TheGardenLady received this question from Jessica.
I was wondering what you thought about Yerba buena. I discovered this plant today and love the lemony minty smell to it. I wanted to know if it’s a dorm friendly plant. I’ll be living in Mills College in Oakland, CA. I was thinking of buying a small bamboo shoot and another plant (yerba buena?). Maybe you can recommend other plants the do well in dorm rooms and has a nice fragrance (not to strong)? I also like plants that can be used for different things, like made into a tea to sooth the throat. Something like that.
Yerba buena is Spanish for good herb. Another common name is Oregon-tea. The Latin name is Satureja (savory) douglasii, sometimes called Clinopodium douglasii and is in the Lamiaceae or Mint family. The common name Yerba Buena has been applied to several species of mint, especially Spearmint (Mentha spicata), but in the West it generally refers to Sartureja douglasii.
Sartureja douglassi is native to western N. America. It grows in redwood forests and was much used by tribes in the Pacific Northwest. It needs moist, sandy, slightly acid loam and partial shade when grown outdoors. It is used as a trailing plant for the front of window boxes and hanging baskets in semi-shade. TheGardenLady has never heard of it’s being used as an indoor plant, but since most mints will grow indoors, give it a try. Just know that it is a creeping perennial that likes to spread up to 6 ft. across. So give it a big pot, put it in a window with good light but not sun and keep the soil moist. If you are lucky, you will be able to make a mild tea from the leaves.
TheGardenLady received this question from Michelle.
I live in NYC, and would love to plant flowers and herbs outside my apt. Outside our kitchen window is a blacktop roof. I’ve tried to grow basil and parsley, but they never stay moist enough–sun is too strong. But, I would like to build something bigger to include many flowers and herbs. What would you suggest?
What a lovely idea to use the roof for a garden. However, in your case, living in NYC, one has to be concerned about the weight of plants on an old roof. Your landlord might object. If you think the landlord does not object, TheGardenLady recommends using light weight things for planting.
Plastic pots weigh less and don’t dry out as easily as clay pots or aren’t as heavy as ceramic pots. Also, if you will be watering the plants, you have to be sure that the water will run off and not seep into the roof – down into someone else’s apartment. You don’t want plants that need a lot of watering.
rooftop garden by bondidwhat
Attempting to grow herbs is a good idea because herbs do love sun. Most herbs come from the Mediterranean area where they get lots of sun which is needed for the herbs to have strong herbal flavors. But growing in a field is different than growing on a roof. TheGardenLady imagines that it is probably due to the blacktop roof that your herbs are drying out too quickly. Getting all that heat from the sun plus the heat from the black bottom under the pots might create too intense a heat and cause the small amount of soil in the pot to dry out too quickly.
Think this belongs in LOTR - a fungus gnat by Lord V
TheGardenLady received this question from Devon.
Do you have any tips on controlling fungus gnats. I have some in a herb planter, so i don’t want to use chemicals because I’d still like to be able to consume the herbs.
Fungus gnats look like tiny mosquitos that are about 1/8 inch in length. They lay their eggs in cracks on the soil surface which hatch into larva within 6 days and begin feeding on plant roots. After feeding for about 2 weeks, they pupate in the soil and emerge in less than a week as adults, to begin the cycle all over again. Usually when you first get them they are in the egg stage- in the soil of plants that have been outside for the summer or in damp bags of potting soil or from the nursery where they were bought. It is the larva stage that can do damage to young plants and seedlings by feeding on the new, tender roots. Their feeding stresses the plants and provides an entryway for disease pathogens.
Fungus gnats are usually a problem in the house or greenhouse. When you buy herbs, you should check to see that the soil is free of this problem. Fungus gnats can be a real problem to eliminate. Hopefully, you are finding them early so that you can eradicate them. If you have a really bad infestation, it might be easier to get rid of the plants and get new, healthy plants.
It is smart to practice IPM – which stands for Integrated Pest Management- as this is the most user friendly method of getting rid of pests on your plants. Stay away from chemical pesticides if you can. With fungus gnats, it is not really necessary for the home gardener to use any chemicals.
