How to Plant Garlic

Garlic is a plant that many gardeners are curious about growing, but too few do. Fans of garlic tout its medical benefits, its culinary virtuosity, and its pest control effectiveness. With so much going for it, I find it mildly shocking that I'm one of the few gardeners I know who actually grows it. It's surprising because garlic is about as easy to grow as anything in your garden and provides such wonderful rewards.

There is nothing mysterious about planting garlic, but deciding on where you'll plant is important. Garlic is in the ground for six to nine months so you'll need a spot that is dedicated to it, where it won't interfere with or be impacted by other plants. I've planted my garlic in its own four-feet by four feet (1.2 meters) raised bed. The location should be in full sun.

My chosen bed with compost in place

Garlic will grow in a variety of soils, but it will do best in well-draining, well-amended soil. If you spend extra time preparing the bed you'll be rewarded with large, healthy bulbs. Add two to four inches of compost or aged manure on the soil surface. Work it into the soil with a tiller, spade, or garden fork. You want it to be incorporated throughout the soil to a depth of at least six inches (15 centimeters) and deeper if you can.

Turning in the compost

You can also add blood meal and bone meal to the soil to provide extra nitrogen and phosphorus. If you have pets that have access to the garden you may skip those amendments. Dogs and cats love to dig through soil with fresh, wet blood meal as they search for the source of a "fresh kill". Alfalfa meal is a good alternative. A balanced fertilizer works well too.

Garlic tends to do best in most regions when planted in the fall. The cloves are able to develop basic roots before the ground freezes and are in place to grow quickly when spring warmth returns. Garlic needs exposure to cold temperatures to sprout in spring and being in the ground during the winter provides that. One old tradition is to plant garlic on the shortest day of the year, 21 December or 21 June depending on your hemisphere. That may work for some temperate regions where the soil can still be worked, but for those of us who have frozen ground in winter it's a little too late.

For many gardeners, fall is the ideal time to plant. As long as they're in the ground at least three weeks before the ground begins to freeze, the cloves will have time to begin their development. It's okay if little green shoots poke through the soil during warm periods that will occur during winter. Garlic is very durable and can handle the cold.

In warm regions, planting garlic in early spring works well. The cloves will still need cold saturation so you'll need to store them in a cool, dry spot for three to four weeks. The temperature needs to remain below 50F degrees (10C) the entire time. Refrigerators (which should be set below 40F and 4C degrees) are a good solution.

After you've selected which garlic you'll grow (see my August blog, "Choosing Garlic for the Garden") and when you'll plant, find a good source for the bulbs. Your local nursery should have a selection of the best varieties for your location, but shop early because garlic tends to sell fast to the gardeners who have already discovered its benefits.

You want to choose symmetrical and firm bulbs. Avoid bulbs that have mold or fungus on them. There should be no soft spots when you squeeze them. Though many of the bulbs will be fully encased in the papery skin, look for the outline of the cloves; they should be full, consistent, and plump. Pass on the bulbs that already have green shoots sprouting from the top.

If you buy more than one variety, be sure to label the bulbs or bag them separately. Many of the cloves will look alike and you'll want to know which ones you've planted. Marking the row in the garden and planting the appropriate cloves will give you feedback as to which ones grow best and taste best after harvest.

Labeled so I don't forget

The bulbs will store for weeks after purchase so there's no rush to get them in the ground. It's a good idea to buy early and spend your time preparing the bed. When it is time to plant, separate the bulbs into the individual cloves. Don't pull apart the cloves until shortly before planting time. If they dry out it impacts their root development.

When you're ready, crack open the bulbs by gently prying off the outer cloves with your fingers, working your way to the center. With hardneck garlic, you have the center stalk exposed with the cloves growing around it; softneck garlic won't have the little stalk. Each clove will be attached to the basal plate at the bottom of the bulb, where the roots are. Separate all of the cloves. Some may want to stay attached to the basal plate. Try to remove it, but don't damage the clove in the process. It's okay if some of the old root base is attached when you plant the individual cloves.

The center stalk in hardneck garlic

While all of the cloves should grow into a garlic plant, you'll have best results by planting the larger ones. You can eat the smaller cloves or use them in pickles as I do. A typical bulb from the most popular varieties should provide you eight or ten good cloves for planting. If you crack the bulbs in a location other than right at the planting bed, label the cloves with a permanent marker or bag them separately. Again, you'll want to know which garlic is planted where.

