Create a Herb Container

AZ Plant Lady, Containers, herb gardening, Vegetable Gardening

Do you like to use fresh herbs when you cook?

What if you could just step outside your door and snip some herbs without having to go to the store?

Have you seen how expensive fresh herbs are at the supermarket by the way? And, who wants floppy herbs when they can have fresh ones?

I am often asked whether it is easy to grow herbs in the desert garden and I always answer, “yes!”

Herbs come from mostly arid regions and so they flourish in our climate. They also like the sun, which we have plenty of.

One of my favorite ways to grow herbs in containers. In fact, they do extremely well in pots – especially when planted together. Imagine having a variety of herbs growing in a container near your kitchen door.

It’s easy to do and here is how:

1. Place your container in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun.

Basil

2. Fill your container with planting mix, which is sterile, has a light texture and is specially formulated for container plants. It retains just the right amount of moisture for plants. Potting soil can become soggy.

3. Add a slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, and work it into the top 2-inches of soil.

Oregano

4. Plant your herbs. Oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme are easiest to grow when you start out with transplants. Basil grows easily from seed, but can you also use transplants?

Sage

5. Water deeply. Do not wet the foliage when you water them as they prefer to stay dry.

Thyme

6. Herbs like to dry out between watering. To check when they need water, simply stick your finger down to 1-inch deep – if the soil is moist, don’t water. However, if it’s almost dry, then water deeply until water runs out the bottom drainage hole.

Purple Basil (Not the healthiest specimen, but it was the only one they had – it was over-watered at the nursery).

7. Don’t add any additional fertilizer after planting. Herbs don’t like extra fertilizer since it causes them to grow larger leaves with fewer oils, which is what gives them their flavor.

I like to place my herbs near my vegetable garden.

Here in the desert, we can grow herbs all year long. However, I do like to dry herbs like basil, which don’t live through our winters.

I encourage you to dip your toes into growing your own herbs. You can find transplants at your favorite nursery, so find a sunny spot and get started!

Click below for my container gardening tips…

Creative Container Gardening Tips

DIY Rosemary Herb Salt

DIY, herb gardening, Recipes From the Vegetable Garden

Elevate Your Culinary Creations with Herb Salt

Do you like to use herbs to flavor your favorite dishes? If so, then you’ll want to try herb salt.

Unveiling Herb Salts – Nature’s Flavorful Blend

So what are herb salts, you may wonder?

They are a mix of the herb of your choice combined with kosher or sea salt and they add delicious flavor to food.

In short, they capture the fresh flavor of herbs and are used in place of regular salt.

Herb salts are easy to create and they make great gifts.

I like to make herb salts, which includes rosemary salt.

How to Make Rosemary Salt

Since I don’t have a rosemary shrub in my garden, I got some from my sister’s house. All it takes are a few fresh sprigs of rosemary cut from the shrub. (You can also use fresh rosemary from the grocery store).

Crafting Your Rosemary Salt

You will need 3 1/3 cups of kosher salt and 1/3 cup of fresh rosemary along with a jar to store it in.

1. Rinse the rosemary sprigs in water.

2. Remove the leaves, starting from the top downward.

3. Put the rosemary and salt in your food processor and pulse until the rosemary leaves are approximately 1/8 of an inch long.

4. Place the rosemary salt onto a baking sheet and put in an oven that is heated to 200 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Let the herb salt cool and then put in jars with a lid.

That’s it! I told you it was easy.

Savoring the Rosemary Salt

Rosemary salt tastes great on your favorite meat dish including beef, chicken or pork. I also like to sprinkle it on the top of buttered rolls – yum!

Exploring Herb Varieties for Herb Salt

While rosemary salt is delicious, it is just the beginning – there are other herbs that can be used to make herb salt.

Basil Salt

Basil salt is a great flavoring for Italian dishes such as marinara sauce or sprinkled on pizza.

To learn how to make basil salt, click here.

Cilantro Salt

If you love cilantro, how about a sprinkle of cilantro salt on your favorite Mexican dish?