First of all fungus gnats like dampness. Are you over watering your herbs? Most popular herbs are native to areas that are dry. These herbs like sunny dry conditions when raised in your garden or when in pots. Herbs do not like over watering. Many herbs are drought-tolerant. Moisture is needed especially when the herbs are seedlings and moisture is needed to maintain active growth but don’t over do it. Water herbs thoroughly and then allow the soil to dry out somewhat before watering again. Plants should be watered early enough in the day that leaves can dry before nightfall.
It is advisable to get yellow sticky traps. For some reason insects are attracted to the yellow. You can see from the number of fungus gnats sticking to the traps just how bad the infestation is to plan your next step. Commercial greenhouses keep these traps all over to monitor their insect problems. Yellow sticky traps are sold in hardware stores.
Always keep plant areas clean. Get rid of weeds and dead debris which can be a breeding place for pests like fungus gnats. If the plants are in pots, see that the weeds and debris are discarded and not left near the pots. Don’t use fresh composted organic matter or potting mixes that contain fresh compost unless it was pasteurized first. In addition to feeding on plant roots, fungus gnat larva will consume organic material in the soil. Don’t use mulches or moist and decomposing grass clippings or organic fertilizers on the soil. Clean up free- standing water and eliminate any plumbing or irrigation system leaks. And be sure that the soil is well draining.
Put a moist slice of potato and keep it moist- on the soil. The potato surface sometimes attracts the feeding larva which can be used to collect and dispose of larva and to gauge when the larva are actively feeding.
There are some predators that you can buy. Two types of beetles feed on fungus gnat larva – rove beetles and ground beetles and there are some nematodes that will destroy the larvae. You will have to check for these products on line or in catalogs. And then there is a biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti) (the product is sold as Gnatrol) that can be applied to control fungus gnat larvae in container media. Bti applied as the label tells you to provides temporary control and is toxic only to fly larvae, such as mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats. Repeat applications are needed for long-term control. See here.
I have question about dead transplant. While transplanting some baby peppermint plants one of them got their tops broken off. I was wondering if the plant is technically dead or will it sprout new leaves around the base of the stem/root? The roots and stem is still strong 1 week later, but there are not leaves still.
Mints can be one of the most invasive herbs. Not only do they seem to multiply rapidly, they seem to send runners far from where they were planted. Peppermints are no exception. So even if you broke the tops while transplanting, if the roots are still healthy when you transplant it, the peppermint will send forth new tops.
One of the ways to propagate peppermint is from root cuttings. Spring is an especially good time for transplanting the peppermint when leaves are just emerging. New leaves will come out where the tops broke, be patient. If anything, you will probably be sorry you didn’t kill it.
TheGardenLady wants to wish all her readers a Happy, Healthy New Year.
These are trying times – especially because of the economy. Remember that gardening can reduce stress. Many articles point this out. Going outdoors to garden you will be working in the sun so that you are getting extra Vitamin D for free while you are getting some exercise both to reduce stress and to save on your gym bill.
Buy packets of seeds. They are the cheapest way to go.
Park Seed are just a few of the excellent companies where you can go online to read what they have or they will send you a catalog.
With the strange winter we are experiencing, you may want to start planting seeds indoors (see this previous post). For example if you have a sunny window, you may be able to start your own herb garden. Buying herbs in the supermarket can be pricey and fresh can be better. By buying packets of seeds, each seed that germinates potentially can grow into a plant so that you can grow many plants, enough to plant outdoors when the weather in your area is right or enough plants to harvest and dry or even enough to give as presents. Or you can use the extra seeds to plant outdoors when the time is right.
It is December and many of TheGardenLady‘s readers are celebrating either Hanukah or Christmas. The house is decorated in the appropriate way for the holiday you celebrate and food will be a main part of the festivities.
While friends and family are seated at the dinner table enjoying the special holiday treats, talking about the foods in the Bible might even add to your discussion – after all these celebrations are related to the Bible plus TheGardenLady‘s readers are those who are interested in plants, even ancient ones. And these dinner discussions might encourage some readers to grow the Biblical favorites in their own gardens.
