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Growing herbs was one of my best decisions (lifehacks?) of the summer. I have found basil to be the most rewarding and robust herb to grow. Although my friends
by jgv 16y ago
Growing herbs was one of my best decisions (lifehacks?) of the summer. I have found basil to be the most rewarding and robust herb to grow. Although my friends have a mint plant that keeps on coming back.
You also don't need to be living in a rural or suburban area to grow herbs. I live in Brooklyn and have herbs growing on my fire escape, as do many of my neighbors. If you're lucky enough to have outdoor space, a good trick is to take tires and fill them with dirt to grow crops. Friends of mine have been successful with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
I'm an advocate of urban farming and I'd love to hear from other people growing food in an urban area. I'm dying to try Window Farms (http://windowfarms.org http://windowfarms.org), which looks like a great project and has built a robust community around urban farming.
One more thing: cat people, grow catnip! It's ~$1 for a bag of seeds and keeps on coming back. Much cheaper than anything store bought.
EDIT: Currently growing basil, rosemary, cilantro (barely), chives, mint, catnip, parsley. Would love to hear what has been successful or any advice since I'm kind of new to growing.
- Deestan 16y agoI've had great success with Peppermint and Aloe vera. Both plants are useful, can take a lot of abuse, and doesn't require any green fingers on your part. - Peppermint can be used to make tea, mojito, as flavour for ice cream, or you can just chew on the leaves as a snack. - Aloe vera juice can be used to relieve itching from sunburn or insect bites. - Need more plants? Just break off a bit of your old aloe vera or peppermint and shove it in some wet soil. - And of course, both plants are decorative. :)
- weaksauce 16y agodon't forget that pure aloe vera is great for actual burns(mild not severe, if sever get yourself to the ER) not just the sun variety.
- nostromo 16y agoA warning: A friend gardening on a fire escape in Brooklyn came home from work one day to find all of her plants gone. It turns out it's illegal to keep things there and they can be removed without warning. Regarding mint, it's super robust and will expand if allowed to. You can also surround other plants with mint, because most pests don't like the flavor (that's probably why it evolved that way) it will act as a barrier. Ants, mosquitos, cockroaches all don't like it. I grow Pineapple Mint because it looks cool. :)
- jgv 16y agoGood to know about growing on the fire escape. Before growing herbs I had no idea that there were so many varieties of mint: spearmint, orange, chocolate, pineapple. Will you bring the mint indoors during the winter or let go dormant and come back next spring/summer?
- nostromo 16y agoI live in SF now, so I leave it out year round, maybe brining it in on the coldest nights. In NY though, if they are in pots or raised above the ground, I wouldn't let them freeze. If the roots get frozen they may never come back. Plants in the ground don't get as cold usually so they will be better off. (Your mileage may vary, I'm still learning this myself!)
- HeyLaughingBoy 16y agoMint is for intents and purposes unkillable - the undead of the plant world. I've found that thyme and oregano are also really tough. They shrug off a Minnesota winter like it was nothing and claw their way through dense weed cover. Another unkillable plant I like is horseradish. It's deliciously spicy fresh from the garden and it simply won't die. Be careful if you plant it in a garden: it spreads like mad and it's really hard to stop because it grows underground. This all reminds me I need to go tour the back of my property and see if the wild raspberries and grapes are fruiting yet!
- RyanMcGreal 16y agoI really enjoy mint tea made from the mint growing outside my window.
- tocomment 16y agoHow do you make the tea?
- RyanMcGreal 16y agoI grab a bunch of mint, scrunch it up, drop it into a pot, and pour boiling water over it. Leave it to steep for a few minutes and then serve however you like it.
- rwmj 16y agoI have a kettle with a separate infusion basket. You just put the mint leaves in there and cover with boiling water. You can also mix it with tea leaves.
- wmblaettler 16y agoWe steep ours with black tea bags and mint, then ice it. No sugar needed.
- eru 16y agoTry stinging nettle. Makes a very nice tea with a flavour that reminds slightly of broth. Drying the plant before you brew the tea, give a better taste.
- maukdaddy 16y agoI have a roofdeck in Chicago where my wife and I grow quite a bit. This summer we planted two each tomato and tomatillo plants, 2x brussels sprouts, green onions, a few serrano pepper plans, and many herbs including rosemary, mint, basil, chervil, cilantro, etc. Oh, and a raspberry plant. We make our own simple syrup out of dextrose and the mint, which we can mix into liquor or tea as needed. Sometimes I'll throw some mint leaves (torn in a few pieces each) in with my tea when brewing.
- superkarn 16y agoGrowing herbs on my balcony is pretty simple and easy. I've tried growing tomatoes, but they take more effort and time in comparison. I haven't tried other vegetables yet.
- mturmon 16y agoI'd recommend oregano or marjoram. Oregano, especially, is a robust grower (more so than basil) and good for pizza, pasta, and other Italian dishes. With all similar herbs, including basil, you get much more foliage if you pinch back the buds before they flower. I planted oregano outside (in LA) about 5 years ago and the same plant is still growing. It's about 4 feet in diameter.
- dminor 16y agoAfter your cilantro bolts, let it flower and harvest the seeds when they're light beige. Presto, you've got coriander.