Creating
A Herb Garden
Witches in the past have planted and maintain kitchen gardens and
grown herbs and various other plants for use in their spell work
or for healing potions ever since gardening began. At the dawn of
civilisation, herbs were among the first plants to be grown, either
for flavour or for their healing properties, and many were regarded
as sacred.
Modern day witches shouldn't let the chance to grow a selection
of herbs and sacred plants themselves escape them. People who don't
have a garden needn't feel left out, even a small window box can
be a triumph to the senses, a tub of lavender and chamomile brushed
against on a warm day releases an aroma that is magic in itself.
In modern
times, almost every herb in cultivation is both beautiful and useful.
Lavender, rosemary, sage, parsley and thyme, for example, are at
home with any gardening style, whether grown on their own or blended
with ornamental plants. Less well-known herbs, such as angelica,
lovage, chervil or coriander are also great fun to grow, provide
delicious flavours and can look gorgeous. Almost without exception,
herbs tolerate a wide range of conditions, will thrive in almost
any soil, and taste just as good whether grown by expert gardeners
or the novice alike. Herbs nowadays can be used for cooking, medicine,
provide good nectar sources for insects and for their beauty. They
may be grown in pots, beds, borders, outdoors or indoors. There
is a huge variety of herbs to choose from, each with its unique
uses and properties, grow those herbs you are most likely to use
and are not so easy to obtain, pots of fresh parsley are available
at most supermarkets but herbs like vervain are not.
In general, herbs like sunny and sheltered position and sandy well-drained
soil, so bear this in mind when planning your wildlife garden. The
only real exceptions are the mints which prefer damp soil and sage
which likes very dry soil, so do not over water. Mint needs to be
contained though or it will take over your garden in a very short
space of time. So if you want to put mint in your garden plant it
in a large bucket (with drainage holes) or pot and bury the pot
in position in your herb wheel.
Designing Your Herb Garden
There
are an enormous number of both annual and perennial herbs
that you can grow, so you need to decide what the purpose
of your herb garden is.You have to decide on the size, will
you grow culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, do you have the
correct soil conditions.
Draw up a basic plan and make a list of all the things you'd
like to include.
If you leave some of the herbs to go to seed, you can collect
them and grow more plants for your area in the following year.
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Creating Your Herb
Garden
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Most
popular herbs are Mediterranean species, happiest in relatively
dry soil which does not become waterlogged in winter. Although
some will tolerate moderate shade, most prefer full sun. In
the wild, sage, rosemary and thyme grow on arid, rocky, sun-drenched
hillsides and many other wild herbs thrive in meadowland that
bakes dry in summer. Free-draining soil is essential. Roots
which are too wet are in danger of rotting, especially in winter.
Poor soils are more suitable for herbs than for most other garden
plants. Stony or sandy soils are ideal, but most species will
also thrive in richer ground, provided they do not become too
waterlogged. If your soil is heavy, with a high clay content,
work sharp sand or grit into the area where your herbs are to
be grown. Coarse textured compost or bark chips, worked into
the soil, will also help to break up the clay and improve drainage.
Do not be tempted to add farmyard manure unless it has been
thoroughly rotted down first. Feeding is seldom necessary, since
most herbs are all the better for growing in hard conditions.However,
if you want softer, more lush growth, give a sparing top dressing
of general fertiliser - organic or compound - in early spring.
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Be
aware, though, that overfeeding will result in soft, rapid
growth which will be more susceptible to disease. Plant up
a mixed herb pot, to stand outside your kitchen door. A 25cm
(10in) pot could accommodate one small plant each of thyme,
rosemary, sage, parsley and chives, making a pretty decorative
effect, and ensuring a steady supply of fresh leaves for your
cooking.
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Planting Up Your
Herb Garden
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Many
herbs you wish to include in your herb wheel may be taken as
cuttings from parent's gardens. Alternatively, there are extensive
ranges of herbs sold as seeds or plants in the garden nurseries.
You can either create mixed beds in your spoke beds where you
plant the herbs randomly in all the beds or you may prefer to
plant each type of herb in its own section of the wheel. The
second option will enable the children to easily identify each
of the herbs more easily. Planting herbs is very simple: dig
a hole and pop them in! The
following tips will help to ensure that your plants establish
quickly.
• Water your plants an hour or so before planting, so that their
compost is moist at planting time.
• Make sure the ground has been well prepared, ie. dug over
to create a deep, crumbly tilth.
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•
When digging planting holes, make sure they are big enough to
take the roots.
• Gently tease out congested roots at planting. In poor soils,
add a little bone meal to the soil at the bottom of the planting
hole.
• Always water plants thoroughly after planting, and regularly
thereafter until fully established.
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Maintaining Your
Herb Garden
Dead
heading
After flowering, cut back exhausted flower stems to promote
leafier growth for the second half of the growing season.