Cilantro is one of those herbs that many people can’t get enough of. Click here for instructions to make your own cilantro salt.

A Tasty Gift-Giving Idea

Whether you choose to cultivate these flavorful herbs in your very own garden, peruse the vibrant offerings at your local farmers market, or simply pick them up during a routine grocery store visit, you’ll find that herb salts are an exquisite and versatile addition to your culinary arsenal. Their delightful blend of herbs and salt can transform everyday meals into gourmet experiences, elevating your cooking to new heights.

Moreover, consider the pleasure of sharing these homemade herb salts with fellow food enthusiasts in your life. As thoughtful, handcrafted gifts, they’re perfect for the ‘foodie’ who values the art of gastronomy. Whether it’s a birthday, holiday, or a simple gesture of appreciation, presenting a jar of herb salt infused with your love and culinary creativity adds a personal touch that’s sure to be savored. So, explore the world of herb salts, and let their aromatic, flavorful essence enhance your dishes and brighten the palates of those you cherish.

Creative Container Gardening Tips

Arizona garden, AZ Plant Lady, azplantlady, Cactus/Succulents, California desert garden, Containers, desert gardening, Fertilizer, Flowering Annuals, Fuss Free Plant, herb gardening, Las Vegas gardening, Succulent Gardening

Container Gardening: Bringing Life to Your Desert Garden

Spring Transitions in Container Gardening

Spring in the desert brings a flurry of activity out in the garden – much of it involving container gardening. As the season changes, it’s time to rejuvenate your containers and infuse new life into your outdoor space.

As they say, in late spring, it’s “out with the old and in with the new.” In the desert garden, it’s when cool-season flowering annuals are traded out for those that can handle the hot temperatures of summer.

Embracing the Heat-Resistant Annuals

Examples of cool-season annuals are pansies, petunias, and snapdragons, which are grown fall through spring. BUT, they won’t survive hot, desert summers. So, in late April, it’s time to plant flowering annuals that can take the heat. My favorites include angelonia, ‘Blue Victoria’ salvia, and vinca.

Beyond Blossoms: Creative Container Gardening Ideas

While flowers remain a popular choice for container gardening, there’s a world of possibilities to explore with growing plants in containers. Here are some creative ideas to elevate your container gardening game:

1. Colorful Containers

Give your containers a vibrant makeover by painting them in eye-catching colors. Elevate the aesthetics of your garden by transforming inexpensive plastic containers into stylish focal points with a simple coat of paint.

Leaf lettuce and garlic grow along with flowering petunias.

2. Edible Delights

Did you know that you can grow vegetables in pots? I love doing this in my garden. In the fall, I plant leaf lettuce, spinach, and garlic in my large pots alongside flowering petunias. When March arrives, I like to add basil, peppers along with annuals.

Winter Container Gardening with spinach, parsley and garlic growing with pink petunias

Winter container garden with spinach, parsley and garlic growing with pink petunias.

For pots, I recommend you use a potting mix, which is specially formulated for containers and holds just the right amount of moisture. Container plants need to be fertilized. You can use a slow-release fertilizer or a liquid fertilizer of your choice.

Cucumbers growing with vinca and dianthus.

3. Seasonal Vegetable Pairings

In spring, vegetables such as cucumbers, bush beans, and even zucchini can grow in containers paired with flowers.

*If you would like to try growing edible containers, click here for more info.

4. Low-Maintenance Succulents

For a fuss-free container gardening experience, consider planting cacti and succulents. These hardy desert dwellers not only flourish in pots but also require less water compared to their flowering counterparts.

Desert Spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri).

Succulents are an excellent choice for planting in areas where water is not easily accessible. While they will need supplemental water, they don’t need water every day, making them a better choice for these areas.

In general, succulents are lower-maintenance as well, so they are an excellent choice for the ‘fuss-free’ gardener.

Use a potting mix specially formulated for cactus & succulents, which will drain well.

Fertilize succulents spring through fall using a liquid or slow-release fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended strength.

*For more information on how to plant succulents in containers, including how to do it without getting pricked, click here.

