displayed significantly increased calmness, with decreased ability to remember to do something at a given time.

Prospective memory “is critical for everyday functioning.”  Lauren Bussey of Northumbria University told the Daily Mail. “For example: when someone needs to remember to take medication at a particular time.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://returntonow.net

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Grow Up to 90 Fruits and Vegetables in Your House With This Auto-Watering Indoor Garden

If you’ve always wanted to start your own herb or vegetable garden but don’t have the yard space or the “green thumb” to pull it off, there’s now another option. The OGarden Smart is an indoor gardening system that grows up to 90 plants at one time—20 of which are edible.

Strawberries, celery, kale, bok choy, green beans, cayenne pepper, green onion, and cherry tomatoes are just a few of the fruits and veggies the OGarden can grow. Up to 30 growing cups can be placed in a lower cabinet, where the seeds are allowed to germinate. Once they sprout, the plants can then be transferred to the rotating wheel up above, which holds up to 60 plants at a time. It takes about 30 to 40 days to harvest the produce, depending on the type of plant grown.

The system is self-watering and uses automatic LED lights to provide the right amount of sunlight, no matter what season it is. The only work that’s required is planting the seeds and refilling the water tank once a week.

LEARN MORE: http://mentalfloss.com/article/574691/grow-90-fruits-and-vegetables-your-house-auto-watering-indoor-garden

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Flowers You Can Eat, 38 Edible Flowers

Try growing these 38 beautiful edible flowers in your yard or garden. Not only will you help provide nectar for friendly pollinators in your garden, but you’ll have fragrant, and delicious blooms that you can enjoy adding to your favorite culinary dishes. They look great, and taste great, too!

Follow these tips for eating flowers safely: via TreeHugger.com

  • Eat flowers you know to be consumable — if you are uncertain, consult a reference book on edible flowers and plants.
  • Eat flowers you have grown yourself, or know to be safe for consumption. Flowers from the florist or nursery have probably been treated with pesticides or other chemicals.
  • Do not eat roadside flowers or those picked in public parks. Both may have been treated with pesticide or herbicide, and roadside flowers may be polluted by car exhaust.
  • Eat only the petals, and remove pistils and stamens before eating.
  • If you suffer from allergies, introduce edible flowers gradually, as they may exacerbate allergies.
  • To keep flowers fresh, place them on moist paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container. Some will last up to 10 days this way. Ice water can revitalize limp flowers.

Uses in your kitchen: via OneMillionWomen.com.au

  • Salads
  • Garnishes
  • Rice-paper rolls
  • Cake decorating
  • Freezing in ice-cubes
  • Crepes
  • Teas, tissanes, wines, cordials
  • Jams, tarts and deserts
  • Vinegars and dressings
  • In the dough of fresh pasta
  • Stuffing, baking and tempura

SHOP THESE SEEDS and MORE!

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Grow a Fall/Winter Garden! Join the Monthly Seed Club, TODAY!

Fall UOG Seed Club GIF
ORDER BEFORE 11:59 PM PST November 4th to receive a shipment THIS MONTH! https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com/

Grow food ALL-YEAR-ROUND with us! Now is the perfect time to start stockpiling seeds for your fall, winter and even early spring gardens!All of our seed club members will be receiving varieties that are perfect for growing during the cooler months. Let us hand-select 5 varieties of heirloom, GMO-free seeds to ship to you EVERY MONTH!

TO LEARN MORE or SIGN UP just visit: https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com/

 

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We’re on SNAPCHAT! [Let’s Get Snapping]

We want to be where our fans and fellow gardeners are, so we’ve headed over to snapchat and created an account! We hope you’ll share all of your awesome gardening successes/tips/and learning experiences with us over there.

Let’s be friends! Just use the snap code below to quickly and easily add us and see more great content from us, everyday!

SnapChat UOG IG

 

UOG SnapChat Logo

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Start Planning Your Fall and Winter Gardens NOW!

UOG Fall Club

Now is the time to start planting seeds for your fall/winter gardens. Let our Garden Guru’s hand select popular heirloom, GMO-FREE varieties for you to start each month, customized to your location and grow zone! (Think frost hardy crops or varieties that can be grown indoors such as sprouts, lettuces, leafy greens and MORE!)

Sign up today at https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com

During sign-up, just let us know whether you prefer to grow indoors, outdoors, in partial shade or in the sun. Do you grow hydroponically? Not a problem, we’ve got that figured out too!

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Grow an indoor herb garden: easily, sustainably and veganically

The Joy of Growing Window Herbs Year-Round

Have you ever thought about growing your own indoor herbs? If you’re kitchen windowsill isn’t already crammed full of pots overflowing with leaves, then it should be!

The beauty of keeping a “windowsill herb garden” is that you can rely on a steady supply of leaves all through the year. When outdoor plants have died back or gone dormant over winter, your window herbs will keep happily ticking along.

The process of starting your own “kitchen herb garden” from seed is simple. The great thing is that many plants not normally found in garden centers are available to you. Scrumptious edibles like dark basil, chamomile, lovage and yarrow (to name a few) are all options. What about the magical, medieval plant mugwort? Or that favourite for making lozenges, horehound?