Some herbs, such as lavenders, will produce further flushes
of bloom before winter.
Pruning
To keep herbs young, old stems or those that have grown leggy,
can be cut back hard to foster new growth. If this is done
in mid to late summer the resulting growth of young foliage
will ensure an attractive display - and plenty of fresh leaves
for picking in late autumn and winter.
Avoid invasiveness
Certain herbs - lemon balm and mints in particular - will
form mats with their roots, which tend to swamp other, less
vigorous plants. Be ready to weed out unwanted growth, particularly
of the mint family. To control invasive herbs such as mint
or tansy, remove the bottom from an old bucket and sink it
into the ground, leaving about 5cm (2in) of the rim proud
of the soil.
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Plant
the herb within the ring thus formed, and root spread will
be constrained.
In order to attract the most amount of insect visitors you will
need to allow your herbs to flower, which may mean that they
are then too straggly to use in the kitchen. If you would like
the best of both worlds, plant two batches of each herb, allow
some of your herbs to grow on and use the others for cutting
for cooking. This will make an interesting comparison for the
children; which looks best, which smells best, which tastes
best, which is flourishing, which has more insect visitors etc....
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Harvesting Your Herbs
Fresh
is best
The fresher and younger the herb leaf, the better the flavour,
so pluck leaves regularly to foster new growth. In winter,
most of the herbs will still be usable fresh but you may need
more to produce the same amount of flavour. Certain herbs,
particularly sage, marjoram and thyme, change in their flavour
during the cold months becoming slightly less distinctive.
However, fresh-gathered winter herbs are still better tasting
than purchased dried ones!
For drying
Herbs must be harvested young and fresh and dried as quickly
as possible - to prevent any moulds from growing - but as
gently as possible to preserve the essential oils. If you
have an airing cupboard, use it to dry leaves until crisp.
A
warming oven or conventional oven set on the lowest possible
temperature will also dry herbs gently.
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After drying, break them up and store them in airtight jars
in a cool, dark place. Herbs which are hung up as decoration
will lose their flavour in time and will become dusty.
An alternative way to preserve fresh herbs
Pick, wash and chop them. Place a teaspoonful of chopped herbs
into each division of an ice cube tray, top up with water and
freeze. The herbal ice cubes can be stored in bags and added
to stews or soups as and when needed.
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Propogating Your Herbs
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Though
long-lived, most herbs are best when relatively young. Your
herb garden will benefit therefore, from regular replacements
- a simple task, since most herbs are easy to propagate.
Shrubs
Shrubby herbs need to be replaced every 3 - 5 years. Easiest
from cuttings taken in July and rooted in a propagator, or set
into a pot on a windowsill. This technique works well for rosemary
and lavender. Select non-flowering shoots which are young, but
just on the point of turning from soft to woody. Each cutting
should be about 7-9cm (3in) long. Strip off lower leaves and
make a clean cut across a leaf joint. Insert the cut end of
the stem into clean water and then into hormone rooting powder.
Shake off surplus powder. Insert the cuttings into gritty, free-draining
compost around the sides of a 7-9cm (3in) pot and place on a
windowsill or in a greenhouse propagator. Plants should root
in a few weeks. Pot up young rooted plants and protect from
severe weather during their first winter. Root cuttings of herbs
such as sage, mint, thyme or marjoram. Keep them outdoors until
October. Then, when the garden herbs are beginning to succumb
to winter, bring them in and keep them on a well lit windowsill.
Pick fresh leaves as required.
Perennials
Perennials are generally long-lived with the correct care. But
they benefit from division every three years as this will help
keep them vigorous and lush. Most perennials will grow from
cuttings, as described above, but are easy to multiply by division.
Mint, balm, marjoram, chives and perennial sorrel can all be
treated this way. Thymes,
though technically shrubs, can also be treated like perennials.Dig up an entire plant
and shake the soil from its roots.
NB Remember to keep an eye on invasive plants like mint
and balm!
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Carefully,
but firmly, tear the plant apart. Two hand forks might help,
but the aim is to tease apart sections of perennial, each of
which should carry roots and shoots. Mat forming plants, such
as pennyroyal, chamomile or the thymes will develop roots at
the base of almost every stem. Thus, each single shoot will
probably carry roots and can be treated as a new plant.
Annuals
These can only be reproduced from seed. Coriander and basil
are examples. Many of the perennials and shrubs also produce
seed and can be raised in exactly the way described here: Collect
the seed when it is ripe (or buy herb seed). Fill a small seed
tray with seed sowing compost. Firm it down gently and water
thoroughly. Leave to stand for an hour before sowing. Sprinkle
seed, thinly, onto the surface of the compost. Cover with a
thin layer of compost or of Vermiculite. This is best scattered
over the seed with an old flour sifter. Place in gentle heat
in a propagator or place a layer of paper and glass or milky
polythene over the surface of the tray until the seed has germinated.
Prick out seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle.
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