5. Space-Saving Strategies

Let’s face it – the potting mix is expensive and makes your pots very heavy. If you have a large pot, your plant’s roots most likely will never reach the bottom – so why waste soil where you don’t need it?

Fill up the unused space with recycled plastic containers and then add your potting mix. You will save money, AND your container will be much lighter as well.

Best Tips for Successful Container Gardening

To ensure your container garden thrives, follow these essential tips:

Use a potting mix specially formulated for containers to maintain optimal moisture levels.
Regularly fertilize your container plants with a suitable fertilizer.
Choose a potting mix tailored for cacti and succulents when growing these drought-resistant plants.
Consider supplementing water with succulents in arid areas.
For more information on succulent container gardening, click here.

Reimagine Your Desert Garden with Containers

Whether you’re a gardening novice or a seasoned pro, container gardening offers boundless opportunities to transform your outdoor space. Explore the beauty of diverse plantings, experiment with colors, and embrace the practicality of edible container gardens. By reimagining what you can do in a container, you’ll breathe new life into your desert garden this spring.

Gorgeous Germander for Desert Gardens

Arizona garden, California desert garden, desert gardening, Drought Tolerant, Fuss Free Plant, Ground Covers, herb gardening, Las Vegas gardening

I have a wonderful treat for you! This week’s blog post is from Dr. Jacqueline Soule.

Chances are that her name sounds familiar and that is because she is a noted plant expert and well-known author of several books on desert gardening.

Jacqueline grew up in Tucson and currently resides there where she enjoys growing low-maintenance plants that add beauty, which thrive in the desert.

I am fortunate to call Jacqueline my friend and we are both part of SWGardening.com I am excited to share with you her post on Germander.

“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) Photo by Amadej Trnkoczy cc 3.0

Gorgeous Germander

by Jacqueline A. Soule, Ph.D.

Special for AZ Plant Lady, 03 2020

Germander is a gorgeously green low-water ground cover that grows well in Arizona, is great for pollinators, and happens to be usable as a culinary herb.

Greeting from another desert garden this week – that of garden writer Jacqueline Soule, who lives in Tucson (Gardening With Soule – in the Land of El Sol). Noelle has graciously shared her space this week to allow me to introduce you to one herb for your landscaping.

Germander Has a Long History

This handsome herb was brought to the mission gardens of Arizona in 1698 by Father Kino. Germanders are native to the rocky hillsides of Greece and Turkey, where they get rain only in the winter. This means they tolerate dry and hot conditions well!

Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) growing in a Sedona garden.

Which One to Use?

There are around 100 species of germander! The one most commonly used in landscaping is the wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys). This species has tiny, bright green, rounded leaves. The creeping germander is the same species, but has been selected over time to be a low ground cover (Teucrium chamaedrys var. prostratum). Both of these are available at many local nurseries (but not big box stores).

For landscaping, germander offers a gorgeous bright, forest-green. I confess, I prefer this color in general over the blue-green of rosemary. Even in poor soil and with little water, germander grows to form a dark green carpet, about 2 feet around per plant, the creeping germander a bare 4 to 6 inches tall.

Germaders grow well in alkaline (unamended) desert soil, in full sun to part shade situations. Reflected summer light is tad too much for them, so not under picture windows.

Teucrium chamaedrys by Amadej Trnkoczy cc 3.0 002

Fragrant Flowers

Both germander and rosemary have many oil glands in their leaves and are fragrant plants. But then there are the flowers! Germander flowers are far more fragrant than rosemary. Germander blooms are almost honey-scented, like sweet alyssum. Like rosemary, germander are bee pollinated, by both European honey bees and by our native Arizona solitary bees, with occasional butterfly visitors.

Use In Your Landscape

Both rosemary and germander can be used in roasting potatoes or to add flavor to meat dishes. I use either herb to scrub down the grill prior to cooking – depends on which needs pruning. In ancient Greece, hunters would field dress their meat with germander, often found growing wild in the hills. (It may have anti-microbial properties.) Germander abounds on Greek hillsides because the strong oils render it unpalatable to wildlife. I won’t promise it is rabbit proof, but those “wascally wabbits” don’t bother mine.

