Growing Oregano

How does your garden grow? To start growing oregano, you need to know which variety you want to sow. There are culinary and ornamental types of oregano. You cannot go wrong growing oregano, it is simple to cultivate, harvest, and consume!

For growing oregano for use in the kitchen, there are two common varieties:

'Greek Oregano' is used in Mediterranean style cooking. We associate this type most with oregano flavor.

'Wild Marjoram', Origanum vulgare, is popular in French cuisine; it has a less intense odor and sweeter taste.

Different varieties of growing oregano have purple or pink clusters that bloom in June. This perennial herb grows well in most temperate climates.

You may be surprised to learn that oregano is a member of the mint family. The Greek word oregano means "joy of the mountain." Oregano grew like wildfire on the hills in Greece. The shepherds encouraged the growth for their grazing flocks, believing the white flowered herb made the meat tender and tasty.

Plant oregano seeds in a worked bed, and cover lightly with well-drained soil. You can start seeds indoors and transplant when temperatures remain above 45 degrees F. This herb does not tolerate cold weather. Oregano plants can be placed in window boxes during the winter.

Make sure the ground does not retain water.

Do not add compost or fertilizer to the soil because it will alter the taste of the growing herb.

Do not over water. When growing oregano you can let the ground dry a tad, and then water lightly. You do not want the ground to be soaked.

If you cannot furnish a well-drained bed for the plants, try growing oregano in pots instead.

Place the oregano plants a foot apart. This flavorful herb needs at least eight hours of full sun each day.

Oregano may grow two foot high but normally it averages a height of ten to twelve inches.

Growing Oregano Tips

Do not use mulch on oregano plants that will retain moisture such as wood chips, straw, or grass. Using stone mulch helps prevent root rot.

Pinch off the flower heads if your plant begins to bloom to give you more oregano leaves at harvest time.

When the oregano has reached a height of around five inches, you can begin harvesting by pinching the leaves off the plants.

Cut the growing plant back about three inches continually throughout the season to encourage new growth.

Oregano Benefits

The most beneficial medical uses of growing oregano are for respiratory infections, arthritis, glaucoma, and hypertension.

For colds or flu, a small handful of oregano in a quart of boiling water is a natural remedy. Not only does this aromatherapy vaporize a head cold but also it leaves your skin soft and moisturized.

Oregano uses

Fresh oregano leaves are savory additions to soup, meats, sauces, salad dressings, and egg dishes.

Oregano can be dried and stored or chopped and saved in the freezer.

Growing oregano is as easy as pizza pie! The best part besides the flavor is having the herb available all year.

Michael Floren is a gardening enthusiast and has been Growing Oregano for more then a decade. Visit http://grow-herbs.net/ to learn more about growing oregano and other great herbs.

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Rosemary

Rosemary

(Rosmarinus Offinalis)

Medical Parts: Leaves, flowering tops.

Description: Rosemary is an evergreen shrub which originated in the Mediterranean area and is now widely cultivated for its aromatic leaves and as a kitchen seasoning.

Properties and Uses: Antispasmodic, cholagogue, emmenagogue, stimulant, stomachic. The stimulant action of rosemary helps promote liver function, the production of bile, and proper digestion. It also acts to raise blood pressure and improve circulation. Because of the genuine danger of poisoning, however, rosemary is more often used externally.1

As popular as rosemary is today, its' place in herb lore is what I find most fascinating. Rosemary flourishes in the Mediterranean area. Near the sea, there are veritable hedges of rosemary stretching as far as the eye can see, filling the air with its pungent, heady aroma.

In ages past rosemary was associated with female dominance; or as the old saying goes, "where rosemary flourishes the misses is master." So prevalent was this belief that men were known to come home late at night, pruning sheers in hand, to cut back the rosemary bushes near their front gate, before the neighbors started to talk.

In herb lore, rosemary was considered a useful remedy for headaches, upset stomach, to ward off disease or calm the brain. It was thought a sprig of rosemary placed beneath a child's pillow at night would keep away nightmares; and rosemary was often woven into the bridal bouquet as a symbol of fidelity.

Today, rosemary is as common in most spice cupboards as salt or pepper. While it may have lost some of its mystery over the intervening years, it has lost none of its usefulness. Rosemary is a common ingredient in many shampoos and conditioners, hand creams and cosmetics. (For a great hair tonic recipe please refer to my article on Nettles).

