Growing your own medicine is incredibly satisfactory. You get a closer connection with the plant, save money and enjoy an abundant stock of herbs that you can use fresh, dried for tea or even converted into a tincture.
The first thing you have to consider with herbs is where they should plant. Whether you have a large vegetable garden in your garden, a window box or just a pot on a brightly lit window sill, you can still plant and enjoy fresh herb herbs.
All plants have similar basic needs for light, water, nutrients and good quality soil. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground, or in small pots or drawers where they get good start and protection when you start them when the ground is still cold. Plants at the right depth is important. As a general rule, smaller seeds must be planted close to the surface and larger seeds are planted deeper. Make sure you check the package for the supplier’s recommendations.
Seeds have a better chance if they are sown in good quality soil, which is free from weeds and has a loose, crumbly texture to help develop those small roots. If you plant in garden soil, the first step is to prepare the ground by weeding, choosing large rocks and raking the surface slightly so that it is the same. Avoid sowing when the soil is in water.
If you are very sandy or have a lot of clay, it is a good idea to add some commercial or homemade compost to improve texture and add nutrients. If you sow in pots or drawers, just fill them with good quality and potting soil. Sow in straight lines and pulls a narrow channel to the correct depth for your seeds. Sow fine by squeezing a little seed between wise finger and thumb, sprinkle thinly over the row. Small seeds can be mixed with a little sand to help them make space. Carefully cover the seeds with fine soil and water, with the help of a rain spray confirmation, if possible.
It is not essential to sow in a straight line, and plants look nice in drifts, but all baby plants look very similar, and a neat row helps you to identify your small herbs so that you can get out and avoid pulling your carefully sown seed. It is important to add a label to the end of the row – we all think we will remember what we have planted, but it is remarkably easy to forget.
And now it’s just a matter of time. When the weather is dry, water the seed bed every few days. Germination times vary, but you can usually expect that you will see small seed leaves from the ground burst out of the ground 2-4 weeks after sowing. Experience suggests that it does not accelerate the checking of your seed bed every day, but it does contribute to the excitement when those first green shoots appear.
Writer Paula Grainger is a highly regarded British medical herbalist. After graduating with first -class distinctions at the University of Westminster, she created Lemon Balm, a popular herb pharmacy and clinic in the city of Camden in London. She has worked with people of all ages who use herbs to improve their health and well -being and has a wealth of experience in communicating the power of plants through her workshops and writing. In 2011 she moved with her husband (the novelist Michael Marshall Smith) and their young son to Santa Cruz, California, where, when she does not grow herbs or hits herbal preparations, her love and expertise of plant medicine continues to share with people on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Her first book Infuse (co -written with Karen Sullivan) will be published in the spring of 2016.
Only for educational purposes. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or to sell a product.
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