The complete book of herbal teas

Lapsang souchong t ea is a sm oked ver sion of Thea sinensis leaves, and black, gr een, and oolong t eas can also be m ade fr om leaves of t he sam e plant.. Generally , it 's believed a

Th e Com ple t e Book of H e r ba l Te a s

By M a r ie t t a M a r sh a ll M a r cin

I nt r oduct ion

Acknow ledgem ent s ( Rem oved)

1 A br ief hist or y of t ea

2 Guide t o cult iv at ing herbs

3 Planning your gar den, out door s and in

4 Drying, fr eezing, and st or ing

5 How t o br ew her bal t eas

6 Cr eat ing t ea blends

7 Com pendium of her bs

Gr ow ing Her bal Teas: Refer ence Char t [ Pict ur es p208, p209, p210, p211]

Met r ic- I m per ial Equivalent s [ Pict ur e p216]

Sour ces for Seeds, Plant s and Equipm ent ( Rem oved)

I ndex ( Rem oved)

t ook on new significance and w as spared The follow ing y ear I plant ed lem on balm , fennel,

m ar j or am and t hym e, and t r ied t hose r ecipes, t oo The r esult ? I becam e hooked on her bal

I n t he nar r ow est sense of t he w or d, t ea r efer s t o t he leaves or flow er buds of shr ubs in t he genus t hat w as nam ed Thea sinensis by Sw edish bot anist Car olus Linnaeus Since Thea

sinensis t ea is a close relat ive of t he cam ellia flow er, it is som et im es r eferred t o as Cam ellia

t hea or Cam ellia sinensis Br oadly speaking, how ever , t ea is any dr ink m ade fr om st eeping

fr agr ant leaves, ber r ies, seeds, flow er s, r oot s, or bar k in boiling w at er

I m por t ed Thea sinensis t eas all com e fr om ever gr een plant s of t he sam e genus Lapsang souchong t ea is a sm oked ver sion of Thea sinensis leaves, and black, gr een, and oolong t eas can also be m ade fr om leaves of t he sam e plant They differ only in t he degr ee of

fer m ent at ion t hey have under gone dur ing pr ocessing Most im por t ed t eas ar e gr ow n at high

alt it udes w her e it is cont inually hot , w et , and ver y hum id Darj eeling t ea, for exam ple, com es

fr om t he m ount ains of Dar j eeling, in I ndia

I m por t ed Thea sinensis t eas t r adit ionally have been ser ved side by side w it h t eas m ade fr om her bal leav es plucked fr om t he gar den I ndeed, t he decision t o ser ve Thea sinensis t eas r at her

t han her bal t eas has oft en been m ade m or e for r easons of pr est ige t han for t ast e

As coffee prices have gone sky- high, so t oo has t he pr ice of st or e- bought t eas escalat ed But

as I found, you can easily gr ow and br ew exot ic her bal t eas, full of t ast es and arom as you never believed possible The cost t o you is a few pennies a cup; t he ex per ience is pr iceless Her bs t hat m ake excit ing t eas can be gr own in your gar den or in flow er pot s on your

w indow sill, w het her y ou liv e in sout hern California or nort hern Nov a Scot ia, in London or Sydney

This book giv es y ou all t he inform at ion y ou need t o br ew t he per fect cup of her bal t ea I t spells out how t o gr ow t he plant s, har vest t he t ea com ponent s, pr epar e and st or e t he

ingredient s y ou'll need, and m ix t hem for int erest ing blends You'll learn w here t o buy seeds and plant s You'll even find w her e t o buy bags and cont ainer s in w hich t o package your ow n

" priv at e label" blends Sound com plicat ed? I t 's really easy once y ou k now how And, w hile you'r e har vest ing her bal t eas eit her on a sm all or gr and scale, you can also use t hem as pot pour r is, fabr ic dyes, gar nishes, and seasonings for t he cooking pot

People hav e alw ay s sw orn by t he m edicinal qualit ies of herbal t eas While healt h aut horit ies, such as t he Unit ed St at es Food and Dr ug Adm inist r at ion frow n upon claim s t hat her bal t eas can act ually cure ailm ent s, m illions of people m aint ain t hey do I 'll out line som e of t he

m edicinal uses t o w hich her bal t eas have been put But by no m eans ar e t he herbal t eas described in t his book present ed as prescript ions for m edical ailm ent s Clearly , as w it h any

m edical problem y ou m ay hav e, it 's im port ant t o consult a pr ofessional pr act it ioner for

diagnosis and t r eat m ent

This book is t he only guide y ou'll need t o t ak e t he j our ney of t ast e discov ery t hat com es fr om

br ew ing herbal t eas Let us t ake t hat t r ip t oget her

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1 A br ie f h ist or y of t e a

Deep in t he m ist y m ount ains of China, t he Bodhidhar m a, t he founder of Zen Buddhism , sat in

a gar den near t he em per or 's palace, m edit at ing on t he per fect ion of Buddha Called Ta'Mo' ( Whit e Buddha) by t he Chinese, t he sw ar t hy, rot und saint had com e t o China fr om I ndia bear ing t he sacr ed bow l of his ancest or s Ta'Mo' vow ed t o dem onst r at e his devot ion t o Buddha

by sit t ing befor e a w all and m edit at ing for nine year s

Spring t urned t o sum m er; aut um n cam e w it h crisp air and colored, falling leav es St ill Ta'Mo'

m edit at ed Wint er cam e and cover ed t he saint 's cloak w it h snow as he sat unblink ing and unsleeping Finally, aft er m any year s had passed, t he Bodhidhar m a's at t ent ion waver ed, his chin dr opped, and his ey es closed in sleep

When Ta'Mo' aw akened- per haps a day, per haps a year lat er - he w as so angr y w it h him self for neglect ing his m edit at ion t hat he t ook out a knife, sliced off bot h his eyelids, and t hr ew t hem

t o t he gr ound The saint 's eyelids t ook r oot in t he r ich soil and gr ew int o a t ea bush, t he sym bol of w akefulness

This is t he m ost popular of t he legends about t he origin of Thea sinensis, t he bot anical nam e for w hat is com m only called t he t ea plant , w hich w e associat e w it h black, gr een, oolong, and

or ange pekoe t eas Like ot her st ories about t he origin of t ea and t he rit uals of t ea dr inking, fact and fict ion ar e int er t w ined so t hor oughly t hat it is har d t o separ at e t hem

Th e discov e r y of Th e a sin e n sis t e a

Ta'Mo' died about 530 A.D., but t he Chinese claim t hey discover ed t he t ea plant m uch ear lier They called it " t he gift of heaven," and it w as m ent ioned, along w it h ot her her bs used for

m edicinal pur poses, about 2737 B.C in t he w rit ings of t he legendar y em per or Shen Nung Accor ding t o legend, Shen Nung obser ved t hat people w ho boiled t heir dr inking w at er

rem ained healt hier t han t hose w ho didn't , so he alw ays m ade sur e his w at er w as boiled On a

t r ip t o a neighboring prov ince, t he em peror's servant s st art ed a fir e t o boil w at er for him As

t he w at er w as heat ing, a br eeze blew som e of t he t ender leaves fr om t he upper m ost t w igs of

t he fir ew ood int o t he pot At t r act ed by t he fr agr ance of t he r esult ing liquid, t he em per or

" t ast ed it and found it good," as t he saying goes Thus began a t ea- drinking cust om t hat has per sist ed t o t his day

Originally t he t ea m ade by infusing t he Thea sinensis herb w as used only as a m edicinal brew ,

as w er e t eas m ade fr om m any ot her her bal plant s Thea sinensis t ea soon becam e a popular bever age because of it s flavor , and t he w or d t ea cam e t o be associat ed w it h t his plant

Alt hough t he cult iv at ion of t ea began in China, it gradually spread t o Japan and t he rest of t he Far East I t w as not cult ivat ed in I ndia unt il 1832, w hen t he Brit ish int roduced it t her e, long aft er it had becom e a popular bever age in England and t he Unit ed St at es

D e r iv a t ion of t h e w or d t e a

The w or d t ea has an int er est ing hist or y When Thea sinensis t ea w as fir st int r oduced in

England it w as pr onounced cha or t cha fr om t he Mandar in and Cant onese dialect s spoken in Macao, t he por t fr om w hich t he t ea w as shipped When a Cockney housew ife says it w ould be nice t o have " a cup of char ," she is speaking per fect ly r espect able Chinese, a holdover fr om

t he or iginal w or d Lat er t ea w as im por t ed t o England fr om t he Chinese por t of Am oy I n t he

Am oy dialect , it w as called t 'e, and it w as from t his w or d t hat t he w or d t ea w as der ived The w or d t isane cam e fr om t he Lat in pt isana and t he Gr eek pt isane Originally , t isane m eant pear l bar ley and bar ley w at er , but over t he years it has com e t o m ean any infusion of her bal leav es in boiling w at er

Te a com e s t o En gla n d

No one know s for sur e exact ly when Thea sinensis t ea w as fir st br ought t o England, but in

1658, an ent er pr ising m er chant nam ed Thom as Gar w ay placed an adver t isem ent in t he

publicat ion Mercurius Polit icus announcing t hat : " The ex cellent and by all Phy sit ians approved China Drink, called by t he Chineans Tcha, by ot her nat ions Tay , alias Tee, can be procured at Sult aness Head Cophee- House in Sw eet ing's Rent s by t he Royal Exchange." Garway ex t olled

t he m edicinal qualit ies of t ea as a st im ulant He w r ot e t hat " t ea r em ovet h lassit ude,

vanquishet h heavy dream s, easet h t he fr am e, and st r engt henet h t he m em ory I t overcom et h super fluous sleep, and pr event s sleepiness in gener al, so t hat w it hout t r ouble w hole night s

m ay be passed in st udy"

Dut ch ships fr om t he Orient br ought t ea, along w it h ot her " r iches of t he r ising sun" t o Holland, and fr om t her e Lor ds Ossor y and Arlingt on began br inging consignm ent s of t ea t o England

What st ar t ed as an infant t r ade quickly becam e a r age Soon Thea sinensis t eas w er e being ser ved in all of England's m ost fam ous coffeehouses

As t he popular it y of t ea dr inking grew , t ax r evenues fr om t he sale of beer and w ine declined

To com pensat e for t his loss of incom e, in 1660 Char les I I im posed t he fir st English t ea t axes, paving t he w ay for a t hr iving black m ar ket in t ea

The earliest Am erican set t lers did not share t he English passion for drink ing im port ed t eas Tea drink ing w as probably int r oduced t o t he colonies som ew hat lat er , by t he burgher s of New

Am st er dam William Penn br ought Thea sinensis t ea t o t he Quaker colony he founded in what

is now Delaw ar e in 1682 But by t he 1750s, Am er ican colonist s w er e quaffing t ea as hear t ily

as t he English

Ea r ly r e cor de d u se s of h e r ba l t e a s

Her bal t eas, ot her t han Thea sinensis, have been br ew ed for t housands of year s The ear liest

r ecor ds t alk of using her bs for healing r at her t han flavor ing I n 410 B.C., Plat o m ent ioned herbal t eas in his w r it ings Sev ent y y ears lat er, Ar ist ot le discussed herbal t eas, and his disciple Theophr ast us w r ot e a det ailed w or k, " On t he Hist or y of Plant s," w hich descr ibed t he uses of her bs Her bals w it h det ailed illust rat ions, and inst ruct ions for brew ing herbal t eas, hav e been

r evised and expanded ever since

The Rom an st at esm en Cicer o, Seneca, and Pliny t he Elder pr act iced advanced form s of

hor t icult ur e and w r ot e about t heir experiences Pliny's Nat ural Hist or y ( 77 A.D.) affir m s t he

im por t ance of gr ow ing her baceous plant s bot h for kit chen and m edicinal uses He out lined how

t o plant , t r ansplant , and har vest t hem Pliny also spelled out t he m edicinal uses of each her b, and also how t o adm inist er each one - as lot ion, pow der , or t ea Many her bal t eas w er e t o be

br ew ed w it h w at er and vinegar , he said, w hich m ay explain w hy her b t eas w er en't popular as bever ages unt il lat er , w hen t hey cam e t o be brew ed in w at er alone His descr ipt ions of t he

j uices and flavor s of each her b charact er ize savor y and w ild m ar j or am as having " an acr id

t ast e," ot her s as being " sw eet " or " pungent "

Pliny cat alogued t he germ inat ion t im es of m any her bs, not ing t hat som e plant s cont inued t o appear ever y year , w hile ot her s had t o be new ly sow n fr om seed if t hey w er e t o com e up again " No seed is m ore prolific t han basil," he said " They r ecom m end sow ing it w it h cur ses and im pr ecat ions t o m ake it com e up m or e abundant ly."