Herbs that can be used to create a beautiful, low-water-using, edible, Southwest landscape are numerous. Learn more in this webinar offered March 25, 2020 by the Herb Society of America – only $5 and you don’t have to drive anywhere! Or in April, drive to Carefree, where Jacqueline will speak about “Gardening for Fragrance” on April 18 2020.

Want to learn more from Jacqueline? Check out two of her most popular books – Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening and Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening.

You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Javelina in the Desert Garden

DIY: Create Natural Air Fresheners From the Garden

Citrus, DIY, herb gardening

A Breath of Fresh Air: Creating Natural Air Fresheners

Have you ever sprayed air freshener in your home? Does it ever smell like the fragrance described on the can? I must confess that I have used air-fresheners in the past, but I’ve never happy with how my house smelled afterward. To me, the fragrance is so ‘artificial,’ and I also wonder if there are some ingredients in them that maybe aren’t good to inhale.

Create Natural Air Fresheners From the Garden

Discover the Beauty of Natural Fragrances

So, I was intrigued when I heard about ‘natural’ air fresheners made from plants – many of which I have in my garden.

Imagine your home filled with the natural fragrance of citrus paired with your favorite herbs drifting throughout – no overpowering, artificial fragrance, just subtle, refreshing scents.

How to Make Your Own Natural Air Fresheners

The combinations are endless, and the fragrance is released into the air by adding the contents and enough water to fill a small pot at least 1/2 – 3/4 full. Heat to boiling and then turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer for a couple of hours. That’s it!

So are you as excited about creating your own ‘natural’ air fresheners as I am?

citrus of all kinds are great in a freshener

Natural Ingredients for Your Unique Fragrance

Let’s get started with some ingredients that you can use for your unique fragrant combination(s):

Citrus Delights

All types of citrus are refreshing and can serve as the base of your air freshener. I chose lemons, oranges and limes. But, if you have a grapefruit tree that is overly generous with its fruit, they would work well too!

Create Natural Air Fresheners from basil

A Touch of Herbs

Now let’s grab some herbs for your natural air fresheners from the garden or the grocery store).

Basil

Create Natural Air Fresheners from Thyme

2. Thyme

3. Mint

Rosemary and lavender would also work great. I also use vanilla extract and peppercorns in my mixtures.

Crafting Your Natural Air Freshener

Here are a few that I made.

Cooking (and eating) Italian food is some of my favorite – even though I have no Italian ancestry that I know of.

I used 1 sprig of basil, 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns and a few slices of lemon – it makes my home smell fresh as I imagine an Italian kitchen would smell like.

Add these ingredients to jars and fill them with water to the top. For this project, I used Ball mason jars.

Lemon and basil scented Italian freshener

I think it looks pretty, don’t you? Of course, if you are going to use use them right away, skip the jar and add directly to a small pot. Pour more water until it reaches 3/4 full, heat to boiling, lower the heat to low and enjoy for a few hours – KEEP an eye on the water level and add more as needed – DON’T let it dry out.

More Natural Fragrance Combinations

Here is another combination that I like.

A few slices of lime, 4 – 5 sprigs of thyme, a sprig of mint and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

You can make one air freshener at a time, or create a few and store them in the refrigerator for a week. You can freeze them for longer until ready to use – just make sure to freeze them in a freezer-safe container such as a wide-mouth jar.

Lastly, this is my favorite combination, and only has two ingredients.

Oranges and vanilla extract.

I sliced half an orange and added 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

The fragrance reminds me of orange cream – YUM!

You can also add cinnamon sticks or a few whole cloves to this mixture for a spicier fragrance.

Exploring Natural Fragrance Variations

If you have ever stepped into a Williams & Sonoma store, they have their own natural air freshener recipe:

Lemon slices
Rosemary sprigs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

In addition to the ingredients I’ve used, here are some others that you can experiment with to create your own unique natural air freshener.

Citrus or apple peels, almond, coconut, or peppermint extract along with herbs like ginger, nutmeg, ground cinnamon, whole cloves, bay leaves, basil, sage, lavender, oregano, and rosemary.

