March 2007

March is a blustery month. Here in South Central Texas, we've been having very windy weather, some very cool days and nights still, and some warm days. We had one morning a few weeks ago that was at 22 deg. F. here at The Herb Cottage. I was not prepared for such low temperatures and lost some potted succulents that were outdoors. The leaves on my big lemon eucalyptus tree froze, but that's happened before and I know the tree will rebound shortly. Already I'm seeing new growth peek out of the ground around the coral porterweed and Mexican Mint Marigold. The Greggi salvias, Salvia aurita, and most of the herbs in the beds look perfect. The parsley, cilantro, cutting celery, oregano and various varieties of thyme as well as the violets I planted in and around the thymes are looking perky and bright. I'm always amazed at how well most of the culinary herbs do in the cold. And how beautiful and rich the colors are this time of year.

One herb I'm very pleased with is the Florence Fennel I planted. The bulbous growth at the base of the stem is getting larger and is almost ready to harvest. I will be planting more so there is always greenery for the butterflies as well as more delicious fennel for salads and side dishes. The Bronze Fennel I planted near the green is doing equally well. It's not as tall as the green yet, but is bushy. I'm surprised this plant isn't a better seller because the color is so warm and coppery. It's as good a butterfly attractor as the green and adds a very different color to the garden. It looks good planted in beds with purple and gold color flowers such as marigolds, anise hyssop and sage. It lasts a long time and the little yellow flowers it produces only add to its allure.

Lavender growing is becoming very popular here in Texas and I get lots of people looking for information regarding varieties and conditions it likes. I'm by no means an expert on lavender growing on a large scale, but I've been growing different varieties in the herb garden for many years. The varieties that seem to do the best here in our humidity and long hot late summers are the lavindins and hybrids, the intermedia. Some popular cultivars are Grosso and Provence, although more similar ones are being developed. One I like is Gros Bleu, which is similar to Grosso, but with bigger flowers. Provence has more slender flowers and they are spaced farther apart on the stem than the Grosso or Gros Bleu, but it is the one that is used for culinary purposes. The balance of the oils is just right for using the flowers in baking, traditional French cuisine and even tea and drinks.

The angustifolia, or English Lavender varieties, don't seem to do as well here, probably due to the combination of heat and humidity we experience. To grow them is a challenge. Some folks simply grow them from fall through early summer and consider them as annuals. That's one way to go and not have the stress and worry about bringing them through the late summer and early fall conditions.

One easy way to use lavender in tea, drinks and baking is to make lavender sugar by placing a few lavender buds in a jar of sugar and closing it up for a few days. Remove the flowers and you now have lavender flavored sugar to be used in lemonade, tea, or any plain sugar cookie, shortbread, pound cake or cake recipe. Not everyone likes the flavor of lavender, though, so go easy with it until you learn how your family, or you, like the taste.

Those of you living where the snow is deep on the ground and winter shows little sign of abating, now is a good time to start seeds for planting out when spring does come. To me, there is nothing so satisfying in gardening as growing plants from seed. It's just miraculous to put a tiny seed in the soil and watch it germinate and grow. Most herb varieties will take 6 to 8 weeks from seeding to produce a viable transplant. Some perennials may take more time.

By far the easiest herb to grow from seed is basil. But, if you don't have a nice warm spot, and even have a way to keep the soil warm, it may be a little early to start basil. But, dill, cilantro, nasturtiums, lettuce and arugula are very easy from seed. If you've never grown Hibiscus sabdariffa, or Roselle, the red in “Red Zinger” Tea, it's very easy. It takes a fairly long growing season, however, so it's best to start it early. It's another one that really like the warmth, so don't be too impatient with it. Keep it indoors until the weather really warms up.

You'll be surprised at how big and lovely the plant gets with its reddish pods and small creamy yellow flowers. I've tried every year to over winter it, but have only been successful a handful of times. My greenhouses don't stay warm enough to keep it happy. It's so easy to grow from seed, though, that it's hardly worth the trouble of watering it and worrying about it all winter. This year, it was doing well until January when we got some cold temperatures. The plant lost most of its leaves and then fire ants got into the big pot. I treated the ants with diotomaceous earth and got rid of most of them. But, the recent very cold temperatures did the plant in, I think. If you have a sunny window in a warm room in the house, you could grow it indoors over the winter and enjoy it, too. I don't know if it would flower or not, however. The plant itself is very attractive and worth growing just for that reason. There is a good picture on the seed packet on The Herb Cottage website, seed page: http://theherbcottage.com/seeds.html

This is also the time to start the long season vegetable plants from seed such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. There is nothing like the taste of that first warm home grown tomato off the vine. Bell peppers, sweet and juicy, are so much tastier and more tender when they are homegrown. If you like eggplant, growing your own offers you the choice of many different varieties, not just the big purple ones in the store. Home grown eggplant is tender and very tasty. If you've never grown your own, you are in for a taste treat. And, the plant is so pretty with its purple and yellow flowers that turn into long narrow purple fruit or round green of the Apple Green or the striped Listada de Gandia. Some of these varieties are on the seed page or are being added to the seed page at http://theherbcottage.com/seeds.html and some are offered as plants.

This year why not try a couple of heirloom tomato varieties. The flavor is so much more "tomatoey" than most hybrids often offered as seedlings. The Herb Cottage has a good selection of heirlooms seedlings as well as seed for you to try.

As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, I am offering a selection of herbs and vegetable plants, especially heirloom and open pollinated tomato plants for sale by mail order this year. You can download a copy of the catalog from the home page: http://theherbcottage.com or send me a note or email and I'll send you a paper copy of the catalog. To purchase plants you will have to have an order form this year and either mail it or fax it to me. Only the selection of Botanical Interest Seed can be bought directly on-line through Pay Pal. Seed is also available in the printed catalog as well.

I hope you've gotten a little spirit of spring from this newsletter. The renewal of spring is an exciting time for gardeners and growers. All things seem possible from the best herb and flower gardens to the neatest and most weed-free vegetable beds, we all strive to reach our gardening goals.

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~Author Unknown

Good Growing to You,

Cindy Meredith, proprietor

The Herb Cottage

442 CR 233

Hallettsville, TX 77964

phone & fax: 979-562-2153