Wealt hy Rom ans t ook t heir her b cult ur e ser iously The m ild I t alian w int er s st ill w er e not quit e

w ar m enough t o keep som e t ender her bs fr om being dest r oyed, so plant s w er e placed under

t hin sheet s of m ica ( plat e glass had not been developed yet ) t o pr ot ect t hem fr om t he chill And w ar m w at er w as oft en piped ar ound t he roses, w hich w ere part icularly adm ir ed for bot h

t heir beaut y and m edicinal qualit ies

H e r ba l t e a s in t h e N e w W or ld

I n England, herbal t eas w ere w idely cult iv at ed and used When t he Pilgrim fat hers sailed t o

t he New Wor ld, t hey br ought seeds or plant s of t heir favor it e her bs w it h t hem Most larger houses had bot h an herb garden and a " st ill room " for cult iv at ing herbs

While t he t ea of Thea sinensis r em ained t he favor it e her bal bever age, t hose w ho couldn't affor d it cont inued t o m ake t eas fr om ot her , m or e easily accessible her bs Cham om ile,

pepper m int , and elder flow er t eas w er e especially popular

One her bal t ea beloved of t he colonist s w as Osw ego t ea, m ade fr om t he dr y flower heads of

Am erican w ild bergam ot ( Monarch didy m a) , also called bee balm ( The result ing liquid t ast es like one of t he scent ed Chinese t eas) Som e say t he colonist s lear ned t o m ake Osw ego t ea

fr om t he I ndians, ot her s t hat it w as devised as a New Wor ld ver sion of a Eur opean t isane Aft er t he Bost on Tea Par t y, pat r iot ic ladies banished im por t ed t ea t erm ed " t he baneful her b"

by t he cler gym an and educat or John Andr ew s- from t heir t ables and t urned t o dom est ically

gr ow n her bal t eas They called t hese bever ages " liber t y t eas." Som e of t heir her bal

com binat ions- m ade from m int , balm , rosem ary , and sage- are st ill fav orit es t oday

Aft er t he Revolut ionar y War , t he Am er icans im por t ed t ea dir ect ly fr om China, and Thea

sinensis becam e easily at t ainable and inex pensiv e once again A few of t he m ore flav orful her bal bever ages w er e st ill used, but m ost hom e- gr ow n t eas w er e r et urned t o t he m edicine chest I m por t ed her bs w er e now also easy t o com e by, for t hose w ho w ant ed t hem , so t he cult iv at ion of herbs declined, t oo

I t w asn't unt il t he out break of Wor ld War I t hat England and Am er ica w er e faced w it h t he unpleasant r ealizat ion t hat t hey had becom e lar gely dependent on Ger m an sour ces for

m edicinal and cook ing herbs There ensued an upsurge in hom e- grow n herb cult iv at ion

discover y t hat caffeine is not only an ar t ificial m ent al and physical st im ulant but also an

addict ive subst ance has caused t he healt h- conscious t o t ur n m or e and m or e t o her bal t eas For while coffee, cocoa, and Thea sinensis t eas cont ain caffeine, her bal t eas do not

For m any year s a favorit e only w it h healt h- food devot ees, her bal t ea is becom ing univer sally popular I n Eur ope, herbal t ea sales have soared fr om 5 per cent of t he t ea m ar ket sever al year s ago t o m or e t han 60 per cent t oday I n t he Unit ed St at es, grow t h has been m ore

m oder at e, but sales have im pr oved each year

Packaged her bal t eas now account for about 10 per cent of t he Unit ed St at es t ea m ar ket , up

fr om v irt ually not hing fift een y ears ago Tw ent y y ears ago, t he indust ry leader, Celest ial

Seasonings, I nc., w asn't even in business I n 1975, five year s aft er it began m ar ket ing color ful lit t le boxes of her bal t eas t hr ough healt h food st or es, t he com pany br oke t he $1 m illion m ar k

in sales Sales doubled in 1976 I n 1981, gr oss r evenues rose t o over $23 m illion Celest ial now sells about 4 m illion pounds of her bs a year

Sensing a shar p inr oad int o t he China t ea m ar ket , t he t w o lar ge Am er ican t ea com panies, Lipt on and Bigelow , r ecent ly j um ped ont o t he her bal t ea bandw agon Sales of her bal pr oduct s

in t he Unit ed St at es ar e now est im at ed at bet w een $150 and $200 m illion a year , w it h

packaged her bal t eas account ing for about $90 m illion of t he t ot al The Food and Drug

Adm inist r at ion ent er ed t he her bal t ea pict ur e a few year s ago, or der ing t w o com panies t o st op

pr oducing sassafr as t ea, an age- old pr escr ipt ion for upset st om ach and for ner ves When boiled, sassafr as r eleases a subst ance called safr ole, a know n car cinogen w hich t he FDA has banned as a food addit ive Resear cher s lat er discover ed a per son w ould have t o ingest m or e

sassafr as t ea in a day t han m ost people do in a year in order t o get t he sam e concent r at ion of safr ole t hat had pr oduced som e cancer s in labor at or y anim als, so t he ban on sassafr as t ea has been lift ed Ther e is no doubt , how ever , t hat ex cessive use of cer t ain her bal t eas can be inj ur ious t o your healt h

Dr Jam es Duke, head of t he Medicinal Plant Resour ces Labor at or y of t he U S Depar t m ent of Agricult ur e, believes st evia and cat nip are hallucinogens if t aken in excess He also m aint ains

t hat ar nica, belladonna, bit t er sw eet , helbane, hem lock, and secuda, com m only sold for her b

t eas, ar e poisonous, and t hat bloodr oot cont ains som e of t he sam e alk aloids as opium This has m ade it a r age in som e cir cles for m aking " high" t ea

Despit e t hese gloom - and- doom announcem ent s, how ever, m ost her bal t eas ar e beneficial, not poisonous, if drunk in m oderat ion

One of t he m ost highly t out ed her bal t eas is ginseng Tour any her b st or e or Chinese

em porium and y ou w ill see a heft y display of it Ginseng is believ ed t o increase sex ual

pot ency, lengt hen lifespan, and produce a feeling of w ell- being Kor ean r ed r oot ginseng, Kor ean whit e r oot ginseng, Manchurian ginseng, Manchur ian r ed ginseng, Canadian ginseng, and, for t he connoisseur , I m per ial Chinese ginseng, are consider ed t he finest ginseng t eas available They ar e t hought so pot ent t hat t hey ar e usually t aken only once or t w ice a year One v ariet y of ginseng, Panax quinquefolium , is grow n in t he Unit ed St at es, alt hough it is difficult t o cult ivat e

The FDA concer ned it self w it h ginseng for a while, but doesn't anym or e FDA labor at or y t est s indicat ed ginseng has no effect on t he body w hat soever , t hough sat isfied ginseng user s beg t o differ

Pr oducing enough her bs t o m eet t he new dem and for her bal t eas has becom e som et hing of a

pr oblem Since t hey m ust be picked by hand, m ost her bs ar e gr ow n in Third Wor ld count r ies

w here labor cost s are low Many herbs are also picked w ild, or ar e pur chased fr om sm all

gr ow er s w it h backyar d plot s

Cont rolling qualit y by grow ing y our ow n herbs

Har vest ing, pr ocessing, and shipping delicat e her bs gr ow n in m any differ ent places can m ake qualit y cont r ol difficult You can surm ount t hese pr oblem s, t hough, by gr ow ing her bs your self You w on't be grow ing t hem in such great quant it ies t hat pick ers w ill be hard t o find You can sort and prepare t hem , keeping t heir qualit y as r efined as your t ast e And you can exper im ent

w it h blending t hem , augm ent ing t he blends w it h a few ingredient s fr om your local her b supply

st or e

Her bs you gr ow for t ea also m ake good addit ions t o salads, soups, or m ain dishes Ext r as can

be used in pot pour r is, sachet s, her bal but t er s, and vinegar s, or t o m ake decor at ive, last ing floral display s t hat scent y our hom e long aft er t he grow ing season is past

long-People w it h veget able gar dens- and it is est im at ed t hat close t o one- half of all fam ilies in t he Unit ed St at es now gr ow som e of t heir ow n food- find her bs ar e easy t o gr ow I n fact , m int , ber gam ot , cham om ile, and dandelion have been grow ing around us, w ild, all along So let 's

m ove on t o t he pr act ical business of gr ow ing t hese her bs, and m any ot her s, and discover ing

j ust how easy it is t o br ew your own her bal t ea delight s

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2 Gu ide t o cu lt iv a t in g h e r bs

The m ost pungent herbs are said t o grow on rock y hills near t he Medit erranean coast There,

in poor, dry soil w here t he sun beat s dow n on t hem all day , a high concent rat ion of essent ial oils ( w hich ar e w hat give her bs t heir flav or and arom a) builds up in t he leav es This is nat ure's

w ay of keeping t he plant s fr om dr ying out and dying Ear ly gr ow er s t r ied t o duplicat e t he aust ere environm ent of t hese nat ive plant s They believ ed poor soil, lit t le w at er, and hot sun

w ould guar ant ee t he m ost ar om at ic basil, t hym e, and r osem ar y No m at t er t hat t hey had t o har vest half an acr e of plant s for a few handfuls of leav es; t he t ast e and arom a m ade it all

w ort hw hile

Today's herb gar dener has neit her t he space nor pat ience t o gr ow st unt ed, sm all- leaved plant s

t hat yield one t eapot 's w or t h of her bs w hen t he gar den is st r ipped For t unat ely, plant

genet icist s have developed herbal st rains t hat hav e large am ount s of essent ial oils in t heir leaves but are also big and bushy plant s t hat t hriv e in good, w ell drained soil

The indoor gar dener , using im proved seeds and plant s, as w ell as m oder n gr ow ing m et hods, can get a fine yield of her bal t ea fr om a single pot t ed plant placed on a w indowsill or under

gr ow - light s The out door gar dener can der ive im m ense sat isfact ion and a gr at ifying cr op fr om

a sm all her b plot t ucked in a sunny cor ner or on a sm all pat ch of gr ound near t he kit chen door

Whet her you'r e st ar t ing your her bs fr om seed, nur ser y plant s, or cut t ings or r oot ings given t o you by gener ous fr iends, you'll w ant t o ensur e t heir success by pr oviding t hem w it h a good

gr ow ing envir onm ent

Pr e pa r in g t h e soil

Most of t oday 's herbal st rains do nicely in aerat ed soil t hat is w ell drained, crum bly , and

enriched w it h a m oderat e am ount of fert ilizer or organic m at t er t o supply t he plant s w it h nut r ient s

To check how good y our soil is, insert a spading fork t o it s full dept h I f it goes in easily w it h lit t le or no effor t , you'r e lucky- you pr obably alr eady have ideal soil for your her bal t eas I f it scrapes or w on't go in all t he w ay , y ou'll hav e t o do som e w ork Usually , t his w ill m ean adding condit ioners Most soils benefit from t he addit ion t o t heir bulk of up t o 1/ 3 peat m oss,

com post , saw dust , or leaf m old, w ell m ix ed, t o a dept h of at least 1 foot I f you have clay soil,

y ou'll w ant t o add ev en m ore of t hese condit ioners t o get an herb plant ing bed t hat w ill

prov ide good drainage and enough friabilit y so t he root syst em s w ill r em ain m oist ( but not soggy) and w ill spr ead easily

I f you have im possibly heavy clay soil or an im per m eable layer of har dpan not t oo far below your plant ing surface, you can cr eat e a r aised plant ing bed filled w it h a m ore desirable soil

m ix Raised beds can be sur r ounded by br icks, r ailr oad t ies, r ocks, boar ds- anyt hing st ur dy enough t o keep t he ear t h cont ained I ncident ally, a r aised bed not only guar ant ees good drainage but also becom es w arm and dry earlier in t he spr ing, allow ing you t o plant sooner

t han at ground lev el For t his reason, m any gardeners w hose soil is good st ill pr efer raised plant ing beds for t heir her bs

Av oid preparing y our soil on a day w hen t he eart h is w et and st ick y and w ill com pact You can

t est for t he r ight t im e t o cult iv at e by t aking a handful of ear t h and squeezing it t oget her int o a ball Pr ess t his lum p gent ly w it h a finger of y our ot her hand I f it holds t oget her , t he gr ound is

t oo w et t o w or k I f it crum bles, it 's t im e t o r oll up your sleeves and st ar t digging

Be sur e t o dist r ibut e soil condit ioner s evenly t hr oughout t he m ixt ur e St ar t by spading your bed t o t he dept h of t he spading for k, so t hat it 's loose Then spr ead t he or ganic m at er ials over

t he surface and sy st em at ically dig t hem in As y ou insert your spading fork , t urn t he soil t o one side or t he ot her so t hat t he organic m at er ials t r ickle t hr ough t he t ines of t he for k and dow n t he face of t he soil t he full dept h of t he spade This w ay y ou avoid leav ing t he soil on t op

of or ganic m at t er t hat is bur ied in a layer under neat h

You m ay w ork t he soil sev eral t im es before it is t he right consist ency, but once you'v e paid your gar dening dues by cr eat ing a good plant ing bed, it can be m aint ained easily for sev eral year s and w ill r ew ar d you w it h bigger , healt hier plant s

Check ing soil acidit y and alk alinit y

Aft er you've w or ked condit ioner s int o t he plant ing ar ea, you should check t he pH fact or - acidit y

or alkalinit y- of t he soil The pH scale r uns fr om 0 at t he acid end t o 14 at t he alkaline end Most herbs do w ell in a fairly neut ral pH range of 6.0 t o 7.5

To det er m ine t he pH fact or of t he soil in your gar den, you can t est a sam ple of soil your self

w it h t he t y pe of kit sold at m ost gar den cent er s These kit s ar e sim ple t o use

I f you find t he plant ing m ixt ur e is t oo acid, m ix 5 pounds of agr icult ur al lim est one int o each

100 squar e feet of plant ing ar ea t o r aise t he pH by 1/ 2 t o 1 point I f t he m ixt ur e is t oo

alkaline, add 3 pounds of iron sulfat e or alum inum sulfat e t o each 100 squar e feet t o low er t he

pH by 1/ 2 t o 1 point For t he few her bs t hat prefer m or e acid or alkaline concent rat ions, you can spot w or k t hese m iner als int o t he soil around t he plant

Planning for out door plant ing

I f you'r e plant ing seeds out door s, plan car efully w her e you w ant t o put t hem ( see chapt er 3 for full inform at ion on planning y our garden) By plant ing right w here t he plant s w ill be

grow ing, y ou'll k now exact ly w hich herbs are w here ( but it 's st ill a good idea t o use label

m ar ker s t o help j og your m em or y) Also, you can t hin t he her bs in place; and you w on't r isk loss fr om lat er t r ansplant ing

Wat er your plant ing ar ea w ell t he day befor e you plan t o seed This w ay, new ly sow n seeds

w ill get t he necessary m oist ure t o help t hem sprout , and t here w ill be less lik elihood of

w ashing t hem out j ust aft er t hey've been plant ed Make sur e all danger of fr ost is past and

t hat t he soil has begun t o w ar m up I f t her e is a shor t gr ow ing season in your area, slow grow ing plant s w it h long germ inat ion periods should be plant ed earlier, indoors or in a cold

-fr am e, t hen t r ansplant ed int o t he garden w hen t hey're est ablished Ot herw ise, t hey w on't yield a cr op of any significance before t he end of t he gr ow ing season

For cent ur ies gar dener s have consider ed m oon phases w hen plant ing seeds, because of t he

ex t ra light , dark ness, and/ or grav it at ional pull prov ided by t he lunar cy cle Generally , it 's believed annual her bs ( w hich liv e one season only) should be plant ed dur ing t he fir st ‚ or second lunar phase Biennial her bs ( w hich liv e t w o seasons) , should be plant ed dur ing t he

t hird or four t h lunar phase Perennials ( w hich m ay liv e m any y ears) should be plant ed during

t he t hird lunar phase How ev er, all root crop her bs should be plant ed dur ing t he t hir d and

four t h phases, w hen added dar kness helps t hem send t heir r oot s deep int o t he gr ound Mor e exact plant ing t im e can be det er m ined by consult ing y our new spaper ( t he w eat her r epor t usually show s m oon phases) or an alm anac