Freshen Your Home Naturally

So if you want to add a little freshness to your home, don’t waste your time spraying artificial fragrance through your home. You can create wonderful combinations of scents using items from your garden, refrigerator, and pantry.

I hope you enjoy making these natural air fresheners as much as I do!

5 Surprising Ways to Use Citrus Fruit For Home and Kitchen

Winter Vegetable Garden

Arizona garden, Fertilizer, herb gardening, Southwest garden, Vegetable Gardening

Cultivating a Year-Round Vegetable Garden in the Desert Southwest

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Transforming Chaos into Order: Reviving My Vegetable Garden

A Peek into My Winter Vegetable Garden

One of the many blessings of living in the desert Southwest is the ability to grow vegetables out in the garden all year long. Today, I thought that I would give you a peek into my winter vegetable garden.

Maintaining the Garden with a Renovation

Over the past couple years, my vegetable garden had become slightly messy with a mixture of herbs, vegetables, and flowers growing in disorganized masses. Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a perfectionist – far from it. But, I realized that I am more likely to maintain and harvest my vegetables when they are neatly laid out in rows.

So in August, I ripped out everything from the garden except for a new Spanish lavender plant.

Vegetable Garden Soil Enrichment and Preparation

Amending the soil in the raised garden beds

Once September arrived, my husband helped me to replace a few of the wood sides that had gradually rotted. I was happy to note that they had lasted over five years.

We amended the soil with 2 parts of mushroom compost and 1 part aged steer manure. This was my first time using mushroom compost. I wish I could say that it was because I had read about how good it was, but the truth is that the store was out of my favorite brand of compost, and mushroom was what was available. So, we used it.

Blood and bone meal were then sprinkled to provide organic sources of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Efficient Irrigation for the Raised Beds

A new irrigation system was installed in the form of micro-soaker hoses. We bought a kit from our local big box store, which was easy to install.

Sowing Seeds and Bountiful Harvests

Now for the fun part, sowing seeds!

The folks at Botanical Interests provided me with seeds, free of charge, to try out in my garden. I’ve used their seed for years, and they have a large selection of flowers, herbs, and vegetable seed that is of the highest quality.

My favorite cool-season crops are leaf lettuce and kale. I’ve had great luck growing kale, with the same plants lasting for over two winter seasons.

The earliest crop that I’ve harvested were bush beans that I planted in September from seed. Botanical Interests suggested I grow ‘Jade’ and ‘Royal Burgundy’ varieties. Both were delicious, and I discovered that the purple color fades when roasted.

The Vegetable Garden is Thriving!

The mild winter has my basil thriving. A client gave me this unique variety of basil called, Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil. It is an heirloom variety, and it is growing beautifully.

Cauliflower in the Winter Vegetable Garden

Three-inch little heads of cauliflower are just beginning to form. For some reason, I don’t have much luck growing broccoli, but I do grow a mean cauliflower.

While I did reduce the number of flowers in the vegetable garden, I grew a brand-new variety of marigold from a seed called ‘Moonsong Marigold Deep Orange.’

My strawberry plants are beginning to flower and produce tiny fruits.

The Joy of Growing Your Own Vegetables

My avoidance of bagged salad greens is still in place as the garden is still producing plenty of leafy greens.

Finally, a peek into the future, with carrots growing vigorously.

Do you grow vegetables? I highly recommend it. Even with the busyness of life and the stresses that it brings, it just melts away as I take a few minutes to walk through the garden observing new growth, some welcome surprises, and most importantly, the delicious flavors that it adds to our favorite dishes.

Disclosure: I was provided seed from the folks at Botanical Interests free of charge for my use and honest opinion.

January in the Vegetable Garden

Four Days of Garden Gifts: Day 3 – Books for Southwest Gardening

Arizona garden, Book Review, Cactus/Succulents, California desert garden, desert gardening, Drought Tolerant, Gift Ideas, herb gardening, Las Vegas gardening, Nevada garden, New Mexico garden, Product Review, Southwest garden, Southwest Texas garden, Succulent Gardening

Discover the Perfect Garden Gifts: Day 3 – Books for Southwest Gardeners

It’s Day 3 of our garden gift ideas and today it’s all about books.

