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Here are a couple saved notes. I hope some of you get something helpful from them.
Interplanting Flowers and Herbs in the Vegetable Gardening
There is no rule that says vegetables and flowers can’t mix. In fact, the vegetable garden will benefit greatly from the addition of some flowers and herbs. It’s not just aesthetics that make flowers and herbs welcome in the vegetable garden. Interplanting flowers and herbs offers several beneficial features that can protect your vegetables from insect pests and even make them more productive.
Attract Pollinators -Vegetables don’t always have the showiest flowers. To make sure the bees can find your vegetable plants, interplant flowers with high nectar concentrations and / or in shades of blue, yellow or white. Some choices: cosmos, larkspur, mints, sunflowers, sweet peas and zinnias.
Attract Beneficial Insects - There are insects that are good to have in your garden, like ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps and ground beetles. As with every other insect, beneficial insects have certain preferences in plants. Interplant their favorites and you’ll eventually have insects patrolling your bad insects. Parsley, dill, coriander and flowers from the aster family are especially good for attracting beneficial insects.
Repel Garden Pest Insects - OK, this is a debatable point. But it’s worth further study and why not experiment in your garden? Some to try:
Anise Hyssop repels Cabbage Moths
Borage repels Tomato Hornworm
Catmint repels Aphids, Colorado Potato Beetles and Squash Bugs
Geraniums (Pelargonium) repel Japanese Beetles
Pot Marigolds repel Asparagus Beetles
Sage repels Cabbage Moths and Carrot Rust Flies
Trap Crops - If you can’t repel a pest, throw it a sacrificial plant. This is often accomplished with another vegetable crop, such as surrounding cabbage with a trap crop of collards to draw the diamondback moth. The pest insect will congregate on the trap crop, which is eventually pulled and disposed of. The most famous flower trap crop is probably the use of nasturtiums to attract aphids. Nicotiana is also good for this.
Biodiversity - In short, what all this interplanting is leading to is a very old gardening concept of biodiversity or planting a wide variety of things rather than a single, monocrop. Confuse insect pests by interplanting things they love with things they won’t touch. The symbiotic relationships between different plant species is still the subject of much study.
Cutting Garden Out of View - One final bonus of interplanting flowers in the vegetable garden is the ability to place your cutting garden where it won’t be judged for its design. If you want to plant , black-eyed Susan, celosia, salvia and zinnias in straight rows that will always be cut down, interplant them with the vegetables where looks don’t count as much as function. Let them do dual duty as cut flowers and pollinator lures.
Interplanting vegetables, herbs and flowers is how the original cottage garden style evolved. Sectioning off gardens for specific types of plants was a luxury of the rich and leisured. Besides all of the benefits outlined above, if you are short of space or time, interplanting could be the answer to your gardening dilemma.
Mint - Growing and Using the Fragrant Herb Mint
By Marie Iannotti, About.com
See More about:
mint
shade gardening
frgrant flowers
herb gardening
Sponsored Links
Mint PlantsFind great deals and save! Compare products, prices & storeswww.Shopping.com
Mint PlantsOver 1,500 Seed, Plants, Trees, Shrubs & More - Save $25.00 Today.www.HenryFields.com
Fresh MintFun Facts And Ways To Use Fresh Mint Leaves. The Latest Mint Tips!LifeScript.com
Overview:
Plants in the mint family are very hardy perennials with vigorous growth habits. Mint, left to its own devices, will spread quickly and become a nuisance. However, it is very popular as a flavorful herb and the plants can be grown easily. Just try to chose a spot where you won’t mind the rampant growth or grow it in a confined space.
Mint really wants to be a ground cover. The long branches grow upward and then flop over and root, spreading the plant wherever it can reach. The spikes of white or pinkish flowers are attractive, but brief. However, they do attract bees, butterflies and even birds. Most mint plants are hybrids and will not grow true from seed.