Pr e soa k in g se e ds

Many her b seeds ar e slow t o ger m inat e but spr out m or e quickly if you soak t hem in w at er befor e you plant t hem The night befor e I 'm going t o plant indoor s or out door s, I put seeds of each herb int o separat e saucers filled w it h w at er I place t he seed pack et under each saucer,

so I 'll k now w hich is w hich w hen m orning com es Then I lock up m y cat s, so t hey w on't help

t hem selv es t o a noct urnal dr ink from t he saucer s or m ix up t he seeds I n t he m or ning, I

r em ove excess m oist ur e fr om each saucer w it h a sponge and t he t ip of a paper napkin Then I plant m y seed var iet ies one by one

Pla n t in g se e ds ou t door s

I f w int er s ar en't t oo sever e in your clim at e, y ou can plant dill, bor age, and ot her slow

-germ inat ing seeds out doors in t he fall They 'll com e up nicely in spring Fall plant ing should be done befor e aut um n fr ost s begin, but lat e enough in t he season so t hat seedlings w on't

em er ge befor e w int er only t o be killed w hen cold w eat her ar r ives Check seed packet s for

av erage germ inat ion periods and for inst ruct ions on plant ing in y our clim at e

Befor e you plant , m ake shallow scrat ch lines w it h a hoe or t r ow el t o guide you w hen sow ing Place seeds in t he fur r ow s, and cover t hem light ly w it h soil Seed pack et s usually spell out how deep seeds should be placed- t his var ies fr om her b t o her b I f plant ing dept h isn't spelled out , a good r ule of t hum b is t o plant seeds t o a dept h of t w o t o t hr ee t im es t he diam et er of

t he seed

Make sur e t he soil cover ing t he seeds isn't lum py or heavy You can sift it over t he seeds

t hr ough a scr een, m aking sur e it is even and fine

Aft er you've cover ed t he seeds, fir m t he plant ing ar ea w it h your hand or a boar d I f t he

surface has dried out , m oist en it light ly w it h a fine spray of w at er, being careful not t o uncov er

or dislodge t he seeds I n t he days t hat follow , cont inue t o keep t he soil dam p ( not soggy) by

w at er ing w it h a ver y fine spr ay

Many her bs ar e look- alikes as seedlings Som e, lik e or egano and m ar j or am , cont inue t o look like one anot her even int o m at ur it y Don't count on your m em or y t o r em em ber w hich her b is

w hich or y ou m ight be in for som e unpleasant t ast e sur pr ises w hen you br ew t he her bal t eas Label seed r ow s or plant ing spot s w it h plast ic or w ooden m ar ker s, using a w at er pr oof,

indelible pen I use 1- inch- squar e st akes about a foot long, w hich I drive int o t he ground 6 inches deep so t hey w on't be upr oot ed Each st ake is prom inent ly m ark ed w it h a w ide t ipped pen I f m ark er s becom e dir t y and har d t o r ead aft er a couple of years, I pull t hem out one by one, sand t hem light ly , and relabel t hem

Annuals and biennials usually ger m inat e m or e quickly t han per ennials, but som e biennial herbs ( lik e parsley ) t ake a long t im e t o appear Be pat ient I f y ou're using good new seed, have plant ed pr oper ly, and haven't had an excessively cold or r ainy spell, t he lit t le plant s w ill

` pr obably em er ge j ust as you'r e giving up hope Rem em ber , t hough, m ost her bs ger m inat e best at 70º F ( 21º C) or w ar m er , and t hey pr efer 60º t o 65º F ( 15º t o 18º C) t em per at ur es once t hey've spr out ed, w hich is not easy t o accom plish out doors That 's w hy m any gar dener s

pr efer t o st ar t seeds indoor s under m ore m anageable condit ions

Th in n in g se e dlin gs

Whet her you'r e plant ing out door s or indoors, t hin t he seedlings aft er t w o pairs of t rue leav es develop, so t he r em aining plant s w ill have enough r oom t o develop Tr y t o snip or pinch off

w eaker seedlings ( pulling t hem up can som et im es upr oot good ones) , even if it m eans

t r ansplant ing st r ong ones t hat have spr out ed in one ar ea

I n hot w eat her areas, leav e plant s closer t oget her so foliage w ill shade t he soil I f necessary , you can t hin again w hen t he seedlings ar e lar ger

By all m eans, sav e t he lit t le plant s y ou'v e gleaned when t hinning I f leaves ar e t he par t of t he her b used t o br ew t ea, t r eat your self t o a cup as a r ew ar d for your effor t s!

Pla n t in g se e ds in door s

Less har dy her bs, or t hose t hat t ake a long t im e t o ger m inat e, can get a head st art if you plant t hem indoor s 6 t o 9 w eeks befor e t he last fr ost is expect ed

You can plant in cer am ic, plast ic, or peat pot s, or in w ooden or plast ic flat s ( t r ays) All

cont ainer s m ust have holes in t he bot t om t o pr ovide good dr ainage, and m ust be scr ubbed absolut ely clean so t hey w on't t r ansm it disease t o new seedlings via plant pest s st ill linger ing

fr om pr evious plant ings Wooden flat s, in par t icular , m ay cont inue t o har bor disease- causing

or ganism s I st er ilize m ine by put t ing t hem int o a 160º t o 180º F ( 71º t o 82º C) ov en for about half an hour The st ench is aw ful as t hey're " cook ing," but t he result s are good

Once t hey've cooled, fill your plant ing cont ainer s w it h a good st er ile pot t ing m ix You can buy

t his r eady- m ade, or , if you pr efer , you can m ake your ow n One com m er cial her b gar dener

w ho gr ow s t housands of plant s each year asser t s t hat gar dener s w ho m ake t heir ow n her bal plant ing m ix w ill get good result s by com bining 1 part each of soil, sand, peat m oss, and perlit e This m ix t ur e is good for bot h indoor and out door her b plant ing

No m at t er w hat plant ing m ix you decide t o use, scr een it t hr ough a I / 4- inch m esh scr een ( har dw ar e clot h) t o br eak up t he par t icles

I f you'r e using gar den soil and com post , you'll w ant t o m ake sur e t he m ix is st er ile Bake it in

a 160º t o 180º F ( 71º t o 82º C) oven for about 2 hour s Once again, t he sm ell w ill be st r ong Plant s pot t ed in such soil ar e unlik ely t o get dam ping- off disease, a fungus w hich at t acks seeds and t iny seedlings

I f y ou w ant t o prev ent dam ping- off disease w it hout st erilizat ion, y ou can sat urat e t he plant ing

m ix w it h a solut ion of com m er cially pr epar ed fungicide You can also m ake your ow n fungicide

by m ixing 2 par t s of finely gr ound copper sulphat e w it h 11 par t s of fresh am m onium

car bonat e St or e t he m ix in an air t ight glass j ar When you need a solut ion, dissolve 2/ 3 ounce

of t he m ixt ur e in a lit t le hot w at er Then add enough cold w at er t o m ake 1 gallon St or e t he solut ion in a plast ic or porcelain cont ainer ( not a m et al one) and use it im m ediat ely

Or ganic gar dener s, w ho shy aw ay fr om chem ical addit ives, m aint ain t hat t hey can cont r ol dam ping- off disease by:

1 Using st erile pot t ing m ixt ur e

2 Pr oviding seed flat s w it h pr oper dr ainage

3 Keeping flat s in a place t hat is low in hum idit y and has good v ent ilat ion

4 Sow ing t he seeds in a m ixt ur e of equal par t s of com post and sand, and cover ing t he seeds

w it h pulver ized, heat ed clay

5 Sow ing seeds spar sely, so t hey ar en't cr owded

Once you've filled your plant ing cont ainer w it h pot t ing soil, t am p it dow n gent ly t o 1/ 2 inch below t he t op of t he flat or pot and w at er it w ell

I f y ou're sow ing sev eral row s of herbs in a flat , m ak e shallow indent at ions about 2 inches apart for each row I use a pencil lengt h pressed int o t he m ix Sow seeds in t he row s, labeling each r ow w it h a w ooden or plast ic m ar ker , and cover t he seeds light ly w it h sift ed plant ing m ix

I f t he seeds show w hen you w at er or m ist t hem , it m eans you haven't cover ed t hem deeply enough, and should sift a lit t le m or e soil over t hem

The best w ay t o w at er new ly sown seeds w it hout dist ur bing t hem is t o place t he plant ing cont ainer s in a t r ay of w at er Allow t hem t o soak unt il y ou see t hat t he t op surface is

Pr ov idin g a de qu a t e ligh t

The best place t o put flat s or pot s is in a w indow in direct sunlight w here t hey 'll get heat and light all day I f your w indow doesn't face due sout h ( or nor t h in t he Sout her n Hem ispher e) , you'll have t o r ot at e t he flat s and pot s t o k eep t he plant s gr ow ing st raight

I f y ou don't hav e a sunny exposure, y ou can use fluor escent gr ow light s The usual

ar r angem ent is t w o t ubes, 24 or 48 inches long, in a com m er cial shop- t ype fixt ur e Mine ar e suspended fr om heat ing pipes in m y basem ent by chains at t ached w it h S hooks at t he fixt ur e end a This w ay I can raise or low er t he light s t o accom m odat e gr ow ing plant s I plug t he fixt ur es int o aut om at ic t im er s, allow ing fr om 12 t o 16 hours of light per day

Regular fluor escent light s can also be used, but t hey lack som e of t he benefit s of gr ow - light s,

w hich ar e designed t o pr om ot e plant gr ow t h Som e gar dener s who have sunny w indow s use grow - light s as w ell t o ensure a longer day for t heir plant s

Begin by placing new ly seeded flat s and pot s only 3 or 4 inches under t he fixt ur e so em er ging seedlings won't becom e " leggy" t r ying t o r each t he light Once t he plant s hav e est ablished a couple of set s of leav es and are doing nicely , you can m ove t he lam ps up, or t he plant s dow n, depending on your ar r angem ent Make sur e t he plant s never t ouch t he light s

I f t he her bs ar e in a dry place, m ist t hem daily, but be sure you do t his early in t he day so

t hey dr y t hor oughly befor e t he light s go off or t he sun goes dow n Ot her w ise, t hey m ay develop fungus disease

But , you say, w hy should t his be? Aft er all, dew for m s on out door plant s at night , and t hey dolt get m ildew ed That 's t rue But out door plant s have const ant vent ilat ion, w hich can't be duplicat ed in indoor grow ing sit uat ions

Be sur e t o t hin indoor seedlings, j ust as you do out door ones

Tr a n spla n t in g

Seedlings gr ow n indoors in flat s or pot s, plant s raised in t he nursery, or cut t ings or root ings

t ak en fr om ot her plant s should all be t r ansplant ed carefully if t hey'r e t o m ake a successful

t r ansit ion t o t he host ile out door environm ent w it h it s var iat ions of t em per at ur e, w ind, and

m oist ur e

To pr event t r ansplant shock, you can " har den" indoor plant s by int r oducing t hem gradually t o

t he har sh wor ld out side A few days befor e t he t r ansplant ing, place t hem out side in a w ar m , sunny, and pr ot ect ed spot Leave t hem for a few hour s each day, but be sur e t o br ing t hem safely indoors if t he sun st ops shining, t he t em perat ure begins falling, or w henever w ind or cooler w eat her t hreat ens Aft er a few day s of hardening, y our plant s should be acclim at ized and r eady for out door plant ing

Transplant on a m ild, ov ercast day or j ust before sunset , w hen t he sun w ill not beat on t he

r elocat ed plant s The dar k and dew of night helps t hem r ecover befor e m or ning

I f you m ust t r ansplant on a sunny day, be sure t o pr ot ect t he t r ansplant s fr om excess heat and light by const ruct ing a cheeseclot h um brella suspended on st akes, or by pushing a

shingle, floor t ile, or leafy t w ig int o t he soil on t he sunny side of t he plant s t o shelt er t hem

To m ove seedlings, lift t hem out of t heir gr owing cont ainer s one by one Pr y up t he r oot

syst em of each w it h a plant m ar ker , t ongue depr essor , or spoon, t r ying t o keep as big a ball of soil around t he root s as y ou can St eady each lit t le herb plant as y ou m ov e it by gent ly holding

a leaf ( not t he t ender st em , w hich can easily snap) and low er t he root ball int o a prepared

m oist hole I f y ou'v e plant ed in peat pot s, y ou can place each seedling in it s hole, pot and all

Ex panding root s w ill grow t hrough t he disint egrat ing pot

Fir m t he soil and m ake a lit t le saucer - like depr ession ar ound each seedling t o cat ch and hold

m oist ur e Tr y t o set plant s no deeper t han t hey w er e w hen gr ow ing indoor s I f, how ever , t hey have becom e " leggier " t han you w ould lik e, set t hem a lit t le deeper so t hey can suppor t

t hem selves w it hout falling over

Keep t r ansplant ed seedlings w ell w at er ed, m aking sur e you don't uncover t he r oot s or knock

t hem over w it h t oo heavy a spr ay

I ncident ally , y ou can use t his sam e m et hod if y ou decide t o t r ansplant seedlings indoors because your plant s ar e t oo cr ow ded, or ar e com ing up all in one spot and not in anot her

I f you'r e t r ansplant ing nur ser y plant s, t r y t o t r ansfer all t he plant ing m ixt ur e surr ounding t he

r oot s t o t he t r ansplant hole w it hout dist ur bing t he plant Tap t he pot shar ply t o loosen dir t

fr om t he edges, or if t he plant is in a plast ic com par t m ent , squeeze t he com par t m ent gent ly t o dislodge t he m ass of soil sur r ounding t he r oot s This is easier t o do if you do not wat er plant s

j ust before y ou t ransplant t hem I f t he soil around t hem is t oo m oist , it 's lik ely t o crum ble

w hen y ou t ry t o rem ov e t he plant from it s cont ainer I f it 's drier, it w ill usually st ick t o t he plant r oot s and com e out in one m ass

I f soil does fall off t he root s, or if t he grow ing m ixt ur e hasn't adher ed t o t he r oot s, spr ead t he

r oot s in t he plant ing hole gent ly so t hey'r e not in one clum ped m ass Then car efully fir m soil

ar ound t he plant s and w at er t hem w ell

Lar ger nur ser y plant s, r oot ings, or cut t ings don't need quit e as m uch prot ect ion fr om t he sun aft er t ransplant ing as do t iny seedlings, but it 's best t o t ransplant on a calm , ov ercast day or lat e in t he aft er noon