Separated cloves ready for planting

Plant the cloves four to six inches apart (15 centimeters). Consider the ultimate size of the mature bulb when determining your spacing. Some garlic grows quite large so you'll want to plant farther apart. Some bulbs will be smaller when full-grown and can be spaced closer together. In a bed like mine, there is enough room for more than 60 cloves to be planted, allowing space around the borders for the bulbs to grow.

Cloves laid out for planting

I like to lay out all of the cloves I plan to plant on the surface of the bed. I can adjust the spacing as needed and it provides an "assembly line" process. I simply dig a hole with the trowel, place the clove, cover it with soil, and move on to the next. In the past when I planted without laying them all out, invariably I ended up planting two cloves in the same hole or got my rows out of alignment.

The cloves should be planted three to four inches deep (8 to10 centimeters).  Three inches is fine for most cloves, but plant large cloves deeper and also plant deeper in very loose soil that will settle and compact later. Place the clove in the hole pointy side up. The flat end that was attached to the basal plate is where the roots grow from and should be on the bottom. There should be about two inches (five centimeters) of soil from the top of the clove to the surface.

The clove in the hole

Cover the bed with about four to six inches of mulch (10 to 15 centimeters). I consider this a critical step. Mulch helps moderate the soil moisture, but more importantly moderates the soil temperature. In very cold regions the freezing and thawing of the soil during winter and early spring can heave the cloves out of the soil. This frost heave can tear roots and expose the cloves to damage. Mulch also helps reduce winter kill and reduces heat stress on hot summer days. Use thicker mulch in colder areas.

Adding straw mulch

In wet regions, the thick mulch isn't necessary and should probably be avoided. Mulch can keep waterlogged soil from drying out and that spells doom for the cloves that can rot when exposed to excess water. A thin layer to suppress weeds is appropriate.

Straw is a good mulch. It insulates well and allows the shoots no barrier to new growth. Dried leaves or a mix of dried leaves and dried grass is good and often in abundant supply in fall. I don't recommend hay grass; as I've written before, it tends to be full of seeds that sprout and turn into a blanket of weeds. Use an organic mulch that you can turn into the soil to amend it after you harvest the garlic. Pine needles are a good initial mulch but won't decompose as quickly when turned into the soil.

The finished job, ready for winter

Winter snow and spring rains will compress the mulch into a soft, thinner layer that effectively manages the soil through spring and summer. It will suppress weeds and help keep soil moisture and temperature under control. If a heavy layer was used in frigid winter zones, be prepared to remove some of it in spring. A final, spring layer two to three inches thick (5-8 centimeters) is all that is needed.

Water the garlic after planting and periodically through the winter. When the soil isn't frozen it should remain moist but not waterlogged or soggy. As I've said before, check the soil moisture before watering. With the mulch you will probably need to water much less than you expect. Avoid letting the soil dry out; not enough moisture will result in a smaller bulb that hasn't reached its full potential. Garlic won't need a lot of water in the fall and watering too much can hasten excess green growth.

Basic care for garlic is similar to other garden plants. Garlic likes minerals with its nutrients so fertilize about once a month in spring and early summer with a weak fish emulsion unless you have pet and animal pests. Compost tea, worm tea, and manure tea can be good alternatives.

I'll follow up in the months to come with more about garlic care, diseases, and, of course, harvesting. For now, get out there and get planting.

 

Garlic is a plant that many gardeners are curious about growing, but too few do. Fans of garlic tout its medical benefits, its culinary virtuosity, and its pest control effectiveness. With so much going for it, I find it mildly shocking that I'm one of the few gardeners I know who actually grows it. It's surprising because garlic is about as easy to grow as anything in your garden and provides such wonderful rewards.

There is nothing mysterious about planting garlic, but deciding on where you'll plant is important. Garlic is in the ground for six to nine months so you'll need a spot that is dedicated to it, where it won't interfere with or be impacted by other plants. I've planted my garlic in its own four-feet by four feet (1.2 meters) raised bed. The location should be in full sun.