Design Suggestions:
Many mints work well in herbal lawns. They will need to be kept mowed, if you plan on walking on them. But this will help control their spread and the scent will make the work more pleasant. Otherwise I highly recommend planting mint in pots and keeping them on patios or paved areas. There will be more than enough to harvest and you won’t have the high maintenance of keeping the plants in check.
Suggested Varieties:
Mint is one of the few culinary herbs that grows well in shady areas, although it can handle full sun if kept watered.
Cuttings of mint will root easily in soil or water and mature plants can be divided and transplanted. However you can start new plants from seed. Sow outdoors in late spring or start seed indoors about 8-10 weeks before the last frost. Keep soil moist until seed germinates.
Mint prefers a rich, moist soil with a slightly acidic pH between 6.5 and 7.0. If the soil is somewhat lean, top dress yearly with organic matter and apply an organic fertilizer mid-season, after shearing.
To contain the roots and limit spreading, you can grow mint in containers, above or sunk into the ground. Be careful to keep container mints from flopping over and touching the ground. Stems will root quickly, if given the chance.
Harvesting: Snip sprigs and leaves as needed.
If you don’t harvest your mint regularly, it will benefit greatly from a shearing mid-season. At some point, you will probably notice the stems getting longer and the leaves getting shorter. That’s the time to cut the plants back by 1/3 to ½ and get them sending out fresh new foliage again. You can do small patches at a time, if you have a lot of mint, and prolong the harvest season. All cuttings can be used, dried or frozen for later use. You can use, dry or freeze the cuttings.
Pests & Problems: Sometimes gets rust, which appears like small orange spots on the undersides of leaves. Use an organic fungicide and try to allow plants to dry between waterings.
Stressed plants may also be bothered by whitefly, spider mites, aphids, mealybugs.
Recipe Suggestions for Enjoying Your Fresh Mint
Interplanting Flowers and Herbs in the Vegetable Gardening
There is no rule that says vegetables and flowers can’t mix. In fact, the vegetable garden will benefit greatly from the addition of some flowers and herbs. It’s not just aesthetics that make flowers and herbs welcome in the vegetable garden. Interplanting flowers and herbs offers several beneficial features that can protect your vegetables from insect pests and even make them more productive.
Attract Pollinators -Vegetables don’t always have the showiest flowers. To make sure the bees can find your vegetable plants, interplant flowers with high nectar concentrations and / or in shades of blue, yellow or white. Some choices: cosmos, larkspur, mints, sunflowers, sweet peas and zinnias.
Attract Beneficial Insects - There are insects that are good to have in your garden, like ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps and ground beetles. As with every other insect, beneficial insects have certain preferences in plants. Interplant their favorites and you’ll eventually have insects patrolling your bad insects. Parsley, dill, coriander and flowers from the aster family are especially good for attracting beneficial insects.
Repel Garden Pest Insects - OK, this is a debatable point. But it’s worth further study and why not experiment in your garden? Some to try:
Anise Hyssop repels Cabbage Moths
Borage repels Tomato Hornworm
Catmint repels Aphids, Colorado Potato Beetles and Squash Bugs
Geraniums (Pelargonium) repel Japanese Beetles
Pot Marigolds repel Asparagus Beetles
Sage repels Cabbage Moths and Carrot Rust Flies
Trap Crops - If you can’t repel a pest, throw it a sacrificial plant. This is often accomplished with another vegetable crop, such as surrounding cabbage with a trap crop of collards to draw the diamondback moth. The pest insect will congregate on the trap crop, which is eventually pulled and disposed of. The most famous flower trap crop is probably the use of nasturtiums to attract aphids. Nicotiana is also good for this.
Biodiversity - In short, what all this interplanting is leading to is a very old gardening concept of biodiversity or planting a wide variety of things rather than a single, monocrop. Confuse insect pests by interplanting things they love with things they won’t touch. The symbiotic relationships between different plant species is still the subject of much study.