Unveiling the Arid Beauty of Southwest Gardening

Gardening in the Southwest can be challenging because many of the traditional gardening rules. Some plants just don’t work here. Traditional garden literature often ignores the unique opportunities and challenges that our arid climate presents. A good book that focuses on our distinct region can become an invaluable tool. As a garden writer, I know many garden authors and have been asked to review many books, and I include my top eight with you.

As a garden writer, I’ve been asked to review some garden books and know several of the authors personally and can attest to their expertise in gardening in the Southwest.

*This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you).

1. Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening

Our dry climate is an ideal region for growing fruits and vegetables. We have fewer insect pests and diseases than, in contrast, more temperate areas. From apples, peaches, to citrus – many types of fruit can be grown here. Vegetable gardening is a favorite pastime of mine. Due to our relatively mild winters, we can grow them throughout the entire year. Tucson native, Jacqueline Soule, teaches you how to create your own edible, southwestern garden. Click here to order.

2. Gardening In The Deserts of Arizona

Mary Irish is one of my favorite authors and worked for years at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Her books are what I like to refer to as the ‘bible’ of growing ornamental plants in the Southwest. From lists of plants that grow well in our climate to how to maintain them each month, this book is a must-have for new (and old) desert gardeners. She has written several books. This is a good one to start with as it breaks down how to care for your garden. I met her at a conference in California and found her utterly charming and down to earth. Click here to order.

3. Lawn Gone

Austin, Texas resident, Pam Penick, is well known for her blog, Digging. Pam makes frequent contributions to a variety of gardening magazines. Her approach is saving water in the garden by removing or minimizing lawn areas, with an emphasis on simple and creative design solutions. I am fortunate to call Pam my friend and have toured gardens with her in Arizona and California. I’ve owned this book for several years. It ranks as one of my favorites. Click here to order.

4. Potted

Annette Gutierrez asked me to review her book. She and Mary own a trendy garden shop in Los Angeles that focuses on outdoor accessories and design services. As its title suggests, this book focuses on instructing readers on how to create unique containers using everyday items. The results are eye-catching and add a welcome design element to garden spaces. This book is for those on your list who like to be on the cutting edge of gardening trends. Click here to order.

5. Growing Vegetables in Drought, Desert, and Dry Times

If you or someone on your gift list like to grow vegetables, this is an invaluable book. Specifically, it addresses the cultivation of an edible garden in an arid climate. This emphasizes the importance of mastering the skill of maximizing your harvest while efficiently managing water.

The author draws upon her experience of living and gardening in the desert regions of California. Grouping this book along with packets of vegetable seeds and a raised bed kit, would be a much-appreciated gift for a beginning vegetable gardener. Click here to order.

6. Homegrown Herb Garden

Herbs are very easy to grow and flourish in arid climates. I grow them in pots, a vegetable garden, and indoors. Moreover, one of the authors, Ann McCormick, also known as the ‘Herb n’ Cowgirl,’ has a blog by the same name. This book provides helpful growing tips along with how to use them to flavor your favorite dishes making it a great choice for the gardener and cook on your list. Click here to order yours.

7. Trees and Shrubs for the Southwest

Many gardening books contain smaller lists of plants. This Mary Irish book has comprehensive lists of shrubs and trees that flourish in the Southwest. It delves beyond the often repeated plant palette of bougainvillea, oleander, and Texas sage. The book delves into the impressive variety of plants that can grow here. This book is a thoughtful choice for those who want to learn more about the plants that can grow in our arid climate. Click here to order.

8. The Water-Saving Garden

This book holds a special place for me because of Pam Penick. She made a journey to visit me in Arizona to research her book. We spent an entire day together visiting gardens throughout the greater Phoenix area (including mine), covering over one-hundred-fifty miles. Many of the photos that she took that day are in the book. As its title suggests, the book focuses on how to create lovely gardens that don’t need a lot of water. Click here to order.