My chosen bed with compost in place

Garlic will grow in a variety of soils, but it will do best in well-draining, well-amended soil. If you spend extra time preparing the bed you'll be rewarded with large, healthy bulbs. Add two to four inches of compost or aged manure on the soil surface. Work it into the soil with a tiller, spade, or garden fork. You want it to be incorporated throughout the soil to a depth of at least six inches (15 centimeters) and deeper if you can.

Turning in the compost

You can also add blood meal and bone meal to the soil to provide extra nitrogen and phosphorus. If you have pets that have access to the garden you may skip those amendments. Dogs and cats love to dig through soil with fresh, wet blood meal as they search for the source of a "fresh kill". Alfalfa meal is a good alternative. A balanced fertilizer works well too.

Garlic tends to do best in most regions when planted in the fall. The cloves are able to develop basic roots before the ground freezes and are in place to grow quickly when spring warmth returns. Garlic needs exposure to cold temperatures to sprout in spring and being in the ground during the winter provides that. One old tradition is to plant garlic on the shortest day of the year, 21 December or 21 June depending on your hemisphere. That may work for some temperate regions where the soil can still be worked, but for those of us who have frozen ground in winter it's a little too late.

For many gardeners, fall is the ideal time to plant. As long as they're in the ground at least three weeks before the ground begins to freeze, the cloves will have time to begin their development. It's okay if little green shoots poke through the soil during warm periods that will occur during winter. Garlic is very durable and can handle the cold.

In warm regions, planting garlic in early spring works well. The cloves will still need cold saturation so you'll need to store them in a cool, dry spot for three to four weeks. The temperature needs to remain below 50F degrees (10C) the entire time. Refrigerators (which should be set below 40F and 4C degrees) are a good solution.

After you've selected which garlic you'll grow (see my August blog, "Choosing Garlic for the Garden") and when you'll plant, find a good source for the bulbs. Your local nursery should have a selection of the best varieties for your location, but shop early because garlic tends to sell fast to the gardeners who have already discovered its benefits.

You want to choose symmetrical and firm bulbs. Avoid bulbs that have mold or fungus on them. There should be no soft spots when you squeeze them. Though many of the bulbs will be fully encased in the papery skin, look for the outline of the cloves; they should be full, consistent, and plump. Pass on the bulbs that already have green shoots sprouting from the top.

If you buy more than one variety, be sure to label the bulbs or bag them separately. Many of the cloves will look alike and you'll want to know which ones you've planted. Marking the row in the garden and planting the appropriate cloves will give you feedback as to which ones grow best and taste best after harvest.

Labeled so I don't forget

The bulbs will store for weeks after purchase so there's no rush to get them in the ground. It's a good idea to buy early and spend your time preparing the bed. When it is time to plant, separate the bulbs into the individual cloves. Don't pull apart the cloves until shortly before planting time. If they dry out it impacts their root development.

When you're ready, crack open the bulbs by gently prying off the outer cloves with your fingers, working your way to the center. With hardneck garlic, you have the center stalk exposed with the cloves growing around it; softneck garlic won't have the little stalk. Each clove will be attached to the basal plate at the bottom of the bulb, where the roots are. Separate all of the cloves. Some may want to stay attached to the basal plate. Try to remove it, but don't damage the clove in the process. It's okay if some of the old root base is attached when you plant the individual cloves.

The center stalk in hardneck garlic

While all of the cloves should grow into a garlic plant, you'll have best results by planting the larger ones. You can eat the smaller cloves or use them in pickles as I do. A typical bulb from the most popular varieties should provide you eight or ten good cloves for planting. If you crack the bulbs in a location other than right at the planting bed, label the cloves with a permanent marker or bag them separately. Again, you'll want to know which garlic is planted where.

Separated cloves ready for planting

Plant the cloves four to six inches apart (15 centimeters). Consider the ultimate size of the mature bulb when determining your spacing. Some garlic grows quite large so you'll want to plant farther apart. Some bulbs will be smaller when full-grown and can be spaced closer together. In a bed like mine, there is enough room for more than 60 cloves to be planted, allowing space around the borders for the bulbs to grow.