While dried rosemary can be purchased at virtually any grocery story, there is something immensely satisfying about growing the herb yourself. People often have difficulty growing rosemary, primarily because they treat it far too kindly.

Rosemary grows best in the temperate climate of the Mediterranean, but it does so in the highly acidic, sandy soil of the region. When planting rosemary, ignore the specialty packages of potting soil and fertilizers. If you happen to live in a region with very poor, sandy soil, you're definitely in luck. Stick the plant directly into that lousy sand, in a sunny location, water it generously, and then leave it alone. The less attention and care it gets, the better it will do.

Rosemary will also do well in a pot near your front gate (a fun way to torment your husband). Just remember to give it lousy soil and lots of sun. Rosemary does not do well if over-watered. It is also extremely difficult to get rosemary to grow well indoors. Not even my grandmother, raised in the Mediterranean and a rosemary enthusiast, could keep hers alive indoors.

I have had some success keeping rosemary alive through a mild winter by heavily covering the roots with a dense compost, then wrapping the entire plant in burlap. But if you live in a northern climate, you will probably have to settle for replanting each spring. Don't worry; with lots of sun, rosemary will grow quite rapidly.

1. The Herb Book, by John Lust. Benedict Lust Pub., May 1974

M.K. Welty hosts an informational website on herbs, herbal remedies and herbal gardening. For more great tips on Using Herbs or to locate purveyors of organic herbs and herbal remedies, Please visit us at: http://www.UsingHerbs.Com

If you are interested in learning the art of creating your own handmade herbal soaps, please visit our new site at: http://www.youcanmakesoap.com

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It Really is Easy Growing Herbs in Pots

Are you wondering about the best way to grow your herb garden? The benefits of growing herbs in pots are many. Growing herbs can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Read on to find out the easiest way to grow your herbs to perfection.

Because many herbs like to grow in warm secluded areas, planting your herbs in pots creates easy mobility for you to be able to accomplish their desired location. A lot of restaurants and hotels have their own potted herb garden in secluded areas where they can make sure that they have herbs constantly on demand. And it's just as possible for you to do the same! You will need to make a little bit of an initial investment, but the process of growing your own herbs in pots is well worth the time and effort spent. Your culinary masterpieces will be infinitely more tasty with fresh, home grown herbs adding flavor and spice. Follow the helpful tips below to make progress on your path to creating a healthy herb garden:

Choose an area where you will find really great sunlight. Find out how much sunlight your herb plants will need. You have to remember that most herbs will prefer to have certain amounts of sunlight and water on them. There are herbs like basil and rosemary that will grow very easily in the least amount of sunlight possible.

Water your plants with the proper amount of water for each herb. Some like dryer soil and some more moist. So do some more research on the herbs that you are choosing to plant.

If you are really determined to grow herbs and live in a climate that doesn't have adequate sunlight, you can also purchase supplemental lighting in the form of fluorescent lighting that can help to ensure that you have a healthy growing plants.

The type of soil that you are planting your herbs into is also important. Please remember that most of these plants are placed in sandy and well drained soil that just ensures that their roots do not rot. You can also easily use sandy soil with grouting along the base to make sure that your pot is well drained and kept clear of all water accumulation, because water accumulation can be quite devastating.

The top 3 herbs that are easy to grow in pots are:

Basil, used to flavor most Italian dishes, does well in pots because it requires an adequate amount of sunlight. This can be accomplished even indoors with the mobility abilities of being planted in a pot.

Sage, used to flavor soups and for roasts that use pork meat, is an easy to grow herb. Because it's important to not over water sage, this herb does well in pots where the chances of water accumulation are lowered.

Cilantro, used in many Mexican dishes, is a flavorful herb that is prone to leaf damage if not properly cared for. By having the plant visible, indoors, in a pot, the plucking of its leaves can be done on a regular basis to prevent it from seeding and flowering.

We hope these simple tips have helped you to find the right plants for growing in your potted herb garden. If you are not really sure of how to go about it, then keep in mind that you can get all the information that you want by searching on the internet or by asking the local gardeners. You may make mistakes at first, and that's okay. Another benefit of growing herbs in pots is having them indoors and visible so that you know as soon as the condition of your plant is not doing favorably. A quick fix of proper sunlight or water or leaf plucking will have you on the right garden path in no time!

Arthur McLay is a herb grower enthusiast and author of the book "The Secrets of Herb Growing". To learn more about growing herbs in pots visit http://www.herbgrowingcenter.com

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