Whenever you'r e m oving plant s, be sur e t he t ransplant hole is good- sized, so you can

sur r ound t he new ly plant ed her b w it h plent y of loosened, pr epared soil And w ork up t he soil

in t he bot t om of t he hole t o give t he r oot s a soft cushion t o r est on

I f soil in t he t ransplant hole isn't t he right m ix , dig a m uch larger hole- one big enough t o hold

t he r oot syst em of t he her b w hen it r eaches m at ur it y Then r eplace t he soil t hat w as in t he hole w it h t he pr oper plant ing m ix

When t ransplant ing, don't rely on m em ory t o t ell you w here you put each plant Many her bs change appear ance consider ably as t hey m at ure, so it 's im port ant t o label y our t ransplant s

j ust as you w ould seeds, at least unt il y ou'v e been grow ing herbs for so m any years t hat

y ou're t horoughly fam iliar w it h all st ages of t heir dev elopm ent

W a t e r in g t ips

You'll w ant , of cour se, t o giv e special at t ent ion t o t he w at er ing of seedlings, nur ser y plant s, cut t ings, or r oot divisions j ust aft er you've t r ansplant ed t hem But t her e ar e ot her gener al

w at er ing t ips t o bear in m ind

When planning your gar den, gr oup her bs t hat r equire lot s of w at er in one spot so t hat t hey can be spr inkled or soaked at t he sam e t im e The herbs t hat require less m oist ure should be clust er ed t oget her t o av oid over wat er ing t hem w hen you'r e t ending t he r est of your gar den Her bs like t hor ough and deep w at er ings, r at her t han fr equent shallow ones w hich don't penet r at e t o t he bot t om of t he r oot ball

M u lch in g

You can cut down on wat er ing if you spr ead 1 or 2 inches of m ulch around your her bs,

t aper ing off t o about 1/ z inch near t he st em s

Ever since Rut h St out advocat ed heavy m ulching in her book, How t o Have a Gr een Thum b Wit hout an Aching Back, m ulching has been r egar ded as a new phenom enon Act ually , it is a

nat ural process, m illions of y ears old As leav es fall t o t he for est floor , t hey pr ot ect sm aller plant s dur ing sever e w eat her , and as t hey decom pose, t hey for m soil- enr iching com post Whet her it occur s nat ur ally or t hr ough t he effor t s of a conscient ious gar dener , m ulching

accom plishes m any t hings I t conser ves w at er by cut t ing dow n on evaporat ion, and it helps

k eep plant leav es clean w hen t here are heav y rains This is part icularly im port ant in t he case

of cr eeping t hym e, par sley, or egano, anise, and ot her her bs t hat gr ow close t o t he gr ound and are oft en blow n ov er in heav y st orm s and pushed int o t he soil

Mulching also elim inat es w eeds and pr eser ves delicat e her b feeder r oot s t hat w ould ot her w ise

be dest r oyed by hoeing or digging The few w eeds t hat cr eep t hrough t he m ulch can be pulled out easily by hand

Mulching also helps guar d against ext r em e w eat her by insulat ing her bal r oot s fr om t he cold I f

t he m ulch is organic, it gradually decom poses int o t he eart h's t op layer, boost ing soil fert ilit y

by prov iding helpful m icroorganism s

Perennials grow ing in sev ere clim at es benefit from heav ier m ulching at t he end of t he grow ing season, w hich pr ot ect s t hem fr om ext r em e cold w int er t em per at ur es and keeps t heir root syst em s fr om dr ying out

Popular m ulches for t he her b gar den include freshly cut grass, chopped hay or st raw , chopped seaw eed, cocoa hulls, w ood chips, and pine needles ( Grass should be piled on in m any t hin layer s, r at her t han all at once, t o prevent r ot t ing, w hich at t r act s insect s.) Most gar dener s have favor it e m ulches, depending on personal pr eference and availabilit y One caut ion: I f y ou're

m ulching heav ily for a long period of t im e, check t he pH fact or occasionally Som e m ulches cause soil acidit y- a " no- no" for m ost her bs You can adj ust for t his by adding m iner als t o deacidify t he soil

Fe r t iliz in g h e r bs

Gener ally speaking, her bs don't need m uch fer t ilizing- t hey dr aw t heir nut r ient s from t he soil

t hey 're plant ed in Too m uch fert ilizer can cause ex cess leaf grow t h, result ing in sm aller

concent rat ions of t he flav orful essent ial oils t hat dist inguish herbs

Com m ercial herb grow ers rely on one sm all dose of fert ilizer for seedlings- usually fish

em ulsion or liquid seaw eed One grow er finds t hat using skim m ilk inst ead of w at er prom ot es healt hy gr ow t h in young seedlings

Most herbs can do w it hout fert ilizer if t hey are m ulched w it h organic m at t er and if com post is added t o t he soil per iodically I ndoor plant s, w hich don't benefit from t hese nat ural fert ilizers,

t hr ive w it h an applicat ion of ver y w eak fish em ulsion about once ever y 2 w eeks dur ing

w at er ing

Com ba t in g pe st s a n d dise a se s

Most her bs ar e nat ur ally r esist ant t o insect s, so m uch so t hat t hey ar e oft en com

panion-plant ed w it h veget ables and flow er s in or der t o r epel har m ful pest s The closer t he her b

var iet y is t o it s or iginal t ype, t he bet t er it w it hst ands insect at t acks or disease

Aphids som et im es at t ack cham om ile and dill, but not excessively Basil is occasionally st ripped

of it s leaves by Japanese beet les Gener ally speaking, t hough, plant pest s t end t o shy aw ay

fr om t he arom at ic her bs

I f pest s do becom e a problem , y ou should av oid chem ical pest icides especially since y ou w ill

be ingest ing t he t eas m ade fr om t he leaves, r oot s, flow ers, or seeds

I nsect s can be elim inat ed by hand- picking t hem off plant s Or y ou can spr ay your her bs w it h

an insect icidal soap Appr oved for use on food plant s by t he U S Envir onm ent al Pr ot ect ion Agency, for exam ple, insect icidal soap is com plet ely biodegradable, leav es no harm ful residues and can be applied up t o t he day of har vest I t is m ade from nat urally , occurring fat s and oils found in t he cells of all liv ing t hings When sprayed on infest ed plant s, it er adicat es fr om 86 t o

100 per cent of t he m ost dest r uct ive gar den pest s, but does not har m beneficial insect s such

as bees and ladybugs I t has a pleasant sm ell and act ually cleans t he plant s' leav es

Pr opa ga t in g h e r bs

Her bs m ay be pr opagat ed in m any w ays- by seeds, st em cut t ings, r oot cut t ings, lay er ing,

m ound layer ing, r oot division, and r unner s Differ ent her b var iet ies ar e m or e easily

propagat ed by one m et hod t han by anot her

Se e d pr opa ga t ion

Many her bs, including annual, biennial, and per ennial var iet ies, can be r epr oduced easily fr om seeds ( sour ces for seeds and plant s ar e list ed at t he back of t his book) I f you have pat ience and a w illingness t o w or k, seeds are by far t he m ost econom ical w ay t o develop your her bal

t ea gar den A packet of seeds, usually enough for up t o 100 plant s, cost s lit t le

As I ex plained earlier in t his chapt er , seeds can be plant ed dir ect ly out door s, or indoor s in flat s

or pot s for per m anent t r ansplant ing t o t he garden once t he danger of fr ost has passed

I f you'r e gat her ing your ow n seeds fr om plant s you or fr iends have grow n, snip off t he seed heads int o a paper bag I f t he seeds ar e dr y and fine, shake t hem fr om t heir pods and plant

t hem im m ediat ely; or st or e t hem in a clean, dr y place, w ait a few days or m ont hs, and plant

t hem so t hey 'll em erge at a t im e you w ould pr efer

A few her b seeds- sar sapar illa, for exam ple- should be plant ed im m ediat ely upon r ipening in order t o achiev e m ax im um germ inat ion How ever, because t his plant is m uch easier t o

pr opagat e by r oot cut t ings, m ost gar dener s don't bot her w it h seeds Som e her bs ar e difficult

t o cult iv at e from seeds, but self- sow readily I t is easier t o t r ansplant t he seedlings fr om t hese herbs in spring or fall ( There is m ore det ail on individual herbs in chapt er 7)

Lavender , lem on t hym e, t ar r agon, and m ost m int s can be gr ow n fr om seeds but seldom ar e, because ot her propagat ion m et hods ar e easier

St e m cu t t in gs

Rosem ar y, or egano, w int er savor y, lem on ver bena, hyssop, lavender , t he t hym es, and

scent ed geranium s ar e usually pr opagat ed by st em cut t ings, because seed pr opagat ion of

t hese v ariet ies is painst ak ing and uncert ain

To r epr oduce by cut t ings, cut off 3- t o 6- inch plant t ips fr om healt hy, w ell- est ablished plant s dur ing t he act ive gr ow ing season Don't t ake soft or for ced gr ow t h, w eak shoot s from t he cent er of t he plant , or vigor ous grow t h fr om t hick st em s The ideal cut t ing st em w ill snap

w hen bent shar ply, r at her t han bending w it hout br eaking

Cut each st em shar ply and cleanly j ust below a leaf bud, using a r azor blade, sharp knife, or shear s ( scissor s pinch t he st em end, im peding r oot for m at ion) Make sur e t he cut is clean,

st r aight across or on a slight angle Gar dener s disagr ee as t o w hich m et hod is m or e effect iv e, but bot h seem t o w or k Make your ow n choice

St r ip leaves off t he bot t om t hir d or half of each cut t ing, and dip t he st em int o a hor m one root ing pow der t o 1/ 4 inch abov e t he last st ripped leaf bud This st ep is opt ional, but t he hor m one pow der hast ens r oot for m at ion I t 's available at m ost gar den cent er s

Tap off excess pow der befor e you inser t t he cut t ing int o a hole m ade in adv ance in m oist ened root ing m edium Mak e sure t his hole is w ide enough so t he hor m one pow der w on't be scr aped off w hen you inser t t he cut t ing Then fir m t he m edium ar ound t he cut t ing t o av oid air pocket s

An ideal plant ing m ixt ure for cut t ings is m oist sand, or per lit e placed in a flat or ot her

cont ainer which w ill pr ovide good dr ainage Soil, peat m oss, and ver m iculit e ar e not usually used in cut t ing m ixt ur es because wit hout t hem dr ainage is bet t er and t here is less possibilit y

of fungus One exper ienced her b grow er sw ear s by a w ell- packed m ixt ur e of 1 par t sand and 1 part perlit e

Once you've placed t he st em s in t he cut t ing m ixt ur e, do not allow t hem t o becom e dr y or

w ilt ed Mist t he cut t ings each m or ning ( never at night ) unt il r oot s have for m ed Som e

gardeners place a plast ic bag ov er t he cut t ing cont ainer t o ensure t hat st em s w ill r em ain

m oist Unless t he plast ic is rem ov ed regularly t o adm it fr esh air , how ever , t her e s a danger

t hat m olds w ill for m

Set t he cut t ing cont ainer in a place w here it w ill get good indirect light - not direct sunlight Turn t he cont ainer regularly so t hat t he cut t ings w ill get equal light on all sides

Lem on balm and t hy m e w ill probably form root s in 4 t o 6 w eek s, but herbs w it h w oodier st em s ( r osem ar y, t ar r agon, and lavender) m ay t ake sever al m ont hs

You'll k now root s hav e form ed w hen t he foliage t ak es on a bright er green color, or w hen y ou

t ug gent ly on cut t ings and discover t hey t ug back Wait sever al w eeks befor e t r ying t he t ug

t est , so as not t o dist ur b cut t ings unnecessarily There probably w on't be any new leaf

for m at ion j ust aft er r oot s have form ed, but t he cut t ings w ill never t heless be r eady for

t r ansplant ing int o 3- t o 4- inch- diam et er pot s When t r ansplant ing, t ry t o keep as m uch of t he

pr opagat ing m ix ar ound t he r oot s as you can Again, keep t he t r ansplant ed her bs m oist and out of direct sunlight unt il new grow t h is ev ident

Thr ee t o 5 w eeks aft er you've t r ansplant ed, w hen t he plant s ar e 3 t o 4 inches high, pinch off

t he t op cent er of t he young herbs t o encour age bushing out

Your plant s should be developing nicely com e spr ing Har dy sage can act ually be put out side a

m ont h befor e t he last spr ing fr ost dat e, once you've har dened t he plant s But wait unt il aft er

t he last fr ost dat e t o put out t ender plant s such as bay and r osem ar y

One adv ant age of grow ing new plant s from cut t ings is t hat y ou know t he result ing plant s w ill

be t r ue t o t he old ones Cut t ing is an asexual pr ocess, w hile seeds develop t hr ough a sexual

pr ocess and m ay not look exact ly like t he plant you t ook t hem fr om Anot her advant age of

pr opagat ion by cut t ing is t hat you can get a t r em endous var iet y of per ennial her bs quickly t his

w ay if you have fr iends w ho ar e w illing t o let you snip aw ay in t heir gar dens How ever , out of deference t o y our friends' generosit y , t ak e cut t ings only from w ell- est ablished plant s, ones

w it h sever al st em s and side shoot s, not fr om one- st em m ed plant s t hat have been t ender ly nurt ured indoors all w int er and are st ill st ruggling t o surv iv e out side

Root cu t t in gs

Som e plant s- such as bee balm ( ber gam ot ) , hor ehound, cat nip, and savor y- send up new st em s

fr om spr eading r oot s Cut t ings fr om t hese can creat e new plant s Select r oot s 3/ 6 t o 3/ 8 inch

in diam et er from a w ell- est ablished, v igorously gr ow ing plant Discar d t he t apering ends of t he

r oot , and cut t he r em ainder int o 1- t o 3- inch lengt hs, so t hat each piece includes som e of t he fleshy r oot and a bud Dust t he r oot pieces w it h hor m one root ing pow der , and lay t hem 2 inches apart hor izont ally in a flat pr epar ed w it h t he sam e t ype of soil m ixt ur e you used for

st em cut t ings Cover t hem w it h about 1/ 2 inch of addit ional cut t ing m ixt ur e, and w at er t he flat

t hor oughly Then cover t he cont ainer w it h a piece of glass or new spaper , place it in a shady place, and keep t he cut t ings m oist Rem ove t he cover ing w hen leaves appear Once gr ow t h is est ablished, t ransplant each cut t ing int o a sm all pot I f leaf grow t h is heav y, rem ov e m ost of it before replant ing, allow ing only one or t w o sm all cent er leaves t o rem ain Plant each cut t ing int o it s pot so t hat t he leaves ar e above t he soil, and t he piece of root is below

