Summer really feels like it has arrived with the nationwide heat wave experienced in the past couple of weeks. Warm temperatures combined with moisture are a recipe for good plant growth.
This is something to
Vegetables and herbs are a good combination as shown in this Hamilton garden.
Summer really feels like it has arrived with the nationwide heat wave experienced in the past couple of weeks. Warm temperatures combined with moisture are a recipe for good plant growth.
This is something to be taken advantage of and summer is a great time to be growing fresh herbs. The rewards come quickly in a matter of a few weeks. If where you live has no garden, herbs are attractive and great plants to grow in pots or containers.
Herbs fresh from the garden offer flavour and interest to salads, meats, pasta and in fact any cooking can be enhanced. The most used herbs in New Zealand are basil, coriander, chives, garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage and mint.
Other frequently used herbs are dill, horseradish, hyssop, marjoram, oregano and tarragon. These are generally readily available as plants and often seed from the garden centre.
Growing herbs is rewarding and popular among gardeners. They are grown mainly for their fragrance or their culinary value. Many herbs are regarded as practical medicinal remedies and many are being cultivated for medicinal or culinary uses in different parts of the world.
This has been so for thousands of years and today research into medicinal herbs is on the increase.
Before the days of refrigeration and the wide availability of food in so many forms herbs were often an essential part in the preservation and flavouring of foods. Today the major use here in New Zealand is flavoring and garnishing food.
Herbs are ideal for growing in pots either as a mixed group or as single specimens. Always plant mint in its own pot because it is so vigorous it will outgrow all the others.
Cold-sensitive herbs such as basil and coriander if grown in pots can be brought inside when the weather turns. For best results, herbs should be harvested regularly and given a liquid feed such as Ican Fast Food every fortnight during the growing season and put down bait for slugs and snails.
Leafy herbs need regular watering. Coriander in particular is prone to going to seed quickly if it dries out. Being shallow rooted it does this quite easily, unfortunately.
A useful tip is to grow coriander in the shade during the warmer months which reduces the rate at which it goes to seed. This can also be applied to other herbs which you may have these issues with.
There is much interest in what sprays and chemicals have been in contact with the food we eat, this has become a catalyst for some people to grow their own vegetables at home. However, growing vegetables at home and with little use of sprays for pest control can mean our crops are less than satisfactory. Alternative control such as the use of bug netting to cover crops and combined with companion planting is necessary.
Companion planting is the planting of certain plants together and can result in far more successful crops than if planted otherwise. This is an area that we can explore and try some different planting arrangements that will improve home vegetable production. Here are notes on some herb varieties outlining their uses as beneficial companions in the garden.
For more gardening information visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz.
Have a great week!
Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre
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