Some of the Biblical foods mentioned are garlic and onions. Onion, garlic or shallots are all in the allium family of plants, relatives of the Lily. The common onion is the allium cepa (see photo above), the garlic is allium sativum and the shallot is Allium ascalonicum named for the city, Ashkelon in Israel from which it was supposedly brought to Europe by the Crusaders. (Alliums are now becoming a popular flowering plant for the garden; Allium giganteum is a particular favorite in TheGardenLady’s ornamental garden. Though ornamental alliums are not for eating.)
Lentils – Lens culinaris is another food mentioned in the Bible. Lentils are thought to be the oldest cultivated legume.
Some other foods mentioned in the Bible are honey, olive oil, and cinnamon.
This holiday you might try a Baked Honey Lentil Casserole as part of your menu. This casserole is composed of herbs, spices and vegetables that were eaten during Biblical times.
Baked Honey Lentil Casserole for 6 as a side dish.
Cook 1/2lb red lentils as directed on the package. (Do not add salt when cooking lentils.)
Make a mixture of 1 tsp. dry mustard (optional), 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 small onion in small dice, 1Â clove garlic minced, now add salt- 1 tsp or to taste.
All the above items are mentioned in the Bible. (You can add ground black pepper to taste.) Mix this mixture into the cooked lentils and taste to see if you want to add more of any herbs or spices.
Put 2 Tbsp Olive oil on bottom of casserole- olives and olive oil were used in the time of the Bible.
Then pour the cooked lentil mixture into the casserole and pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of honey on top. It depends on your sweet tooth. (Honey is another food that was used during Biblical times.)
Cover the casserole tightly with the lid or with aluminum foil. Put casserole in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake until tender- start checking after 1/2 hour- it could take up to 1 1/2 hour. When tender, take the lid off and let cook uncovered for another 10 minutes and serve.
TheGardenLady has been answering questions for months. The strange thing is that TheGardenLady has never received any comments. For example, a comment may have been: “HELP! I find your column interesting reading because you recommend great plants that I would like to grow, but I can’t find them in the stores near me or they are too expensive. What should I do? ”
Well, TheGardenLady would like to address her own “comment” by telling her readers where to buy perennial plants and to pay cheap prices for these plants. The nursery is called Russell Gardens Wholesale Perennials and Herbs at P.O. Box 702 Richboro, PA 18954 – Phone # is 215 322 4799 and Fax # is 215 322 9884 The nursery is located at 600 New Road in Churchville, PA 18966. They are open Mon-Fri from 8am to noon and reopen from 1pm to 5pm. Saturday they are open 8am to noon. Closed Sundays and holidays.
My daughter and I planted 3 herbs from a pretty herb kit we got as a gift –
basil, parsley and thyme. They’ve come up, but are pretty spindly. Are they
just not getting enough light? Or, is there anything else we can do?
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The Nov. 13th column on Indoor Herb Gardens stresses the need for sun. It says that herbs need a minimum of 4 to 5 hours of sunlight. But a maximum number of hours of sunlight is preferable for the herbs to really thrive. More information on raising herbs can be found on this website. Many herbs are native to Mediterranean countries where the sun is bright for their growing season. Thus when you keep a plant indoors, you try to give the plant what it likes best. So if you have a sunny southern exposure, your herbs will be happiest.
To get the herbs to grow bushier, you should pinch off the terminal bud of the plants and pinch off any flowers you see. The more you snip off these buds, the better.
Herbs, native to the Mediterranean where it is dry, don’t like their roots to be too wet; so make sure the soil is well drained. You can let the soil dry between watering.
Let TheGardenLady know if you and your daughter can now coax your herbs to grow bushier.
Abby sent me these questions about growing herbs indoors.Â
I’m wondering about tips for an indoor herb garden. How much light is required? Which types of herbs are easiest to grow? How often do the herbs need to be watered? And most importantly, do I need to worry about my cats eating them?
