Gardening
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Spearmint
Spearmint is a sweet mint that can be used for culinary and aroma therapeutic purposes. It grows well in moist soil and warm weather, but will tolerate drought and light frost. It’s flowers attract honeybees and other pollinators to the garden. Read on for tips to grow, harvest, and use this common garden mint. Growing Spearmint Spearmint is drought tolerate, but well watered spearmint will be finer, and brighter green in color. This is an herb that spreads quickly by its roots. Like most mint, spearmint will send out horizontal stems, and each leaf group will root into the soil. This makes spearmint an easy plant to separate and move…
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Sweet Basil
Sweet Basil is my absolute favorite thing in the garden. It smells wonderful, and grows prolifically in the hot, dry climate of Central California. I love to use fresh basil in hummus, pesto, and soups. Check out this recipe for hummus made with basil and artichoke. Growing Basil from Seed It is easy to grow basil from seed. It germinates within a week, but takes a few months to get big enough to start harvesting. For this reason, it may be best to start seedlings indoor and then transplant to the garden once it’s warm enough. Transplanting Basil Basil does well transplanted. Often, store bought potted basil will have several…
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Oregano
Oregano is a Mediterranean herb with small velvety leaves on long skinny stems. It is draught tolerate and grows well in the hot and dry climate of the California central valley. It can be used fresh or dried. It’s most commonly used as a dried herb in pizza and spaghetti sauces. Dried oregano can also be steeped into a tea; the strong flavor and aroma can clear sinuses and lift spirits. My favorite way to use oregano is fresh in a pesto sauce. My Oregano Pesto Recipe Harvesting Oregano Oregano is best harvested in the spring before it flowers. All you need is garden shears. Bunch the oregano together and cut…
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Japanese Maple
Japanese Maple trees are an elegant addition to any garden. They are petite trees with pretty and delicate leaves. The vast variety of colors they offer make them one of the most popular ornamental trees. They prefer shade, especially in warmer climates, and do not do well in direct sunlight. In home design, Japanese Maples are often placed on the north side of houses for this reason. Growing Japanese Maple from Seed Depending on the variety, growing a Japanese Maple tree from seed can be a long process. If you have a tree in your garden, it is likely that you will get a few volunteer seedlings with no effort…