Old favourites like thyme and rosemary will also fare wonderfully indoors as long as they’re properly looked after. Energetic perennials like chives will continue to grow even when light levels dip in winter. So you can lightly harvest even through the darkest months.

All you need are some pots, a good potting mix and some plant feed. If you’re starting your seeds indoors, where there’s no risk of critters eating the young seedlings, you can sow directly into the pots.

Let several seeds germinate and keep the best after they’ve put on some growth, snipping off the others with a pair of scissors. During late spring, summer and early autumn, your plants will be grateful for a bi-monthly or monthly liquid feed. Use a balanced NPK fertilizer (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) and a micronutrient feed like liquid seaweed. Many of the problems with herbs are due to trace element deficiencies.

And that’s it! The infographic included below is a visual guide to the process. Remember not to overcomplicate things and don’t be afraid of killing the odd plant…they don’t mind too much.

Herb-Gardening-Infographic

Indoor herb gardening is growing in popularity by the day. Space-stretched city-dwellers, foodies, and even people with big gardens are filling their kitchen windowsills with potted herbs.

There are so many benefits and almost no drawbacks. It’s cheaper, tastier and also possible to grow unusual and forgotten plants…yarrow or lovage, anyone?

In this little guide, and with the help of my infographic below, I want to cover the main steps involved in growing a scrumptious indoor herb garden.

View the original post with infographic at “UrbanTurnip.org“

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Enter to WIN a FREE 1 Month Subscription to UOG’S Monthly Seed & Garden Club!


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THE POISON GARDEN

“Locked behind black steel doors in Northumberland, England, the Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle grows around 100 infamous killers. From deadly nightshade to hemlock, the only way a plant can take root in this garden is if it is lethal to humans. Created by the Duchess of Northumberland, this is one garden where you won’t want to stop and smell the flowers.”

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A NEW SEED CLUB – Fully Customized Around YOU!

final seed club
Don’t wait, join the new Urban Organic Gardener’s Monthly Seed Club now! MUST JOIN BEFORE JULY 4th at 11:59pm PST to receive the next shipment. Sign up now at: https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com

For $10/month our garden experts will build a custom curated collection of seeds & garden supplies designed around you – your grow zone – garden space – and your preferences.

Includes everything you need to grow 5 new edible plant varieties every month – varieties can include herbs, vegetables, flowers, sprouts, micro-greens, bulbs, and more!

Join the rest of the UOG community and get growing now! We promise to make this a great experience for you and your family.

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Join the new Urban Organic Gardener’s Monthly Seed Club

JULY UOG

Don’t wait, join the new Urban Organic Gardener’s Monthly Seed Club now! Must join before July 4th at 11:59pm PST to receive the next shipment.

Sign up now at: https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com

For $10/month our garden experts will build a custom curated collection of seeds & garden supplies designed around you – your grow zone – garden space – and your preferences.

Includes everything you need to grow 5 new edible plant varieties every month – varieties can include herbs, vegetables, flowers, sprouts, micro-greens, bulbs, and more!

Join the rest of the UOG community and get growing now! We promise to make this a great experience for you and your family.

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Join the NEW! Urban Organic Gardener, Monthly Seed Club

uogfinal

What’s Included?

5 New & Unique Varieties Every Month  ✚  Expanding Seed Starting Soil Pods (just add water) ✚ Grow Guides  ✚  Detailed Planting & Spacing Instructions  ✚   Bonus Items & Special Offers

We will curate the absolute best seeds known to grow for your exact garden location, preferences, grow zone, and time of the year.

WHAT KIND OF SEEDS WILL I RECEIVE?
We will surprise you with everything from vegetables, culinary herbs, sprouts, medicinal herbs, edible flowers, micro-greens, and more. Our goal is to make growing your own organic garden as fun, healthy, exciting, and as easy as possible.

WHEN IS THE NEXT SHIPMENT?
Shipment occur on the 5th of every month. You will be notified via email as soon as the order has been shipped. Receive instant tracking and delivery confirmation.

Ready to Sign Up? Visit, https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com/

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Best Culinary Herbs to Grow in Your Shade Container Garden

You were all happy to start your herb garden.

You picked out your location and determined how much sunlight it gets.

Your happiness turned to sadness when you realized that you only get 3-4 hours of sun.

Those dreams of an herb garden were dashed. At least you thought so. In that shaded space, you can still grow your herb garden.

Common herbs that grow well in the shade

There are a few dozen herbs that will grow well in the shade, but I’m not going to list all of those for you.

Why not? Because having feverfew, lady’s mantle and lovage aren’t very practical to grow when you are starting out.

My goal is to provide you with practical herbs that you know what to do with and can use, such as:

Those aren’t the only ones, but they are the most common and useful. There is nothing wrong with borage and sweet woodruff, but I don’t think that’s what you are going to start with.

Your turn

Share this post with family and friends to help them start their herb garden. Then in the comments below, tell me the herbs that you are growing in the shade.

Photo courtesy of Murugananth C on Flickr