Gardening and Greenhouse

Green Thumb answers:

If you’re looking for a way to feel more at home in your new apartment, we have a solution for you. It’s economical, challenging (but not too difficult) and it allows you to explore your creative side. Herb gardening, either from a window box planter, on your kitchen counter or in an outdoor space is a great way to personalize your home with the look and smell of these useful plants. Some of the staff at Apartments.com find that herb gardening can save money, since buying new herbs from the store can really add up. Plus you’ll be getting fresher versions that may even encourage you to stay in and prepare your own meals more often. So grab a shovel and start planting today! Here’s how to get started:

? Herbs for planting are purchased in small plastic containers. A nice collection that can be grown in the same container includes basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and chives. You can drop this combination into a stew, soup or salsa for an amazing flavor burst. Starter kits are also available at most garden centers.
? Choosing your container is no time to be boring! They come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, or be resourceful and use an old mug or teapot. Be unconventional—herb gardens have even been grown in old hiking boots and shoes. Just be sure you can punch drainage holes into the base.
? Choose a potting soil mix (don’t use garden soil!) to ensure the healthiness of your plants. Your local garden center should have pre-mixed bags.
? Most herbs require at least four hours of sunlight every day, so find a place in your apartment where your plants can flourish. If your apartment is especially dark, use a fluorescent light.

You can choose as many types of herbs as you like; just be sure that you have adequate planting room. You’ll be planting the seeds 2-3 inches apart. The best way to choose which herbs to plant is by seeing what dishes they compliment. Use this list to determine which herbs work best with your tastes:

BasilMediterranean dishes, chicken, tomato sauces, pesto
Chivesonion flavor, potatoes, fish, chowder
Coriander or CilantroAsian and Mexican dishes, pesto, burgers
Oreganopoultry, pork, veal, roasts
Parsleypotatoes, soups, pastas
Rosemarybreads, meat, potatoes, salads, soups, eggs
Sagestuffing, vegetable dishes, fatty meats
Tarragonvegetables, poultry, fish, sauces
ThymeFrench dishes, poultry, lamb, seafood, vegetables

When you harvest your herbs, you can go to http://allrecipes.com/advice/coll/all/articles/83P1.asp for accompanying recipes to this list.

Your days of gourmet dinners filled with the aroma and flavor of your hand-grown herbs are just around the corner. You have all you supplies and have carefully chosen a selection of herbs for your kitchen. Here’s how to plant and tend your garden:

? Before planting the seeds, soak them in water or between wet paper towels in a plastic bag for 2-4 hours.
? Plant seeds by sprinkling them over the soil and then covering them with 1/4 –inch additional soil. For seedlings, bury the roots so that are at the same depth as the container they were transferred from.
? Have Popsicle sticks or another form of writable material on hand for labeling the seeds as you plant them. This will ensure you don’t get them mixed up as they grow.
? Water the plants until moisture comes out through the drainage holes. The plants will thrive in a warm location (on top of the refrigerator works well for many apartment-dwellers). Leave them there until they spout, watering them only when the soil is dry to the touch.
? When the herbs germinate (meaning when they first sprout), transfer them from their cozy warm location to a sunny place where they can grow. Continue to water them whenever the soil gets dry.
? You may have to snip out some of the plants using scissors or gardening shears if a large number germinate. This is necessary to avoid overcrowding in your garden. You can harvest your herbs as soon as they are established. Just be sure to leave a sprig behind so that they continue to grow.
? Trimming your herbs will allow them to grow bushy and continue sprouting new crops.

When cooking with your herbs, you can take them right off the stem and into your dish. You can also preserve your herbs by drying or freezing them. Freeze chives and cilantro by removing the stems and placing them in zip-lock freezer bags. Dry oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme; store them in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Either method will work for basil, parsley and tarragon. Dried herbs lose their potency after about one year and should then be discarded. Because the sun dries out the flavors in herbs, it is best to pick them just before they bloom to preserve their aroma and flavor. If you harvest your herbs in late September, you’ll have a good stockpile to last you through the winter. Herb gardens are proof that you don’t have to live in a sprawling home with a giant backyard to enjoy the fruits of your gardening labors right in your dinner. Bon appetit!