The best t im e t o pr opagat e t his w ay is in t he spr ing, when new grow t h is under w ay, t hough

r oot cut t ings m ay be t aken any t im e fr om spr ing t o fall if you can keep t he new ly plant ed

r oot s shaded and m oist

I n cool r egions, you can t ake root cut t ings in fall and st ore t he cut t ing cont ainer on a shelt er ed por ch or in a cold fr am e out door s Be sur e t o keep t he cont ainer w ell w at er ed I n spr ing t he cut t ings w ill send up shoot s and can be plant ed in t he garden

La y e r in g

Lay ering is oft en easier t han m ak ing cut t ings Many herbs, such as sage and t arragon, w ill lay er t hem selv es out doors w hen a st em falls over , t ouches t he gr ound, and sends dow n r oot s You can layer per ennials your self if you w ant ex t r a plant s Choose a healt hy st em or br anch near t he ground, one t hat w ill bend dow n easily t o t ouch t he soil Look for a leaf node about 1 foot fr om t he st em t ip, and m ake a sm all slant ing cut j ust below t he leaf node, cut t ing about halfw ay t hrough t he st em or br anch You can also scr ape aw ay t he out er layer of bar k fr om a shor t sect ion of st em or br anch w it hout cut t ing int o it and dust t he cut or st r ipped sect ion w it h horm one root ing pow der This " w ounding" m et hod is bet t er for t hin st em s

Figur e out w her e t he cut or st r ipped sect ion w ill t ouch t he soil, and dig a shallow depr ession

t here Mix t he soil y ou rem ov e from t his hole w it h equal par t s of peat m oss, gr ound bar k, or

sand, and put som e of t his m ixt ur e in t he bot t om of t he hole Then bend t he cut or st r ipped branch dow n int o t he hole, anchoring it in place w it h a heav y w ire loop or st aple Pieces of coat hanger do nicely , or for t hinner st em s, large hairpins w ill do t he t rick Be sure t he m et al pinning goes deep enough int o t he soil t o hold t he lay ered branch firm ly

Mound t he depr ession w it h t he pr ev iously pr epar ed soil, and fir m it well Wat er and t hen add a

m ulch of leaves or com post I f you'r e pr eparing good- sized branches for lay ering, y ou m ay place a br ick or st one on t op of t he m ound so t hat t he t r eat ed por t ion cannot becom e

dislodged

Root s usually form in about 6 w eek s Check t hem by carefully rem ov ing t he soil and t ugging

on t he st em or br anch I f r oot s ar e w ell est ablished, you can sever t he st em or br anch fr om

t he par ent plant and t ransplant your new her b

I f you'r e layer ing in t he spr ing, use gr ow t h from t he pr evious year I f you'r e pr opagat ing by layer ing in m idsum m er , use new grow t h r at her t han t he previous year 's older w ood Sum m er grow t h is usually easier t o lay er because it 's m ore pliable

You can cont inue t o pr opagat e by layer ing unt il 4 w eeks befor e t he first fr ost Plant s t hat ar e processed in lat e sum m er or fall should he left in place unt il t he follow ing spring, t hen sev ered

fr om t heir par ent - plant and t r ansplant ed

M ou n d la y e r in g

Mound layer ing is anot her w ay t o layer bushy per ennial her bs, especially if t hey br anch out

fr om a t ight r oot base I n ear ly fall, pile ear t h up ar ound t he plant , bury ing t he cent er

branches com plet ely t o a height of 4 or 5 inches Make sur e t he br anches ar e kept cover ed

w it h m oist ear t h

When you dig up t he plant in lat e spr ing, you'll find t hat r oot have form ed all over t he bur ied

br anches Cut each leafed br anch below t he new r oot for m at ion and- prest o- inst ant new plant !

Root div ision

Per ennial her bs w it h r oot syst em s t hat spr ead each year and send up new gr ow t h ar e a

const ant sour ce of new plant s These r oot s becom e com plet e new herbs w hen t hey'r e divided

fr om t he par ent plant Angelica, bee balm ( bergam ot ) , cat nip, or egano, colt sfoot , t hym e, and

m any ot her her bs ar e easy t o pr opagat e in t his fashion once a par ent plant has becom e

est ablished and st ar t ed t o spr ead Single st em her bs ( dandelion and par sley, for exam ple) cannot be pr opagat ed t his w ay

I f an her b is spr eading beyond w her e you w ant it t o go, you can cr eat e new plant s and t hin

t he old one at t he sam e t im e Plant pr opagat ors suggest gent ly digging up t he old plant and

w ashing t he r oot ball so you can clear ly see t he spr eading root s Then pull t he plant apart or cut off t he younger plant gr owt h t hat has for m ed ar ound t he out side Discar d t he older ,

w oodier cent ral grow t h Part s y ou pull off from around t he core can be t ransplant ed int o

w at er- filled holes prepared w it h good soil Surround t he t ransplant s w it h firm ed eart h t o

pr event air pocket s Tr im som e leav es and st em s off t he new plant s t o avoid excessive loss of

m oist ure w hile t hey re- est ablish t hem selv es, and if t he root s are long and bushy , t rim t hem t o encour age new gr ow t h Once plant ed, t he herbs should be w ell w at ered unt il t he plant s hav e

r ecover ed

I f you don’t w ant t o dist ur b t he parent plant , but lot s of new gr ow t h has for m ed around t he core, driv e a spade st raight dow n int o a port ion of t he new gr ow t h and separ at e it fr om t he parent plant Fill t he hole y ou creat e by rem ov ing t he spreading root sect ion, t am p it , and

w at er t he par ent plant w ell The sect ion you separ at e fr om t he par ent plant can t hen be

pr ocessed j ust as if you had dug up t he par ent plant

Root divisions can be m ade in t he spr ing, befor e new gr ow t h has becom e so est ablished t hat leaf dam age caused by handling t he plant w ill affect it s appearance during t he grow ing

season Or divisions can be m ade in t he fall; new gr owt h t he follow ing spr ing w ill ensur e a com pact , at t r act ive r esur gence of undam aged her bal leaves

Ru n n e r s

Som e her bs ( such as st r aw ber r ies) send out runner s fr om t he par ent plant Long st em s

develop, w it h leaves and root nodes along t he w ay or at t he ends When t he runners

event ually t ouch gr ound, t hey send dow n new r oot s While t hese root syst em s ar e being est ablished, r unner plant s cont inue t o t ake nour ishm ent from t he parent plant Once t he root ed plant s are com ing along nicely , t he st em s t hat " ran" t hem t o t heir new locat ion w ill

w it her aw ay

I f you w ish t o pr opagat e t his t ype of her b, it 's easy t o help nat ur e a lit t le You can dir ect

r unner s wher e you w ant new plant s, t hen anchor t hem int o nicely pr epar ed soil t o hast en r oot developm ent Leave t he r unning st em s at t ached t o t he parent plant unt il new plant s ar e est ablished, t hen t r im t hem off

I n all for m s of pr opagat ion, a few basic r ules apply The soil bed for propagat ed plant s should

be carefully prepared, and t he soil should be kept m oist unt il new plant s have est ablished

t hem selv es Of course, all plant part s inv olv ed in t he propagat ion process should be handled gent ly and w at ched carefully unt il t he new plant s ar e w ell developed Wit h pr act ice, you can becom e highly sk illed at all m et hods of propagat ion What m ay sound com plicat ed becom es second nat ur e once you have r epeat ed it st ep by st ep a few t im es

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

3 Pla n n in g y ou r ga r de n , ou t door s a n d in

One of t he m ost delight ful t hings about herbal t ea gar dens is t he w ay t hey r eflect t he

idiosyncr asies of t heir ow ner s

Disorganized gardeners t uck one herb here, anot her t here, y et st ill m anage t o enj oy a

r efr eshing cup of her bal t ea, w hen t hey can r em em ber w her e t hey put t he plant

Scient ific gardeners carefully plant t heir herbs next t o t r easur ed flow er s or veget ables,

pr ecisely m at ching t he her bs' insect - r epelling capacit ies w it h t he suscept ibilit ies of ot her plant s, so t hat each flow er or veget able is pr ot ect ed fr om it s pr edat or s

Fast idious gardeners delight in form al, geom et rically cor r ect her b gar dens, each plant t r im m ed

t o per fect ion and exact ingly placed A cr isis ensues w hen, t o pr ovide t ea for unexpect ed

guest s, a branch m ust be t rim m ed m or e t han planned

Ar t ist ic gar dener s ar r ange plant s w it h aest het ic consider at ions in m ind, w him sically shift ing

t hem ar ound each year t o cr eat e int er est ing new ar r angem ent s

Besides offer ing a bount iful har vest , her bs allow y ou t o express y ourself And unlik e flow ers and veget ables, her bs pr ovide m or e t han j ust a few shor t days of pleasur e- t hey pr ovide t ea all year long

Pla n n in g t h e ou t door ga r de n

As you plan your gar den, you m ay w ant t o em phasize color pat t erns gray - green sage w it h it s pur plish flow er s placed near t he w hit e or yellow blossom s of feat her y yellow - gr een fennel You

m ay pr efer t o plant for a balance of ar om as- delicat e lav ender far from pungent basil;

r osem ar y, w it h it s w oodsy sm ell, close t o w oodr uff, w hich yields up a for est - lik e odor aft er it has flow ered and dried Or y ou m ay w ant t o em phasize t ex t ur es- lace- lik e, serrat ed leav es of

t ansy placed close t o t he sm oot h, regular leav es of bay The cr eat ive possibilit ies ar e

count less

Befor e you begin plant ing, how ever , consider t hese basic guidelines t o r educe t he chance of failure and t o get m ore int erest ing result s:

1 Gr oup her bs t hat need a lot of wat er so t hey can be w at er ed all at one t im e Conver sely,

gr oup t hose needing lit t le w at er , so you can spar e t hem when you'r e spr inkling 2 I f you have sever al t ypes of soil in differ ent areas of your gar den, t r y t o m at ch t he needs of t he her bs t o

t he soil condit ions This w ill help cut dow n on t he am ount of care y ou'll need t o giv e t hem

3 Make sure all her bs ar e easy t o r each so you can t end and har vest t hem w it hout t r ouble Keep t he beds nar r ow, or cr eat e pat hs t hr ough w ide beds, so you can gain access t o t he her bs

fr om behind

4 Place herbs t hat t hriv e in direct sunlight in an ar ea of t he gar den t hat get s sunlight all day Herbs t hat like full or part ial shade should be in an area t hat loses direct sunlight aft er t he sun passes behind a t r ee or building

5 Consider t he seasonal pat t er ns of t he sun's rays in your plant ing ar ea, t hen plant low

-gr ow ing herbs in fr ont , facing t he sun, m edium - sized ones behind t hem , and t he t allest in t he back This w ay all plant s get t he m ax im um av ailable sunlight

6 Plant for color and t ext ur e- a pat ch of blue flow er ed her bs in one area, y ellow bloom ers in anot her Or y ou can soft en and em phasize t he out lines of st ar k, single- spiked plant s by

placing expansive bushy ones nearby

7 I f possible, plant perennials in one ar ea, biennials and annuals in anot her so as not t o dist ur b t he r oot s of perm anent ly sit ed plant s w hen you're plant ing her bs t hat last only one or

t w o seasons

8 Plant herbs t hat t end t o spr ead in ar eas w here t hey w on't sm ot her slow er - gr ow ing, delicat e var iet ies I f space is lim it ed, you can keep spr eader s fr om going w ild by sinking w ooden or plast ic bar r ier s below gr ound t o cont ain t he r oot s

9 Consider t he best use or uses for each her b Cr eeper s can be used as gr ound cover or per haps in a r ock gar den Tall and bushy her bs can be used as a w indbr eak for m or e delicat e her bs, or as a hedge or visual bar r ier Ever gr eens can soft en t he har shness of a building or , if close t o a bir d feeder , pr ovide r efuge for bir ds dur ing cold w eat her

10 Finally , consider t he ov erall am bience of y our herb garden Try t o v isualize how it w ill look

t hr oughout t he gr ow ing season, including bloom ing pat t erns and bar e spot s cr eat ed by ear ly har vest ing Think about how t o get m or e t han one cr op in a season Make a cont inual analysis

of t he appearance and usefulness of t he plant s in relat ion t o t heir grow t h pat t erns

Rem em ber , t he m ost at t r act ive her bal t ea gar den is not creat ed inst ant ly , but t hrough careful planning for t he fut ure, w hen w ell est ablished perennial plant s w ill giv e it a nat ural and

decor at ive appear ance

When plot t ing your garden, consult t he com pendium of her bs and t he quick r efer ence char t in

t his book They capsulize basic inform at ion on each of t he sevent y her bs popular ly used for

t ea, and w ill help y ou w it h t he placem ent of herbs in y our garden The com pendium also prov ides inform at ion on size and spacing of plant s; it is im port ant t o allow sufficient breat hing

r oom for plant s t o m at ur e and develop pr oper ly

Her e ar e som e of t he pr oper t ies of her bal t ea plant s t hat you'll w ant t o consider:

HERBAL TEAS THAT GROW I N SHADE OR PARTI AL SHADE:

Agrim ony , angelica, cicely , com frey , dandelion, elder , ginseng, hop, hyssop, Labrador t ea, ' lem on balm , m int s ( not cat nip) , m ugw ort , parsley , pennyroy al, sarsaparilla, sassafr as,

speedw ell, t arragon, v alerian, w int er gr een, w oodr uff.'

