Dandelions: Easy to Grow and Tastes Good Too

Every growing season my husband and I have disagreements about the dandelions that grow in the yard. He thinks of them as an ugly weed and I think of them as a health food. Since my husband was opposed to the dandelions growing in the lawn I transplanted them to their own earth box.

Dandelions will grow anywhere as long as they have good drainage, sun and water. So you can pant them in a container garden, raised garden or separate area in your yard if you trust your spouse not to mow them over.  Dandelions are easy to grow and have a pretty flower however the new leaves and the flowers also taste good.

Dandelion greens are similar to spinach. Know that If you like sautéed spinach then it is wise to grow dandelions. The entire plant is edible; flower, leaves and root. You can serve in salad, chopped as a garnish on casseroles or sauteed as a side dish.

You will feel better when you grow and eat dandelions because the dandelion also has medicinal properties; the leaves are a natural diuretic, plant. The roots can be roasted to make a coffee like drink or herbal tea.  Dandelion is rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, and essential B vitamins. So if you want to improve the health of your liver or gallbladder it is wise to add the Dandelion herb to your garden.

Learn more about dandelions by viewing the youtube video.  

Harvesting Lemon Balm for Herbal Tea

I grow a tea garden in my backyard because there is nothing better than a cup of soothing herbal tea in the afternoon after a rigorous day of working in the garden. Many of the teas that I grow fall under medicinal as they will cure many ailments. Lemon Balm is my go-to herbal tea for natural anxiety relief and it also helps me to sleep. If you like the taste of lemon then grow and harvest lemon balm for herbal tea.

Brew herbal tea from harvested leaves from the garden

When it comes to harvesting lemon balm for herbal tea I think it is best to harvest the leaves early in the morning, after the dew has elaborated. Choose young leaves as they are more potent and have the best flavor.

Today I am made an herbal tea by putting a half teaspoon of dried lemon balm leaves into an infuser. (I had harvested these leaves last fall and air dried them on a screen)  The dried lemon balm leaves in the infuser then set the infuser into the teapot.  Add the hot water and let the herbs steep for ten minutes.

Learn more about growing an herbal tea garden by viewing this YouTube.com video.

Transplanted Herb Plants During Growing Season

A couple days ago I transplanted my indoor herbs into outdoor containers because they weren't doing so good indoors and thought the natural sunlight would do them good.  Plus I like the way fragrant herbs repel mosquitoes, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

When I transplanted the herbs it was on a cloudy and cool day but today the weather had changed it is extremely hot.  Of course, this means I need to take extra steps to prevent outdoor herb plants from stress.

Read the first post about these herbs here transplanting kitchen herbs to outdoor garden

Anything planted in a container will dry out quickly and if you water the plant in the morning by midday when the sun is hot the soil with dry out.  Normally when I check with my index finger the soil is dry an inch down after a hot day. 

To prevent dry soil I generally water in the morning at the soil level until the water drains from the holes on the bottom of the container.

Applying mulch is good also as long as you do not put the mulch close to the herb stem.  Mulch is great because it absorbs the water and then releases moisture back into the soil slowly. A mulch that I use and recommend is nature scapes advanced garden mulch by Scotts  I bought this brand mulch at lowes.com, had watched sales, and got a good buy on 2 cubic feet.

What I like about this mulch is that it retains the water and slowly releases it back into the soil which means you will not need to water your flower or herb gardens daily.  On average you will save up to 30% on your water bill.  Plus you will save time and energy because you won’t need to water the garden daily.

When I get home from work I will need to check on the newly planted herb plants and will mist the leaves and stems with the garden hose because this will prevent them from wilting.

The best way to care for any newly transplanted herb in the growing season is to make sure the soil does not dry out. Keeping it evenly moist but not wet will ensure that the roots will take hold and the plant does not get stressed out.

Also helpful when transplanting during the growing season is to use a Green Light organic root stimulator.  I would not dream of putting a plant in the ground without a root stimulator.  I have bought the green light product at amazon.com and am pleased with it.

Here is a great way to keep the plant sauce full of water, thus the plant roots will never dry out.

Grow Mint for Home Garden-Information

Peppermint flower

Benefit from your garden mint by growing the herbs for culinary, medicinal, aromatherapy, and as a repellent for mosquitoes and other flying insects.   

Mint can be grown in containers, in the ground or in various sections of your yard.  

I have a dog kennel and find that when I planted the garden mint on the exterior of the kennels that the mint controlled the dog odors and also repelled fleas and ticks. If you have a large yard I would recommend growing the mint in the ground, however, if you have a small yard or live in an apartment then grow mint in a container and set it in a sunny location or grow under a light.

Benefits of Garden Mint

Chocolate Mint in my backyard

1. Peppermint is a natural remedy for indigestion, heartburn, headache, and will help to reduce inflammation caused by acne.  If you plant a mixture of peppermint, spearmint, and apple mint in sections in your yard these fragrant herbs will repel mosquitoes and other flying insects. 
2. Other uses for mint would be to add it ice tea, brew medicinal herbal tea, garnish foods with mint, make mint jelly, or antibacterial soap. Growing garden mint is easy and it will provide you with years of fragrant flowers and leaves.
3. Garden mints have a delicious scent and flavor.   When planning your mint garden choose mint that appeals to your senses.

Here are a few of my favorite garden mints.  Buy seed packets of mint at Walmart.com Ebay.com Parkseed.com or Gurneys.com or Tractor Supply.  Start seeds indoors and then transplant after the danger of frost has passed.  

Corn mint

Peppermint

Spearmint

Apple mint

Pineapple mint

Orange mint
Berries and Cream mint
Lemon mint
Chocolate mint    
Candy mint

Chocolate mint

When to Grow Mint

Start to grow mint seeds indoors 7 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost or you could sow the seeds directly into the garden bed when the spring temperatures warm and the threat of frost has passed.

Where to Grow

Grow indoors by planting seeds in soil that is mixed with compost or manure.  Set the seeds on top of the soil and then press the seeds into the soil with the eraser end of a pencil.  Plant the seed one inch below the soil line.  Water so that the soil is evenly moist but not wet.  Set the mint containers next to a sunny window or under a grow light.  For outdoor cultivation choose a garden site that receives full sun and has well-drained soil. 

I grow spearmint and peppermint on the side of my house. These plants need room to grow as they have a spreading nature.  I spaced my plant two feet apart. The mint grows down a slope and I found that the spreading nature of the mint is a good way to control erosion.

Ready the Garden for Planting Mint Outdoors

Use your tiller or spade to ready the soil for planting.  Remove all of the grass, rocks, and weeds from the planting area.  Work the soil until it is a fine texture.  Amend the soil with compost or manure.  Set the seeds on top of the soil. Space the seeds 18 to 24 inches apart and then press the seeds into the soil with the eraser of a pencil.  Plant the seed one inch below the soil line.  Water so that the soil is evenly moist but not wet.

Care for Mint

• Watch the soil so that it does not dry out.  Garden mint prefers evenly moist soil that is well-drained.  It will die if the soil is overly wet.
• Keep roots cool by adding a pine bark mulch or leaf mulch around the garden mint.
• Mint will bloom in mid to late summer
• Divide and transplant in the spring to prevent overcrowding.
• Watch for rust; patches of orange-red on the back of the leaves.  Remove all rust-infected plants and get rid of them.  Watering mint in the evening will cause rust so don’t do it.

Tips:

Peppermint is a natural way to repel stray cats from your yard.  The scent of peppermint is repulsive to a cat.