In days gone by, more people cultivated their own ingredients for healing teas than shopped at the apothecary. Every family had a kitchen garden for vegetables and an herb garden for medicines and seasonings. Today, many people grow culinary herbs—sweet basil and thyme, for example—on a sunny kitchen windowsill. Plucking a few leaves of freSh basil or scissoring off a frond of pungent thyme to throw into a pot bubbling on the stoveadds incomparable flavor.

In this day and age, only a lucky few have the space needed for vegetables or the time required to tend a family-sized plot. On the other hand, almost everyone has room for an herb garden, even if it’s just a small space on the patio or an old bookcase next to a window. This is for those of you who want to try your hand at growing, harvesting, drying, and storing your own herbs. Cultivating the medicinal plants you need to brew your own healing teas can be very rewarding, and it’s easier than you think.

Herbal Beauty

A HOME FOR YOUR HERBS

The traditional place for the household’s herb garden has always been a sunny spot handy to the kitchen door. If you have even a tiny yard that receives sun during at least part of the day, you can easily grow a few of the medicinal herbs.

However, in today’s modern world, many of us live in homes that have patios rather than yards or in high-rise apartments without a bit of land to call our own. Fortunately, some herbs are happy indoors, and you can always consider a combination of indoor and outdoor herb gardening. For instance, small potted herbs will flourish on tiered shelves in a sunny city window without ever a breath of fresh air. If you have a balcony or patio, large pots can be moved outside in the summer to catch some rays, and brought inside for shelter against winter’s icy winds.

One particularly attractive method of cultivating a variety of herbs in a small place is the traditional “strawberry pot” or “strawberry barrel.” Many nurseries stock various sizes of what are termed “strawberry pots.” These pots, traditionally of terra cotta, have a number of “pockets” opening inside the pot and protruding slightly from its rounded outside. The pots range in size from small, with three pockets, to giant, with fifty openings. They are very attractive when a selection of herbs is tucked into their pockets. The silvery-gray, myriad shades of green, and tiny flowering varieties of herbs are showcased against the deep- rusty orange of the terra cotta.

A “strawberry barrel,” shown in Figure 5.2, has the same design and can be easily made at home. Most nurseries carry wooden barrels and half-barrels. A half-barrel can provide a home for up to 100 herbs. Half-size, three-quarter, and even one-quarter size barrels are also readily available. You can also obtain thirty-gallon whiskey casks suitable for transforming into herb barrels from many distilleries.

If the idea of fixing up a barrel as a home for your herbs appeals to you, first, secure a suitable vessel. The next step is to drill holes two inches in diameter and four inches apart (in every direction) in a pleasing pattern around the circumference of the barrel and in the lid. The lid will probably accommodate only five or six 2-inch holes. You’ll also need to drill a series of small holes around the outside circumference of the lid to provide spaces for watering. If you don’t have a drill or the space to work, prevail upon a friend with a home workshop. You’re sure to know someone who will think your herb barrel is a fascinating project. Promise the person some dried medicinal herbs as a barter.

GETTING READY TO PLANT

Once you have your strawberry pot, barrel, or other planter on hand, the next step is to provide a suitable growing medium for your herbs with a core or base of small rocks to provide drainage. You’ll need a porous soil mix that holds water and nutrients but drains quickly. Ask the nursery staff for a good, commercial potting soil that is light, uniform in texture, disease-free (sterilized), and nutritionally balanced.

If you have decided to put your herb garden in a barrel and the holes are drilled, here’s how to fill the barrel: Begin by making a mound of small rocks in the center of the barrel. Next, pour soil into the barrel around and as high as the mound of rocks. You may wish to dampen the potting soil to prevent it from spilling out the drilled holes, but don’t worry if the soil and rocks intermingle where they meet. Continue piling rocks in the center and soil around the circumference until the entire barrel has been well filled.

If you want to help hasten the inevitable settling of the soil and you happen to have a muscle-man handy, have him lift the barrel a few inches and let it drop several times. Otherwise, water the filled barrel well and wait a few days before planting to allow gravity to take care of the job. If you plant before everything has had time to settle, you may find your tender young herbs out of position and hanging by the neck (until dead) out of their respective holes.

Consider the water requirements of your herbs when positioning them in the barrel. Plants that need a lot of moisture should be positioned in the lid itself or in the top half of the barrel. Those requiring less moisture will be quite happy in the lower half of the barrel. Generally speaking, most herbs are drought-resistant and don’t mind beingon the dry side. Container-grown herbs that are correctly potted in a good porous mixture with good drainage can be watered freely with little danger of root rot.

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