HERBAL TEAS THAT GROW I N MOI ST PLACES:

Angelica, bergam ot ( bee balm ) , colt sfoot , com fr ey, elder , flax, hibiscus, hop, j asm ine,

Labr ador t ea, m eadow sw eet , m int s ( not cat nip) , m ugw or t , par sley, pennyr oyal, r aspber r y, sarsaparilla, speedw ell, v aler ian, Woodruff

HERBAL TEAS THAT GROW I N DRY PLACES:

Agr im ony, blackber r y, bor age, burnet , cham om ile, fennel, goldenrod, lav ender, m ullein, New Jer sey t ea, pennyr oyal, r osem ar y, sage, savory ( w int er var iet y) , speedw ell, t hym e, yar r ow

HERBAL TEAS FOR HEDGES: Basil, hyssop, lavender , r osem ar y, sage

HERBAL TEAS FOR LOW EDGI NGS: Basil ( dw ar f) , cham om ile, chr ysant hem um ( dw ar f

variet ies) , colt sfoot , parsley, pennyroy al, speedw ell, st raw berry ( w ild) , t hym e, w oodruff HERBAL TEAS FOR GROUND COVER: Sun: Car aw ay, cham om ile, colt sfoot , t hym e; shade or part ial shade: Speedw ell, w int ergreen, w oodruff

HERBAL TEAS FOR ROCK GARDENS OR CREVI CES: Cham om ile, m ar j or am , pennyr oyal, t hym e,

w oodr uff

TALL HERBAL TEAS: Angelica, bay, bir ch, elder , fennel, haw t horn, hibiscus, hollyhock,

j asm ine, j uniper, linden, m ullein, net t le, rose ( lar ge var iet ies) , r osem ar y, sage, sassafr as,

t ansy

Her bal t eas by color of t he flow er

( t hese m ay var y w it hin t he var iet y) :

BLUE: Bor age, flax, hyssop, speedw ell

GREEN: Net t le, sarsaparilla

PURPLI SH- BLUE: Alfalfa, lav ender, lem on v erbena, licorice, penny roy al, rosem ary , sage,

t hym e, valer ian, yar r ow

PURPLI SH- PI NK: Or egano

REDDI SH- BROWN: Chry sant hem um var iet ies, m ugw or t

REDDI SH- PI NK: Bee balm ( ber gam ot ) , chr ysant hem um variet ies, fraxinella, hollyhock,

YELLOW: Agr im ony, chr ysant hem um var iet ies, colt sfoot , dandelion, dill, elder , fennel,

fenugr eek, ginseng, goldenr od, hibiscus, j uniper, lem on v erbena, licorice, linden, m arigold,

m eadow sweet , m ullein, t ansy, yarrow

YELLOW- GREEN: Hop, par sley, sassafr as

Once you've det er m ined wher e t o put your her b gar den and have sket ched a plant ing plan on paper , st ake out t he plant ing bed Then you can prepare t he soil ( see chapt er 2, " Guide t o Cult iv at ing Herbs" )

I f space per m it s, leave one ar ea of t he gar den for r eser ve plant s- cut t ings or seedlings t hat are left over aft er you've t ransplant ed int o t he gar den pr oper These can becom e replacem ent s for her bs t hat don't t ake w hen you t ransplant or t hat w int er kill Also, you can gat her t ea

ingr edient s fr om t he spar e her bs w hen you don't w ant t o t r im pam pered or st rat egically

placed plant s

I f you'r e planning a geom et r ic gar den, m ar k it for plant ing aft er you've pr epar ed t he soil and edged t he bed Follow t he sam e m et hod you'd use if you w er e m aking geom et r ic dr aw ings on paper To m ar k off cir cular ar eas, use a hom e- m ade com pass ( a st ak e driv en int o t he ground,

w it h a st r ing and point ed m ar ker at t ached t o it ) For st r aight lines, you can use a st r ing

st r et ched t ight bet w een t w o st akes, or a boar d, as a guideline t o m ark wher e plant s should be placed

For m al, geom et r ically ar r anged gardens gain int er est if t hey ar e placed so t he pat t er n can be seen from above ( from t he t op of a rise, for exam ple) Plant s can also be gr ouped ar ound a focal point - a sundial, birdbat h, st at ue, or fount ain I n a form al gar den, t he plant s t hat

delineat e t he design line should be sm all, slow - gr ow ing her bs t hat hold t heir shape They

m ust , of cour se, be t r im m ed and w eeded r egular ly Plant s w it h less m anageable foliage can be plant ed w it hin t he out lined spaces

Less st ruct ur ed her b gar dens allow for t he placem ent of m any her bs w it hin a sm all ar ea- an ideal solut ion for t he gardener w it h lim it ed space w ho w ant s plent y of var iet y for one- her b,

t w o- herb, or m ult i- herb t eas

Pr ot e ct in g y ou r h e r b ga r de n in w in t e r

I f you live in an ar ea w here w int er s ar e sever e, you'll w ant t o pr ovide pr ot ect ion for your per ennial her bs

These plant s are usually k illed by alt ernat e t haw ing and freezing, w hich pushes t he herbs out

of t he gr ound, causing ser ious dam age t o t he root s A perm anent m ulch can shield delicat e

r oot s fr om such t em per at ur e ext r em es Weed- free st r aw , saw dust , cocoa bean hulls, and pine bar k ar e t ypes of m ulch you can use The m ulch should be light and por ous enough t o allow air t o penet rat e, yet t hick enough t o shade t he soil and prov ide adequat e insulat ion

While saw dust and bar k m ake good w int er m ulch, t hey som et im es cr eat e a nit r ogen deficiency

in t he soil You can correct t his during t he grow ing season by digging a lit t le fish m eal or blood

m eal int o t he soil ar ound t he plant s

One t ip: Don't har vest her bal t eas j ust befor e a fr ost Tr im m ing causes her bs t o send out new

gr ow t h, w hich low er s t heir r esist ance and m akes t hem suscept ible t o w int er k ill Tr y not t o har vest less t han a m ont h befor e frost is expect ed

Wind can also be a problem Ev en herbs t hat are said t o be hardy in your area m ay be k illed if

w inds becom e ex cessiv e The w ind chill fact or low ers t he effect iv e t em perat ur e far below t he

t em per at ur e you see on your t her m om et er A t her m om et er r eading m ay be 0º F ( - 18º C) , but

if t her e's a 30- m ile- an- hour w ind, t he t em per at ure your plant s ar e exper iencing is r eally - 49º F ( - 46º C) - low er t han m ost herbs can t oler at e

One pr ecaut ion you can t ake is t o gr ow plant s in a pr ot ect ed spot on t he side of your house

t hat cat ches t he sun I f t hat 's not possible, consider cover ing t he plant s com plet ely w it h a

m ulch t hat w on't m at t hem dow n and suffocat e t hem You can also creat e a w indscr een of ever gr een boughs poked int o t he soil ar ound t he plant s, or er ect a fence or pile of st ones on

t he w indw ar d side of t he gar den

Anot her w ay t o ensur e w int er surv ival of per ennial herbs is t o grow v ariet ies t hat hav e been dev eloped t o w it hst and t he clim at e in y our area When you'r e buying plant s, obt ain t hem fr om

a clim at e as cold as or colder t han t he one y ou'll be grow ing t hem in

Som e t ender per ennials ( lem on ver bena, bay, hibiscus, j asm ine, r osem ar y, and t he scent ed ger anium s) m ust be t aken int o t he house or m oved t o a w ar m er locat ion ( such as a por ch or cold fr am e) w hen cold w eat her t hreat ens To avoid t r ansplant ing shock, gr ow t hem in pot s year r ound, so you can br ing t hem indoor s easily in t he fall Tr eat t hese t r opical var iet ies as house plant s ( see t he sect ion on indoor gardening lat er in t his chapt er) Rosem ary is an

ever gr een; it w ill st ay gr een all w int er But lem on v erbena, a deciduous shrub, m ay drop all it s leaves and becom e dor m ant dur ing t he w int er Don't t hr ow it out because of it s dead

appear ance- keep w at er ing it I n t he spr ing it w ill send out new leaves

Scent ed geranium s need special care Before t he first k illing frost , t ak e all t he cut t ings y ou need for t he follow ing year 's plant s and place t hem in a box of clean, sharp, and slight ly dam p sand ( perlit e can be added as w ell) Be sure t his plant ing cont ainer is w ell drained Label each plant or r ow of plant s, and place t he cut t ings ver t ically halfw ay int o t he sand ( see t he

discussion of pr opagat ion by cut t ings in chapt er 2) Rem ove t he plant ing cont ainer t o t he basem ent or t o a shelt er ed por ch, w her e it w ill r em ain cool and dor m ant unt il spr ing, but w ill not fr eeze Then dig up t he ger anium s you t ook t he cut t ings from , shake off ex cess soil, and place t hem in br ow n paper bags Hang t hese in t he gar age or at t ic Ar ound Mar ch, place t hese plant s in a m oist m ix t ure of fert ile green loam and peat m oss Keep t hem in t he shade,

w at ering t hem daily unt il color ret urns; t hen m ov e t hem int o sunlight When danger of frost is past , you can plant t hem out door s once again, along w it h t he new plant s t hat have r esult ed

fr om your cut t ings

Pla n t in g t h e in door ga r de n

An indoor gardener w ill nev er be able t o prov ide t he sam e grow ing condit ions t hat ex ist

nat ur ally out door s Apar t m ent s and houses are usually t oo w ar m , dry, and dar k, and t hey don't supply t he gent le br eezes and evening dew s t hat plant s need t o pr ot ect t hem against excessive dr ying and disease Poor vent ilat ion m akes indoor plant s suscept ible t o fungus and

t o at t ack s by aphids, m it es, and ot her insect pest s

The challenge is t o duplicat e out door condit ions as best you can I t isn't easy, but t his doesn't

m ean y ou can't gr ow delight ful herbal t ea plant s indoor s I t j ust m eans you have t o be aw ar e

of t he pr oblem s and lear n t o ov er com e t hem

H ERBS TH AT GROW W ELL I N D OORS:

Angelica, basil, bay, bor age, bur net , cat nip, cham om ile, dandelion, dill, fennel, hor ehound,

j asm ine, lav ender, lem on balm , lem on v erbena, m arj oram , m int , oregano, parsley , rosem ary , sage, savory, scent ed ger anium s, t ansy, t ar r agon, t hym e, w int er gr een, Woodr uff

Ther e ar e m any choices her e for t he indoor her bal t ea gar dener w ho likes var iet y

Ch oosin g y ou r w in dow e x posu r e

When planning y our indoor garden, choose a spot w here t he plant s w ill get plent y of ideally a w indow t hat get s direct sunlight I f you have a sun r oom , por ch, or gar den r oom , you'r e all set I f you don't , you m ay have t o use ar t ificial plant light s, giving seedlings and plant s fr om 12 t o 16 hour s of ar t ificial light each day ( See chapt er 2 for m or e infor m at ion on

sun-st ar t ing seeds and pr oviding ar t ificial light )

Tender per ennials should get at least as m uch light as t hey w ould in t heir nat ive envir onm ent ,

w het her t hey w er e br ought in fr om t he out door s or are being cult iv at ed inside Consult a guide

t o light gar dening t o det er m ine t he t ype of equipm ent you should use and t he am ount of light you should pr ovide in conj unct ion w it h t he nat ur al light you ar e w ork ing w it h

You can gr ow a gar den on a t able next t o a w indow , or in a w indow gr eenhouse You can also

gr ow your her bs in hanging basket s, in a t er r ar ium , on t r ay s, or in lar ge w indow boxes Her bs

gr ow n in pot s or t ubs can be used as decor at ive elem ent s, t oo

W a t e r in g

Giv e your plant s enough w at er so t he soil is m oist , but not so m uch t hat t hey'r e st anding in

w at er Root r ot is caused by t oo m uch w at er I f you use plast ic pot s, you should wat er less A good rule of t hum b is t o w at er regularly during w arm spells, but if t he air indoors is cool, w ait unt il t he surface of t he soil becom es dr y The w at er should be at r oom t em per at ur e Som e her bs consum e m or e w at er t han ot her s Learn t heir habit s, and w at er accor dingly The

com pendium of herbs lat er in t his book w ill t ell y ou w hich herbs lik e t o be m oist and w hich

dr y

You should also prov ide enough hum idit y I f your hom e is dry , m ist herbs daily , preferably early in t he day I f herbs are st ill v ery dam p w hen light is no longer av ailable t o t hem , t hey'll becom e suscept ible t o fungus ( unless t her e is plent y of vent ilat ion, which is har d t o achieve indoor s) Most her bs adapt t o t he dr ier hum idit y of indoor gr ow ing bet t er t han ot her plant s

Soil con dit ion

Mak e sure indoor pot t ing soil is porous and crum bly and pr ovides good dr ainage Com m er cial pot t ing soils designed for indoor use ar e good; you can also m ake your ow n Som e indoor gardeners prefer soil w it hout soil- 1 part peat m oss and 1 part perlit e or v erm iculit e Then t hey add t he nut r ient s needed by individual plant s

I ndoor plant s pr efer a lit t le food given oft en t o a lot all at once Tim e- r elease fer t ilizer s

accom plish t his, but if your pot s are sm all and y ou lik e liquid fert ilizers, choose one cont aining

t he nit r ogen, phosphor us, and pot assium t hat her bs need Most concent r at es pr ovide dosages for once- a- m ont h feedings I f you feed your her bs w eekly, use one- quart er t he am ount

r ecom m ended on t he label I f you feed ever y ot her w eek, use half t he am ount Fish em ulsion

is a fav orit e fert ilizer of organic herb gardeners; anot her is seaw eed ex t ract

Spot t in g poor gr ow in g con dit ion s

I f an her b's leaves w it her , check t o see t hat it 's get t ing enough w at er and light Most indoor gar dener s t hink insect s or disease ar e causing leaves t o w it her , t ur n br ow n, or develop cr isp edges, but t his m ay not be so Per haps t he plant is get t ing t oo m uch heat , or soil

t em per at ur es m ay be fluct uat ing t oo m uch

I f dev eloping leav es t urn y ellow , t here m ay not be enough acidit y in t he soil Rem em ber, m ost herbs lik e a fairly neut ral soil- not t oo acid or alk aline

I f leav es dev elop brow n or silv ery st reak s, t he plant m ay be get t ing t oo m uch sun look ing leav es m ay be t he result of t oo lit t le w at er Buds dropping off usually indicat e r apidly fluct uat ing t em per at ur es, w hich is har d t o r em edy w it h indoor grow ing condit ions I f an herb isn't bloom ing w hen it should, it 's probably not get t ing enough sun