Green Thumb answers:

Good Evening Jack Lapidus,

My first and most important tip would be: If you are going to be a gardener, than grow the best. What does that mean? Ninety (90%) per cent of the vegetables and fruits in the grocery stores are not the best as far as taste. Commercial farmers grow a variety of vegetables which can import and export better.

Examples: garlic. Most garlic is imported from China. The taste, smell and flavor is not the best, but it does export better than other varieties of garlic. Also, most people would not know the difference. They have nothing to compare. Cooking with good garlic is awesome.

There are many varieties of garlic. It is my favorite vegetable to grow. Try and get some garlic bulbs from Gilroy, California. They grow one of the best in the world. Their garlic festival each year draws people from all over the world. Hopefully, web site below can link you to a supplier.

Http://www.ksbw.com/garlicfestival/index.html

Corn is another vegetable which is grown commercially. The taste of grocery store corn is terrible. But the variety is easy to ship and export. I grow a Honey Corn. The corn ear is white, but every third kernel is yellow. It is the best tasting corn I know of.

I grow a purple green bean, because it has less insect problems and the taste is great.

I don’t grow strawberries, because I grow a Strawberry Guava Tree. The guavas off my tree taste better than a strawberry. Plus it bears twice a year. The fruit is very high in vitamin C. I eat ten a day (smile). I am sorry but I do not grow berries. I could advise you, but I only back what I grow.

I could go on but I hope you get my point. Some varieties are getting harder to find. But it is worth searching and hunting for.

Second tip: Soil. Buy a Ph soil test kit. Soil ph is very important to plants. Your plants are healtier. With good soil, you get twice the yields and less insects. Therefore test your soil. Most plants like a ph of 6.5. If your soil is too acidic add lime. If your soil is too alkaline add pine needles. Changing soil ph can take two years. Test your soil Ph every two or three years.

Third tip: Herbs. I grow a lot of dill, because we eat fish every week. Grow dill in your garden or in your flower garden around the house. The plant is too big for containers. My dill plants grow three feet tall. The wind can blow the plants over. Plant in three week intervals.

Rosemary is a good container plant, because you have to bring it inside in the winter.

I grow two diference varieties of Basil. Each variety has its own taste. Grow the plants right in the garden. Keep leaves cut, otherwise they turn to seed very fast.

Well Jack Lapidus, I hope you know about compost and fertilizers. I use chicken manure. It is the best. I mix the chicken manure in my home make compost bin.

I could go on but I put down twenty (20) bags of steer manure this morning on my lawns and my wife’s flowers. We are looking for rain tomorrow and all next week. I am a little tired, and I am not getting any (don’t smile) younger. Which reminds me. Start with a small garden. A garden is work. I hope these were the tips you needed.

You received these tips from a gardener with sixty (60) years experience. I started learning at the age of three (smile) from my uncle in the hills of Kentucky. I do not use pesticides or chemicals. I go out at night and hand pick the few insects. We do a lot of canning.

I have a 20×20 feet garden and nine (9) rare fruit trees. Each Christmas my friends and relatives receive a basket with a red and white checked table cloth. Inside, 1 quart jar of red and yellow tomatoes (with one clove of garlic and basil leaf), 1 quart jar plum jam, 1 quart jar of pickled green cherry tomatoes made with fresh dill seeds, 1 quart jar green bean, 1 quart jar bread & butter pickles, a bag of rudy red grapefruits, bag of lemons, bag of Mandarin Oranges, and a bag of dried figs. They love to see us coming, and we enjoy giving.

I hope this can be you in a year. I love to help other gardeners. You have a great day from Los Angeles.