Cloves laid out for planting

I like to lay out all of the cloves I plan to plant on the surface of the bed. I can adjust the spacing as needed and it provides an "assembly line" process. I simply dig a hole with the trowel, place the clove, cover it with soil, and move on to the next. In the past when I planted without laying them all out, invariably I ended up planting two cloves in the same hole or got my rows out of alignment.

The cloves should be planted three to four inches deep (8 to10 centimeters).  Three inches is fine for most cloves, but plant large cloves deeper and also plant deeper in very loose soil that will settle and compact later. Place the clove in the hole pointy side up. The flat end that was attached to the basal plate is where the roots grow from and should be on the bottom. There should be about two inches (five centimeters) of soil from the top of the clove to the surface.

The clove in the hole

Cover the bed with about four to six inches of mulch (10 to 15 centimeters). I consider this a critical step. Mulch helps moderate the soil moisture, but more importantly moderates the soil temperature. In very cold regions the freezing and thawing of the soil during winter and early spring can heave the cloves out of the soil. This frost heave can tear roots and expose the cloves to damage. Mulch also helps reduce winter kill and reduces heat stress on hot summer days. Use thicker mulch in colder areas.

Adding straw mulch

In wet regions, the thick mulch isn't necessary and should probably be avoided. Mulch can keep waterlogged soil from drying out and that spells doom for the cloves that can rot when exposed to excess water. A thin layer to suppress weeds is appropriate.

Straw is a good mulch. It insulates well and allows the shoots no barrier to new growth. Dried leaves or a mix of dried leaves and dried grass is good and often in abundant supply in fall. I don't recommend hay grass; as I've written before, it tends to be full of seeds that sprout and turn into a blanket of weeds. Use an organic mulch that you can turn into the soil to amend it after you harvest the garlic. Pine needles are a good initial mulch but won't decompose as quickly when turned into the soil.

The finished job, ready for winter

Winter snow and spring rains will compress the mulch into a soft, thinner layer that effectively manages the soil through spring and summer. It will suppress weeds and help keep soil moisture and temperature under control. If a heavy layer was used in frigid winter zones, be prepared to remove some of it in spring. A final, spring layer two to three inches thick (5-8 centimeters) is all that is needed.

Water the garlic after planting and periodically through the winter. When the soil isn't frozen it should remain moist but not waterlogged or soggy. As I've said before, check the soil moisture before watering. With the mulch you will probably need to water much less than you expect. Avoid letting the soil dry out; not enough moisture will result in a smaller bulb that hasn't reached its full potential. Garlic won't need a lot of water in the fall and watering too much can hasten excess green growth.

Basic care for garlic is similar to other garden plants. Garlic likes minerals with its nutrients so fertilize about once a month in spring and early summer with a weak fish emulsion unless you have pet and animal pests. Compost tea, worm tea, and manure tea can be good alternatives.

I'll follow up in the months to come with more about garlic care, diseases, and, of course, harvesting. For now, get out there and get planting.

 

Selecting Herbs for the Garden

Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow and can produce a wonderful harvest in a small garden space. While tomatoes can be finicky and zucchini can be too zealous, herbs quietly produce fragrance, texture, color, and, of course, taste.

Herbs in my garden

Some gardeners think selecting appropriate herbs for the garden can be a challenge given the large selection available, but I think it can be quite easy if you take a few moments to identify your desires. Herbs are used in just a few basic ways: the culinary use in the kitchen; as fragrances for items like sachets or soaps; to add variety and interest to the garden; or for the medicinal benefits some plants can offer. Within each of these categories it's easy to choose the best plants.

A primary benefit for me personally is the culinary aspect that herbs offer. I love to cook and like to use natural ingredients. When I make a nice homemade spaghetti sauce, it's a simple chore to step to my herb garden, snip off some thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage, and add them to the simmering sauce. For a special flavor when roasting chicken, I'll pull off some tarragon leaves and slide them under the skin before placing it in the oven. The basil is great in salads and pesto. I make tea from the mint and lemon balm (see my article "Tea in the Garden II"). When I make pickles I use my own dill.


My wife has discovered the special quality that herbs add to handmade soap and bath products (see her products at www.sudsnbuds.com). She'll make a luxurious batch of lavender soap and sprinkle lavender flowers on the top before it hardens. She has made silky soap with mint fragrance and added some of my crushed mint leaves for extra aroma and texture. Lemon balm, rosemary, and sage have found their way into her bath products. I added a new bed to the garden devoted to new herb plants specifically for her use.

