Care and Feeding of Your Herb Garden

Most herbs are fairly easy to maintain. They don't need water every day and don't really need fertilizer. The biggest concern you'll have is weeding.

To find out if your garden needs water, take a finger and push it into the soil. If it is damp or wet under the surface, you don't need to water it. If it stays dry all the way to your first knuckle, water it. Should your plants start drooping, water right away. This is more liable to happen in warmer climes and sometimes can be attributed to very hot temperatures, but is more likely to signify a desperate need for water.

The best way to water your herb garden is a technique called deep watering. This involves watering the garden for an extended period of time, until small puddles begin forming. This method is called deep watering because youre ensuring that the water goes deep into the soil, down to the roots of your plants. If you deep water, you can leave your garden for a few days or more (depending on your climate and recent weather) without additional watering.

As I've said previously, herbs don't really need any kind of fertilizer, but if you feel better doing so, they might like some compost. I once tried Miracle-Gro on my plants, but wasn't comfortable with the idea of placing chemicals into the herbs and besides, it didn't do a lick of good.

Sometimes you'll have problems with pests. The very best way to combat them is to use an organic solution since youll be treating plants intended for human consumption. Try the following recipe from Canning Perennials, a nursery in Ontario, Canada.

Basic Soap Spray
You'll need a 1-quart hand sprayer filled with warm water. Add a squirt of non-detergent soap such as Ivory or baby shampoo. Do not use detergent as this could harm your plants.

Additions to the Basic Soap Spray
When using additives, just add a teaspoon to your quart container of basic soap spray. It is best to test the mixture on one or two leaves before spraying the entire plant, to ensure that no leaf damage will result.

1. Oil - Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the basic soap spray to improve adherence.
2. Garlic - Combine about 1/2 cup of mineral oil with a dozen or so crushed cloves of garlic. Allow to stand for 48 hours. Strain. Start by using roughly 1 tsp in your quart sprayer.
3. Hot Spray - In a food processor, liquify a small onion and an entire bulb of garlic. Seep this mixture in a cup of olive oil. After 48 hours, strain the olive oil and discard the pulp. Add a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Store in a glass jar. To use, add a teaspoon to basic soap spray.

You can also use diatomaceous earth, a non-toxic powder made from crushed fossils of freshwater organisms and marine life. It is deadly to any insect and completely harmless to all other living creatures.

For severe problems, you might want to introduce some ladybugs or praying mantises to the garden. These predators will get rid of the "bad" bugs and leave your plants alone. Spiders are also good to have in your garden for the same reason, and you will often find that they have taken up residence there of their own accord.

Another solution to pests is called companion gardening. This entails planting herbs that repel bugs near plants that attract them. For example, one plant might have a tendency to get aphids, but another plant nearby repels them so that you don't have to worry about the bugs. There are too many tips and tricks to companion gardening to go into here, so you may want to look for a book on this if you are interested.

A very common problem many herb gardeners encounter is called "damping off." This happens when a fungus attacks the seedling, weakens the stem, and eventually kills it. When your seedlings have flopped over and appear to have given way at the point of emergence from the soil, they have damped off, and there's nothing to be done except plant a whole new crop.

One year this fungus attacked every seedling I had. It started with the basil, which is most susceptible to damping off, and spread to everything else. It is impossible to cure but is easily prevented. The fungus thrives in damp conditions; restricted airflow is a big contributor to damping off.

Crowded growing conditions are another factor of damping off. Sow your herb seeds thinly, or, if planting seedlings, make sure they have plenty of room between them. To stave off the dampness which encourages the fungus, try a light covering of Perlite(TM) or clean sand sprinkled over the soil where the seeds are sown. This will absorb excess moisture.

Well-cared for herb gardens rarely have problems with fungi, but it does happen. To combat fungus on your plants, here are a couple of organic recipes, easily made in your kitchen, from Canning Perennials:

Baking Soda Spray
1 quart of water
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 squirt of liquid, non-detergent soap

Spray infected leaves thoroughly, including undersides and stems. In damp weather repeat regularly. This is an effective mixture to help prevent botrytis, black spot, rust, and powdery mildew.

Potato Starch Spray
1 quart of water
2 to 4 tablespoons of potato flour
1 squirt of liquid, non-detergent soap

In addition to fungal diseases, this blend is also an effective insect spray.

Part 6 - Harvesting and Drying