Lifeless-I f st em s t urn soft , t he her b isn't get t ing enough sun, and it 's pr obably also get t ing t oo m uch

w at er

Pla n t in se ct s a n d dise a se s

Herbs grow ing indoors are fairly resist ant t o disease and insect s, j ust as t hey ar e out door s But if fungus dev elops, t reat it im m ediat ely Ot herw ise t he spores w ill spread from one plant

t o anot her via w hat ever insect s are on t he plant

Maj or indoor her b pest s include aphids, m ealybugs, m it es, and w hit e flies I nsect icidal soaps, used t o com bat out side pest s, are also av ailable in indoor form ulas, som e w it h fert ilizer

included in t heir m ixt ur es They provide effect ive insect cont r ol and are or ganic- t hey cont ain

no subst ances inj ur ious t o people or t o pet s

St a r t in g you r ga r de n

I f you'r e st art ing plant s fr om seed, do as you would if you w er e planning t o put t hem out door s event ually ( see chapt er 2) , but inst ead t r ansplant t hem t o lar ger pot s aft er t hey'v e developed nicely

I f you'r e buying nur ser y plant s, keep t hem isolat ed fr om your ot her plant s for a few days, unt il you've det er m ined t hat t hey'r e healt hy Then you can let t hem get acquaint ed w it h t he ot her her bs Be sur e t o t r ansplant her bal t ea plant s int o lar ger cont ainer s as t hey develop

Keep plant s t r im m ed, not only so you can enj oy her bal t eas, but also because shaping and

t r im m ing encour ages t hem t o becom e bushier , giving a bet t er appear ance and pr oducing a bet t er t ea crop Try t o t rim j ust abov e t he leaf buds; and t rim regular ly rat her t han allow ing plant s t o becom e t oo lar ge and " leggy ," w hich requires dram at ic t rim m ing This can cause t he plant s t o die of shock caused by t he sudden im balance bet w een t he r oot s and leaves

Plan your her b pr uning schedule so you can har vest an her bal t ea cr op when you w ant one Plant s can be gr ouped t o m ake an at t r act ive gar den, w it h a balance of t ext ur es, color s, and shapes I f t he her bs ar e in individual cont ainer s, you can use t hem as decor at ive cent er pieces for your t able or as w elcom e fr agr ances in bedroom or kit chen I f t he plant s you use

decorat ively don't get sufficient light , be sur e t o alt er nat e t hem so t hey ar e not in t he shade for m or e t han a few days at a t im e

I ndoor plant s r equir e car eful m onit or ing ( t hey depend on you for alm ost all t heir needs) , but

t hey ar e prot ect ed fr om dr ought , heavy dow npour s, and ot her adverse w eat her condit ions This m eans t hat indoor her bs ar e oft en m or e at t r act ive t han t hose gr ow n out doors They offer not only beaut y and fragr ance close at hand, but a bount iful har vest of her bal t eas as w ell

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

4 D r y in g, fr e e z in g, a r id st or in g

Our her bs ar e gr ow ing nicely You've exper im ent ed by using fr esh her bs t o br ew t eas, but now

it 's t im e t o pr epar e t he left over s for use w hen t he gr ow ing season is ov er How do you

har vest , st ore, and use t hese her bs?

Ga t h e r in g le a f t e a s

Gat her ing leaves and st em s fr om an her b plant act ually cont r ibut es t o it s healt h I f her bs are left uncut , yellow - ripe or dy ing leav es w ill result Cut t ing t hem back prom ot es new grow t h, as

w ell as assur ing your supply of her bal delight s far int o t he fall

The best t im e for gat her ing leaves is on a dr y, sunny m orning in spr ing or ear ly sum m er , j ust aft er t he dew has evapor at ed- and befor e t he sun has becom e hot enough t o dr aw out t he nat ural oils I f y ou pick t he herbs w et , t hey m ay becom e m oldy

Use scissor s or shear s w hen gat her ing her b leaves, pet als, or flow er s, r at her t han picking

t hem w it h your finger s This helps assur e clean clust er s, fr ee of adher ing pieces of r oot For

t he t ender est leaves, gat her t he t ips of st alks r at her t han t he full st em I f y ou harv est from a

sm aller plant , k eep at least t w o set s of leav es at t he base of each st em so t he plant w ill

cont inue gr ow ing By " pr uning" t his w ay, you can obt ain t w o or t hr ee cr ops of leaves in a single season

When cut t ing leafy herbs- basil, sav ory , cherv il, and m arj oram t he best t im e of t he grow t h cycle is j ust befor e t he blossom s for m , w hen t he gr eat est abundance of nat ural oils is

concent r at ed in t he leaves These oils w ill give t he fullest flavor and t he best leaf color w hen

dr ied Aft er bloom ing, som e leaf var iet ies change color Savor y becom es ver y dark , for

exam ple, and t he sm all leaves look black and shr iveled w hen dr ied Of cour se, you can cut leav es aft er t he herbs hav e bloom ed, but t he color, flav or, and t ex t ure of t he leav es w ill be less per fect

Usin g fr e sh h e r bs

I f you plan t o use fr esh her bs, cut off dead and im per fect leaves Wash t he her bs t hor oughly

in clean cold w at er , t hen shak e or t ow el- dr y t hem Rem ove st em s w her ever possible, and pop

t he leaves int o a t eapot

st apled t oget her and squashed int o a convenient cor ner of t he fr eezer Be sur e t o m ar k each bag for lat er ident ificat ion

When you're r eady t o br ew her bal t ea, m ince t he fr ozen her bs on a chopping boar d

D r y in g le a f t e a s

Once picked, t he fast er her bs ar e pr ocessed t he bet t er This w ill ensur e m axim um flavor

Gr een her bs m ust be kept out of st r ong light and t he sun t o pr event t he color fr om fading, no

m at t er whet her you plan t o use t hem fr esh, dr ied, or fr ozen And t his r ule ext ends t hr oughout

t heir st or age t im e

You should also keep each bunch of her bs separat e at all t im es While y ou w on’t hav e any

t r ouble t elling m int fr om lem on balm w hen you'r e har vest ing, aft er t hey ar e dr ied, one her b looks m uch like anot her The sam e is t r ue of som e seeds

I f you'r e drying sm all- leaved her bs- t hym e, savor y, and t ar r agon, pick br anches inst ead of leaves and dr y t hem in bundles Once t hey ar e dry it is easy t o st r ip t he leaves fr om t he st em s

by r unning your finger s gent ly down eit her side Ot her herbs t hat dry w ell in bunches are lem on balm , hor ehound, m ar j or am , and or egano Lar ger leaves m int , sage, and basil- ar e bet t er if picked separ at ely fr om t he br anches befor e dr ying Be sur e each leaf is per fect ,

w it hout spot s or blem ishes

Leaves gat her ed w hen t he m oon is w aning t end t o dry m ost r apidly, since t hey r et ain less sap

in t heir leav es and st em s Needless t o say , you should carefully av oid pick ing leav es t hat hav e been exposed t o w eed killer s, car ex haust ( especially if y ou're gat hering w ild herbs from t he side of t he road) , or excessive dust

Once gat her ed, t he leav es should be w ashed quickly in cool w at er t o r em ove any t r ace of dust and insect s Her bs t hat gr ow close t o t he gr ound- such as m ar j or am , par sley, and t hym e-require careful handling w hen being w ashed, because t hey ar e likely t o have gr eat er deposit s

of soil on t heir leaves Gent ly t ow el- dry t he leav es aft er w ashing

To dr y her bs quickly, spr ead t he leaves or br anches on a m esh r ack and place t he r ack in a slow oven, set at 100º t o 125º F ( 38º t o 51º C) ( Higher t em per at ur es m ay unfavor ably

influence t he v olat ile oils in t he plant s.) Leav e t he oven door open and st and nearby, because

t he leav es w ill be chip- dry in j ust a few m inut es For even gr eat er speed you m ay use a

m icrow av e ov en, set very low , for 1 m inut e or less Tim ing w ill v ary w it h t he herb and t he

am ount being dr ied, so exper im ent w it h each her b and wat ch car efully , or you m ay end up

w it h a pile of ashes I f you pr efer t o use a dehy dr at or , check t he her bs fr equent ly t o

det erm ine how long t hey should rem ain in t he unit

I f you do want t o air - dr y her bs and have t he space, avoid places t hat could be at t acked by insect s or rodent s Verm in are especially t roublesom e in hot clim at es I n cold clim at es, m ildew

is a big danger

The dr ying ar ea should be dr y, w ell vent ilat ed, and out of dir ect light I n dam p w eat her or cold clim at es, som e art ificial heat w ill pr obably be necessary t o supplem ent t he nat ural dry ing

pr ocess Out door sheds can be used in ver y dry w eat her , but t her e is alw ays t he danger of

m oist ure seeping in at night , w hich w ill ret ard t he dry ing process Herbs t hat dry w ell hanging

in bunches fr om a r aft er or w ir e include sage, savor y, m int , or egano, m ar j or am , basil, lem on balm , and hor ehound Keep bunches of basil sm all t o pr event t he leaves fr om t ur ning black

The flavor w ill r em ain even if t hey do t ur n, as long as t hey do not m old, but t he t ea w ill be unat t ract iv e Dill m ay be dried t his w ay , t oo, if t he green leav es are desired rat her t han seeds You can also hang air - dr ying her bs inside br ow n paper bags t o keep t he dust off Punch m any holes int o t he bags t o let air in and k eep m oist ure out

Her bs t hat dr y w ell on t r ays, or on br ow n w r apping paper spr ead on boar ds, include cher vil, lem on ver bena, par sley, t hym e, and r osem ar y Parsley leav es are so t hick t hat t hey can be spr ead only one layer deep Thym e, how ever , holds so lit t le m oist ur e t hat an ent ir e basket

m ay be filled, and it w ill st ill dry w ell in any place t hat is not dam p

I n a w arm , dry spot , m ost herbs w ill air- dry in 2 day s, som e as quick ly as ov ernight Cert ain heavy- leafed her bs, t hough, m ay t ake sever al w eeks t o dry t hor oughly Even if her bs feel dr y

t o t he t ouch, m ake sur e t hey'r e r eally fr ee of m oist ur e by checking t hem fr equent aft er you've

st or ed t hem

Ga t h e r in g a n d dr y in g se e ds

Seeds, t he t ast iest part s of m any herbs, w ill rem ain v it al for y ears since t hey are nat urally

w r apped in st ur dy cover s t hat r et ain t he flavorful oils To har vest t he seeds of her bs such as cor iander , car aw ay, dill, fennel, and anise, t he key w or d is vigilance Seeds m ust be gat her ed

w hen t hey ar e bar ely r ipe- as soon as t hey begin t o look brow nish- because in a day or t w o t he seeds w ill begin t o drop Then if y ou dist ur b t hem ev en slight ly , t hey w ill fly in all direct ions, and inst ead of gat hering t his fall's harv est , you w ill have plant ed next spr ings gar den

The best t im e of day t o pick seeds is t he ear ly m or ning, aft er t he dew has evapor at ed but

w hile t he air is relat iv ely calm Snip off ent ire seed heads w it h a shear s, dr opping t hem int o a paper bag as you go; or cut t he w hole plant , if you can, and place it , seed heads dow n, in a paper bag Punct ur e holes in t he sides and t op of t he bag, but not t he bot t om Then hang it in

a w arm , airy , shady place Once t he plant s hav e dried, t he seeds w ill usually fall t o t he bot t om

w hen you shake t he bag

The seeds of som e plant s do not r ipen sim ult aneously ; in t his case y ou m ay hav e t o pick sever al cr ops of seed heads over a w eek or m or e

Tr y t o gat her r oot s w hen t he m oon is w axing, since all r oot s t ender est at t hat t im e Dig or pull

up t he plant , shak e off excess dir t , cut off t he part of t he plant w hich w as abov e t he soil line, and w ash t he r oot s in cool w at er Tr im off side r oot s, w hich dry quickly and give w oody fiber but lit t le flav or Split t he root s in half lengt hw ise; if t hey 're part icularly large, split each piece lengt hw ise again That w ay t hey'll dr y m or e quickly

I f you ar e air - dr ying r oot s, pr ocess t hem as y ou w ould leav es I n cold clim at es, dam p

w eat her, or w hen y ou don't hav e adequat e space t o air- dry , y ou w ill w ant t o oven- dry Keep

t he t em perat ur e 100º t o 125º F ( 38º t o 51º C) so t he volat ile oils w on't be affect ed

unfav or ably

To pr eser ve flavor , keep t he r oot s in lar ger pieces unt il you'r e r eady t o use t hem At t hat t im e,

gr ind, pow der , or pound t hem t o help release t he flav ors

Ga t h e r in g a n d dr y in g flow e r s

Of cour se, har vest ing of flow ers m ust coincide w it h t he flow er ing of t he plant Pick flow er s

w hen t hey ar e at t heir loveliest and m ost fr agr ant I f t hey'r e past t heir pr im e, t hey w on't be as

ar om at ic Use t he sam e dir ect ions for pr ocessing and dr ying flow er s as for leaves

St or in g h e r bs

Once you've pr ocessed t he leaves, flow er s, r oot s, and seeds, you'll w ant t o st ore t hem

pr oper ly t o keep t hem as long as possible w it hout det er ior at ion Whole leaves, r oot pieces, and seeds ret ain t he great est scent and flavor I f space per m it s, t her efor e, st or e t he her bal

t ea ingredient s w hole in airt ight bot t les or m et al cont ainers I f t hat is im possible, break t hem int o sm aller pieces, k eeping in m ind t hat t he sm aller t he pieces, t he m or e lik ely it is t hat

ar om at ic oils m ay escape

Her b leaves and flow er s m ust be bone- dr y w hen t hey ar e st or ed I f you pr ocessed leaves st ill

at t ached t o t he st em s, you can t r im t hem off now , st or ing t he leaves and discar ding t he

st em s

Once t he leaves are t horoughly dry, t hey m ust be st or ed im m ediat ely t o pr eser ve t he

essent ial oil t hat det erm ines flav or Seeds and r oot s also should be st or ed as soon as you det er m ine t hey ar e t horoughly dr y

The t w o biggest danger s in st or age ar e excess m oist ure, w hich produces m old, and im proper sealing of st orage cont ainers, w hich allow s v erm in t o cont am inat e y our harv est The best cont ainer s for st or ing her bs ar e j ar s or bot t les of dar kened glass fit t ed w it h glass st opper s or scr ew caps I f you can't find dar k glass bot t les, clear ones w ill do, but st or e t hem in a dark spot

You m ay also use cans, alt hough t hey ar e m or e difficult t o check

Som e gar dener s st or e her bs in paper bags, but t his is t he least desirable m et hod The herbs

ar e not only difficult t o check w hen st or ed t his w ay, but unexpect ed dam pness can r uin t he ent ir e har vest Bag, ar e also easily infest ed by v erm in