Cutting Garden Out of View - One final bonus of interplanting flowers in the vegetable garden is the ability to place your cutting garden where it won’t be judged for its design. If you want to plant , black-eyed Susan, celosia, salvia and zinnias in straight rows that will always be cut down, interplant them with the vegetables where looks don’t count as much as function. Let them do dual duty as cut flowers and pollinator lures.
Interplanting vegetables, herbs and flowers is how the original cottage garden style evolved. Sectioning off gardens for specific types of plants was a luxury of the rich and leisured. Besides all of the benefits outlined above, if you are short of space or time, interplanting could be the answer to your gardening dilemma.
Mint - Growing and Using the Fragrant Herb Mint
By Marie Iannotti, About.com
See More about:
mint
shade gardening
frgrant flowers
herb gardening
Sponsored Links
Mint PlantsFind great deals and save! Compare products, prices & storeswww.Shopping.com
Mint PlantsOver 1,500 Seed, Plants, Trees, Shrubs & More - Save $25.00 Today.www.HenryFields.com
Fresh MintFun Facts And Ways To Use Fresh Mint Leaves. The Latest Mint Tips!LifeScript.com
Overview:
Plants in the mint family are very hardy perennials with vigorous growth habits. Mint, left to its own devices, will spread quickly and become a nuisance. However, it is very popular as a flavorful herb and the plants can be grown easily. Just try to chose a spot where you won’t mind the rampant growth or grow it in a confined space.
Mint really wants to be a ground cover. The long branches grow upward and then flop over and root, spreading the plant wherever it can reach. The spikes of white or pinkish flowers are attractive, but brief. However, they do attract bees, butterflies and even birds. Most mint plants are hybrids and will not grow true from seed.
Design Suggestions:
Many mints work well in herbal lawns. They will need to be kept mowed, if you plan on walking on them. But this will help control their spread and the scent will make the work more pleasant. Otherwise I highly recommend planting mint in pots and keeping them on patios or paved areas. There will be more than enough to harvest and you won’t have the high maintenance of keeping the plants in check.
Suggested Varieties:
- Mentha piperita , Peppermint - The best for mint flavoring. (USDA Zones 5 - 11)
- M. piperita citrata cv., Orange Mint - One of the tangiest of the fruit flavored mints. (USDA Zones 4 - 11)
- Mentha suaveoloens , Apple Mint - Apple. Mint. What’s not to like? (USDA Zones 5 - 11)
- Mentha suaveolens variegata, Pineapple Mint - Variegated offshoot of apple mint. (USDA Zones 6 - 11)
Mint is one of the few culinary herbs that grows well in shady areas, although it can handle full sun if kept watered.
Cuttings of mint will root easily in soil or water and mature plants can be divided and transplanted. However you can start new plants from seed. Sow outdoors in late spring or start seed indoors about 8-10 weeks before the last frost. Keep soil moist until seed germinates.
Mint prefers a rich, moist soil with a slightly acidic pH between 6.5 and 7.0. If the soil is somewhat lean, top dress yearly with organic matter and apply an organic fertilizer mid-season, after shearing.
To contain the roots and limit spreading, you can grow mint in containers, above or sunk into the ground. Be careful to keep container mints from flopping over and touching the ground. Stems will root quickly, if given the chance.
Harvesting: Snip sprigs and leaves as needed.
If you don’t harvest your mint regularly, it will benefit greatly from a shearing mid-season. At some point, you will probably notice the stems getting longer and the leaves getting shorter. That’s the time to cut the plants back by 1/3 to ½ and get them sending out fresh new foliage again. You can do small patches at a time, if you have a lot of mint, and prolong the harvest season. All cuttings can be used, dried or frozen for later use. You can use, dry or freeze the cuttings.
Pests & Problems: Sometimes gets rust, which appears like small orange spots on the undersides of leaves. Use an organic fungicide and try to allow plants to dry between waterings.
Stressed plants may also be bothered by whitefly, spider mites, aphids, mealybugs.
Recipe Suggestions for Enjoying Your Fresh Mint
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