All of these books will serve to inspire and teach the gardener on your list,. These books teach how to create a beautiful garden that will thrive in the arid Southwest climate.

More ideas needed? Here you go –

Want more ideas? Check out Day 1 and Day 2 of my garden gift ideas.

Tomorrow, I’ll share my picks for garden gifts for kids.

3 Ways to Preserve the Flavors of Summer With Herbs

DIY, herb gardening, Houzz Article, Vegetable Gardening

Do you grow herbs? I do.

Herbs are easy to grow and thrive in arid climates and shrug off the heat. I’m the first to admit that I don’t like messing around with fussy plants and so herbs fit right in with my gardening style.

Toward the end of summer, my garden is overflowing with herbs – especially basil. I certainly have more than I can use right now, so I like to preserve my herbs in a variety of ways so that I can enjoy the fresh flavor of summer throughout the winter months.

preserving herbs

One of the easiest ways to store herbs is by freezing them using olive oil or water. You can see my post on how to freeze herbs here.

Herb salts are a newer way to keep the fresh flavor of herbs alive. The ingredients are simple, and they are a unique way to add a delicious taste to your favorite recipes. See how easy they are to make in this blog post.

Finally, the most popular method for preserving herbs is to dry them. Some types of herbs are easier to dry than others, and there are different methods for drying herbs. I invite you to read my latest article for Houzz.com where it’s all you need to know about drying herbs. I hope you enjoy it!

Do you dry or freeze your herbs? Which herbs work best for you?

Garden Travels: Urban Vegetable Garden With a Touch of Whimsy

Garden Travels, herb gardening, Vegetable Gardening

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thanks for your support in this way.*

I enjoy traveling around the country, exploring gardens. Throughout my travels, I am constantly amazed at the unexpected gardens that I stumble upon. Recently, I was in Buffalo, New York for the annual GWA Conference. I arrived a few days early in order to spend time with my BGF (Best Garden Friend), Andrea who came all the way from Australia to attend. We set out from our hotel in the morning to see more of the downtown area of the city.

It was a hot and humid day, but we were not deterred. We passed by a farmers market down the road from our hotel where fresh produce from area farms, was laid out to tempt passersby.

I enjoy seeing fresh seasonal produce but lament that fact that other than fresh fruit, I am limited as to what I can use without a kitchen when I am traveling.

Most farmers markets also feature plants for sale and it’s a great way to see what grows in that area.

After leaving the farmers market with a bag of blueberries, we continued our walk toward the lake side where we encountered a lovely urban community garden. The Learning Garden is located underneath an overpass and adjoins a park.

The garden serves as an outdoor classroom for Erie Community College.

Three of the sides of the garden bounded by a fence, leaving an open gateway for visitors to explore the garden.

Raised beds were filled with a variety of vegetables and herbs along with a few ornamental flowers. Tomatoes are found in almost all of the beds and this garden clearly had an Italian theme with its basil and parsley.

Intermingled with many of the edible crops were whimsical garden signs like this one nestled within a bed of kale.

This sign expresses the joy of gardening for me and I believe for many others as well. As you can see, they aren’t difficult to make and I may enlist the woodworking skills of my husband to make some for my own garden.

Andrea and I took a moment to rest our sore feet while enjoying the scenery of the garden and the busy bees roaming from flower to flower.

The raised beds followed no distinct pattern that I could ascertain – but regardless, they looked great and were obviously thriving. Vegetables were the main focus with flowering annuals such as snapdragons and alyssum adding color.

I want this sign in my vegetable garden – do you think the neighborhood cats can read?

A small greenhouse is located behind massive cucumber vines. My cucumber vines have never looked that good…

I enjoy garden art made from repurposed materials, such as this ‘spoon-fork’ flower – a definite touch of whimsy.

What do you do when you run out of room in your raised beds? Plant vegetables in fabric containers, of course!

In a sunny corner, an unusual pair of wooden chairs sat, facing each other. What a great piece of furniture for those who enjoy good conversation, like we do!