Be cert ain t o k eep t he herbs separat e, w it hout any possibilit y of one m ix ing w it h anot her

St orage cont ainers should be clean, and clearly labeled in indelible ink Glue- on labels oft en peel off if t he m oist ure in t he air changes, so use self- adhesiv e labels I f y ou int end t o

pr eser ve her bs r egular ly, dat e t hem as w ell, so y ou'll k now w hich are t he freshest and which

m ay have lost t heir flavor Leaf and flow er herbs ar e best if used w it hin 1 year , alt hough t hey

w ill keep som e flavor for as long as 3 years Seeds and r oot s keep longer , seeds alm ost

indefinit ely

Jar s or cans should be st or ed in a cool, dr y, and dar k place Wat ch cont ainer s carefully for signs of condensat ion I f m oist ur e appear s, em pt y t he cont ainer s at once and dry t hem and

t he her bs t o pr event m old fr om for m ing

Usin g dr ie d h e r bs

When you'r e r eady t o use her bal leaves, br eak t hem w it hout pow der ing t hem in order t o

r elease t he m axim um am ount of oils You can do t his by r ubbing t he leaves bet w een your hands- if t hey have been pr oper ly dr ied, t hey should cr um ble easily

Som e her bs, like r osem ar y, t hat have shar per leaves m ay scr at ch your hands if crum bled, so run t hem t hrough a coffee grinder inst ead They w ill em er ge at j ust about t he right size for use in t ea You call elim inat e t he r esidue of her bal odor by w iping t he coffee grinder w it h t he

r em ains of a squeezed lem on or w it h a t issue soaked in a few dr ops of lem on j uice

Just befor e br ew ing r oot t ea, br eak or gr ind t he r oot s int o sm all pieces, or pow der t hem

To pr epar e seeds, pow der or cr ush t hem j ust befor e using Gr ound seeds, like cor iander and car aw ay, det er ior at e r apidly w hen cr ushed: if t hey r em ain w hole, how ever , t hey keep

indefinit ely And if y ou hav e left overs, rem em ber alm ost all herb seeds w ill germ inat e if y ou plant t hem t he follow ing spr ing Ext r a seeds also m ake excellent bir d food dur ing t he w int er

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5 H ow t o br e w h e r ba l t e a s

Ther e’s a knack t o br ew ing t he per fect cup of her bal t ea- t ea t hat t ast es like am br osia inst ead

of last night 's dishw at er , and has t he st r engt h t o r efr esh you w it hout calling t o m ind a dose of

dr ain cleaner

Packaged China ( Thea sinensis) t eas, w it h clear ly spelled- out dir ect ions, don’t pose m uch of a

pr oblem But because her bal t eas ar e br ew ed fr om pet als, r oot s, seeds, or flow ers, as w ell as leav es- alone or in com binat ion- t hey require m ore k now - how Once you m ast er a few sim ple

m et hods, t hough, it 's easy t o br ew a cup of her bal t ea w it h appealing ar om a and sat isfying

t ast e

The fir st t hing you need is pat ience I f you don't allow am ple t im e for brew ing, y ou'll end up

w it h faint ly flavor ed hot w at er inst ead of t ea Second, you'll need t o m ake use of your sense of

t ast e Unlike Thea sinensis t eas, her bal t eas do not dar ken as t hey becom e st r onger , but

r em ain light gr een or am ber The ex per t t ea- brew er gauges t he st r engt h or w eakness of her bal t ea by t ast e r at her t han sight Thir d, you'll need t he pr oper br ew ing ut ensils Basically

t his m eans a pot ( pr efer ably an enam eled one w it h no chips) for boiling w at er , a t eapot , a

t eacup, an infuser for im m er sing t he t ea in t he w at er , a st r ainer , and a m or t ar and pest le, or

gr inder , t o cr ush r oot s and seeds j ust befor e br ew ing t hem

An infuser is a dev ice t hat holds t he t ea ingredient s, k eeping t hem cont ained w hile boiling

w at er is pour ed over t hem , so t hey do not flow int o t he t eacup I nfuser s ar e usually

ball-shaped, w it h pin- sized holes all over t heir surface, and t hey unscr ew or unhinge t o open, enabling y ou t o lock t he t ea ingredient s inside t hem Most infusers com e in t w o sizes- one- t o-

t w o cup or six- t o- eight cup I f you pr efer , you can place loose ingr edient s int o t he t eapot , add boiling w at er, and pour t hrough a st rainer t o keep t ea ingredient s out of each cup

The best t eapot s ar e m ade of china, ear t henwar e, glass, silver , or st ainless st eel Som e

t eapot s have st rainers built in ov er t he base of t he spout , so you can use loose ingredient s and t he pot w ill st rain t he t ea as you pour Avoid t in or alum inum pot s- t hey t end t o im part a

m et allic t ast e t o t he t ea- and never heat a t eapot dir ect ly on t he st ov e

Depending on t he t ype of her bal t ea you'r e br ewing, y ou'll use one of t w o m et hods, infusion or decoct ion

Br e w in g by in fu sion

Most t eas m ade fr om leaves, pet als, and flow er s are prepared by infusion I nfusion allow s t he oils in t hese par t s of t he her b t o be r eleased gent ly ; if t he herbs w ere boiled, t he oils w ould evapor at e

I nfusion of leaves, pet als, or flow ers:

1 t easpoon of dr ied her bs, or 3 t easpoons of freshly picked her bs t o 1 cup boiling w at er

To infuse t ea, rinse t he t eapot w it h boiling w at er ( t o heat it ) and dry it t horoughly Place t ea in

t he pot , eit her loose or in it s infuser, pour boiling w at er ov er t he t ea, and allow t he m ix t ure t o

st eep for 3 t o 5 m inut es, or unt il t he delicat e flavor s ar e r eleased Then st r ain and ser ve You

m ay add or subt r act herbs accor ding t o your per sonal pr efer ence

I f you'r e using fr eshly picked her bs, br uise t he leaves gent ly by cr ushing t hem in a clean clot h This w ill help t o release arom at ic oils

Som e her bal t ea exper t s say infused her bs should be r em oved and discar ded as soon as t he

t ea is m ade Ot hers believ e t he t ea can st eep for as long as a day or t w o

I f t he herbs are allow ed t o sit , use boiling w at er t o w arm up t he cold t ea and/ or dilut e it if it has becom e t oo st r ong A w or d of caut ion: if her bs ar e allow ed t o st and m or e t han a day or

t w o, t hey r elease t annic acid int o t he t ea Tannic acid is gr eat for cur ing leat her , but isn't good for delicat e st om ach linings As one expert adv ises, " I f you w ant your t ea t o be st ronger , use

m or e t ea, not m or e t im e."

Br e w in g by de coct ion

The decoct ion m et hod is used m ainly for seed and r oot t eas, whose oils ar e m or e difficult t o

r elease Her bal t eas pr epar ed by decoct ion gener ally t end t o st ay fr esher t han t eas pr epar ed

by ot her m et hods Decoct ion of seeds:

I t ablespoon of seeds t o 1 pint ( 2 cups) of boiling w at er

Bring w at er t o a boil in an enam eled pan placed over a high heat Add t he seeds, r educe t he

t em perat ure, and allow t he m ixt ure t o sim m er gent ly for 5 t o 10 m inut es Then quickly st r ain

t he t ea and ser ve it

Seeds should be w ell cr ushed t o br ing out t heir oils A m ort ar and pest le do t he j ob nicely , or you can w r ap t he seeds in a clean clot h and cr ush t hem w it h a w ooden m allet or r olling pin You can also grind t hem in t he t ype of sm all elect r ic gr inder used for gr inding coffee beans

D e coct ion of r oot s:

1/ 2 ounce of dr ied r oot s t o 1 pint ( 2 cups) of boiling w at er

Add t he pow dered, ground, or crushed dried root t o boiling w at er, reduce t he t em perat ure, and sim m er for as long as it t akes t o br ew t he t ea t o your t ast e

Or dinar ily, decoct ion of r oot s t akes about 20 m inut es, and less if you've pow der ed t hem A good r ule of t hum b is t hat t ea w ill pr obably be r eady w hen t he w at er has been r educed t o 1/ z pint ( 1 cup) Rem ove t he r oot at t his t im e

I ce d t e a s

To m ake iced t eas, pr epar e t hem as out lined above, t hen cool t hem in t he r efr iger at or

To m ak e a gallon ( 20 serv ings) , pour 1 quart of boiling w at er ov er 2 ounces of dried herbal t ea ( about 3/ 4 cup) , or over 6 ounces of br uised fr esh leaves Br ew 5 or 6 m inut es St ir and st rain int o 3 quar t s of cold t ap w at er Ser ve over ice cubes

H e r ba l t e a con ce n t r a t e for a cr ow d

I f you w ant t o m ake leaf, flow er , or pet al t ea for a cr ow d, you can m ake a concent r at e in advance, t hen dilut e it w hen you're r eady t o ser ve Her e's how:

For 40 t o 45 cups, bring 1 1/ 2 quart s of cold w at er t o a full rolling boil Rem ov e from heat

I m m ediat ely add 1/ 4 pound of loose, dr ied her bal t ea leav es, pet als, or flow er s, or 3/ 4 pound

of fr esh herbs St ir w ell t o im m er se t he leaves, t hen cover Let t he br ew st eep for 5 or m or e

m inut es St r ain t he concent r at e int o a t eapot When you are ready t o ser ve, boil w at er and add it t o t he concent r at e in cups, pr epar ing it t o t ast e

Su n t e a

For hundr eds of year s, Am er ican I ndians have used t he sun as a sour ce of heat t o br ew her bal bever ages w it hout boiling aw ay t he nat ur al flavor The sun's infr ar ed and ult r aviolet r ays heat

t he w at er but k eep it below t he boiling point Flavor is released from t he herbs, but not from

t he oils and acids t hat can give t ea an acr id t ast e if it isn't drunk soon aft er brew ing This

m et hod also saves ener gy

Take a lar ge glass bot t le, pr efer ably one w it h a glass cover t hat enables t he sun's r ays t o

r each t he cont ent s easily ( an old- fashioned canning j ar w or ks w ell) Fill t he j ar w it h w at er , and add t ea leaves Set t he j ar in t he sun for 3 t o 6 hour s, depending on t he int ensit y of t he r ays ( affect ed by t im e of day) and t he t im e of year Rem ove t ea r esidue fr om t he w at er as soon as you bring t he j ar in from t he sun This m et hod doesn't wor k for seeds and r oot s, w hich r equir e boiling w at er t o release t heir flav ors

En h a n cin g t e a ' s t a st e

Most her bal t eas ar e brew ed t o be dr unk w it hout sugar , honey, or m olasses, w hich m ask t heir delicat e flavor s But som e her bs are m or e t ar t t han ot her s, and you m ay w ant t o add a

sw eet ener Elder ber r y leaves or cut fruit sw eet en and add a nice flavor So does a bit of

licorice root Dried orange peels and t anger ine r inds can also be used

Teas can also be sw eet ened or flavor ed w it h ot her t eas Aft er you've been exper im ent ing w it h her bal blends for a while ( see chapt er 6, " Cr eat ing Tea Blends" ) , you'll find you can cr eat e and

br ew your favor it e her bal t eas quickly and easily

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6 Cr e a t in g t e a ble n ds

Her e com es t he fun part - when you can com bine t w o, or t hr ee, or m any her bs t o creat e t eas

t hat w ill delight your t ast e buds Single- herb t eas can be lov ely , but you w ill be delight ed w it h

t he r esult s if you exper im ent by com bining a few leaves of one her b and a few of anot her , j ust

as people have been doing since t he beginning of t im e

You m ay not be am bit ious enough t o blend t w ent y- five or t hirt y herbs and spices as

com m ercial herbal t ea packagers oft en do They are t r ying t o cr eat e t ast es t hat w ill appeal t o

t he w idest segm ent of t he m ar ket , and t hey do an adm ir able j ob These pr epar ed t eas,

how ever , oft en cont ain exot ic t r opical her bs or spices t hat can’t be gr ow n in your gar den But w it h w hat you can gr ow you can cr eat e som e pr et t y special bever ages And t hey w ill have

t he dist inct ion of being y our cr eat ions, br ew ed fr om plant s you've gr ow n and pr ocessed

your self

The Chippew a I ndians ar e said t o have invent ed t he fir st t ea bag They w ould t ie som e her bal leav es int o a lit t le packet , using a long st rip of bar k t o hold ever yt hing t oget her , and t hen dunk it int o boiling w at er unt il t hey had br ew ed palat able t ea

Today, if you'd like t o m ix elaborat e blends and st or e t hem in bags for convenient use, you can buy em pt y bags t hat ar e sealed w it h a hot iron aft er you've doled out 1 t easpoon of your

m agic m ixt ur es for each cup of t ea

You can also buy or m ake lit t le clot h bags w it h dr aw st r ings t o st or e m easur ed por t ions of your special blends This guarant ees consist ency in t he her bal br ew s, because t he blends don't set t le as t hey w ould in a canist er

Tw o- h e r b ble n ds

I n Januar y 1774, a m ont h aft er t he Bost on Tea Par t y, one " Philo Alet heias" w r ot e in t he

Virginia Gazet t e, " I f w e m ust t hrough Cust om hav e som e w arm Tea once or t w ice a day, w hy

m ay w e not ex change t his slow poison w hich not only dest r oys our Const it ut ions but

endanger s our Liber t ies and dr ains our Count r y of so m any t housands of Pounds a Year for Teas of our ow n Am er ican Plant s, m any of w hich m ay be found pleasant t o t he t ast e, and ver y salut ar y " He t hen r ecom m ended seventeen differ ent her bal t eas, including t hese t w o-her b blends:

Sw eet m ar j or am and a lit t le m int ; m ot her of t hym e and a lit t le hyssop; r osem ar y and

lavender ; clover w it h a lit t le cham om ile; sage and lem on balm leav es ( " j oined w it h a lit t le lem on j uice" ) ; goldenrod and bet ony ( w it h honey )

These w er e all good her bal t eas for t he Colonist s, and ar e good t oday ( They also dr ank China

t ea t ast e- alikes- Labr ador t ea, bee balm , and New Jer sey t ea- w hich w er e pr efer r ed by less advent ur ous t ea- dr inker s who w ant ed t o st ick w it h fam iliar t ast ing bever ages.)