We spent over an hour exploring the garden before leaving. It was a completely unexpected garden discovery and one that I will remember for a long time.

Once we left the garden, we decided to search for a place to eat lunch. Did we select a unique eatery or small cafe for lunch?

Nope.

I’ve heard great things about Tim Hortons and we don’t have them where I live and they aren’t in Australia, where Andrea lives either, so we decided to eat lunch there to see what all the buzz was about.

Okay, this isn’t the healthiest lunch, but I did get my pretzel bun club sandwich without mayonnaise and it was delicious.

For dessert, we ate their famous cake batter-flavored donut holes – oh my, they were wonderful! It’s probably a good thing that we don’t have one nearby or my waistline would suffer greatly.

I hope you have enjoyed our Buffalo garden travel so far. You can click here to read about our adventures at the test garden filled with colorful annuals. Next up, a garden from the pages of Harry Potter!

**You can follow Andrea’s gardening adventures on her blog.

Gifts For The Gardener: Herb Kit in a Handmade Vintage Box

Gift Ideas, herb gardening, indoor gardening, Product Review

Vintage Wooden Window Garden Planter Box Kit

*This post contains affiliate links for a product that I have used. If you click on the affiliate link and buy the product, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links help to support this site. Thank you for supporting Ramblings From a Desert Garden.

The Christmas season is in full swing and if you are like me, you are busy shopping for the perfect gift for that special somebody in your life. My gift list is rather long with five kids, three grandchildren, my husband, siblings, nieces, nephews, and my mother. As a result, quick trips to the store have been inserted into my busy schedule. This includes dropping by the store on date nights with my husband.

Whittling down my Christmas list online has become my favorite way of finding special items for loved ones. Just a few minutes sitting at the computer (or on your phone) and you’re done. It turns out that you can buy just about anything online and that is certainly true of items for gardeners in your life.

As a horticulturist and garden writer, I get to see a lot of products with a garden theme. So, in anticipation of Christmas and to help you with your shopping list, I am going to feature creative gift ideas, for the next few weeks, for those in your life who like to grow things.

The folks at Dryden Trading Company asked me to try their Vintage Wooden Window Garden Planter Box Kit and sent me one free of charge for me to review.

Indoor Herb Kit

VINTAGE HERB KITS

I’m particularly excited about this gift idea as I enjoy growing herbs throughout the year. I grow herbs outdoors all year in my Arizona garden, but I’ve also grown them indoors on my kitchen windowsill, which is why I was excited to try this all-in-one indoor herb kit.

The kit arrives in a very nice rustic, wooden box complete with lid. There are several colors available and I chose the white one. Everything you need is inside the box – plastic planting tray, soil, seeds, plant markers, chalk, and instructions. All you need to supply is water.

1. Add soil to the plastic planting tray. The soil doesn’t completely fill the tray – but not to worry, this is Wonder Soil.

2. Add water to the soil. Immediately, the soil began to expand making sounds like those you hear when you add milk to Rice Krispy cereal – kids would love to watch this stage.

As you can see, the soil now reaches to the top of the plastic tray.

3. Plant herb seeds. The kit comes with five packages of herb seeds with enough seeds left over to plant a second crop. You can always plant your own seeds as well. I planted all five varieties of herb seeds, although I must admit that I don’t like cilantro. However, people in my family do, so I planted it.

4. Add plant markers. Popsicle sticks with blackboard paint are a very cute way to identify the newly planted herbs. As I mentioned before, the vintage herb kit includes everything you need, even a stick of chalk.

Seeds are planted, plant markers are in, and now it’s time to find the right spot for my new planter.

5. Place in an area where the herbs will receive at least 6 hours of sun. I have a sunny kitchen window which works perfectly.

I am looking forward to seeing little green herbs poke up through the soil. Better yet, I can hardly wait to use them to flavor my favorite dishes.

If you have someone on your Christmas list who likes to garden or cook with fresh herbs, this would be an excellent gift idea. You can visit their website to see the different options for ordering a vintage herb garden for a loved one or yourself.

**Come back soon for more gift ideas for those who love to garden.

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