My wife's lavender soap

We've identified how we like to use garden herbs and that's the first step in deciding what to plant. Rather than select plants at random and then try to find a use for them, determine how you currently use herbs and plant accordingly.

Are you a cook? If you cook Italian food, plant parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. If you like Mexican food, go with basil, cumin, cilantro and parsley to match with the tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos in your vegetable garden. For French cooking try tarragon, chives, parsley and chervil. For Greek food grow mint, marjoram, fennel, and dill. Look in your spice cabinet and see which herb bottles are empty and grow those.

Tarragon and oregano in my garden

If you want to focus on making tea, start with mint, lemon balm, and chamomile. Lemon verbana, sage, anise hyssop, and lemon thyme make fragrant teas. Lavender, fennel, and rose hips can be brewed too.

Do you want to make sachets or fragrant pillows? Lavender, mint, rosemary, lemon balm and thyme will hold their aromas for a long time.

I won't spend much time on the aesthetic or medicinal values of herbs. To me, every herb can add visual interest to a garden. The colors, textures, and shapes of herb plants will benefit your landscape even if you never use the leaves, flowers, or seeds for any other purpose. As to the medicinal aspect of herbs, the uses are quite subjective with some people strong advocates of their qualities and others doubtful. If you use herbs medicinally, then growing them in your garden makes perfect sense.

By beginning the selection process with your intended use, choosing the types of plants to grow is easy. The next step is to figure out which herbs are appropriate for your garden. While most herbs can be grown in a typical garden, some do better than others. Identify the space you have to grow in and how much time you want to invest. Few of the plants take up a lot of space, so a small area can be home to many different types.

Basil grows easily from seed and is available in almost every garden center and nursery as starter plants. It will produce throughout the summer, may wilt in a the hot sun, and will die in the cold of winter. You have to plant new basil every year. Chives grow well from seeds or starter plants, but can handle the cold and will return every year in a bigger clump. You'll only need to plant once.

Cilantro, or coriander, offers two uses. The leaves are great in salsa, salads, and a number of ethnic dishes, and the seeds can be ground or used whole. The plants will die in the cold, but they produce seed graciously and grow quickly. Dill is similar, with leaves and seeds producing vibrant flavors in food. I plant my dill in a wine barrel half and new plants pop up every year from the previous season's seeds.

Dill setting seed

Mint returns with gusto every year even after a cold winter. It grows so well that it can easily overtake a garden and become a weed. I strongly recommend planting it in pots or containers that will limit its growth. You can find pineapple mint, chocolate mint, spearmint, peppermint, and many other types, each with a slightly different minty fragrance.

Thyme, tarragon, oregano, and sage will faithfully return every spring. In most Zone 5 gardens, and above, they should be considered perennial plants. Rosemary and lemon balm will return if the winter wasn't too harsh.

Sage ready for harvest

If you have a particular herb in mind, look at a seed packet, ask about it at a nursery, or do an online search. You might be surprised to find that it will be perennial. Even if it is considered an annual, you should be able to plant seeds or potted plants and be able to harvest during and at the end of the season.

If you don't grow herbs, consider starting. If you do grow herbs, think about adding more. Fresh, dried, or frozen, they're easy to grow and easy to use.

Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow and can produce a wonderful harvest in a small garden space. While tomatoes can be finicky and zucchini can be too zealous, herbs quietly produce fragrance, texture, color, and, of course, taste.

Herbs in my garden

Some gardeners think selecting appropriate herbs for the garden can be a challenge given the large selection available, but I think it can be quite easy if you take a few moments to identify your desires. Herbs are used in just a few basic ways: the culinary use in the kitchen; as fragrances for items like sachets or soaps; to add variety and interest to the garden; or for the medicinal benefits some plants can offer. Within each of these categories it's easy to choose the best plants.

A primary benefit for me personally is the culinary aspect that herbs offer. I love to cook and like to use natural ingredients. When I make a nice homemade spaghetti sauce, it's a simple chore to step to my herb garden, snip off some thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage, and add them to the simmering sauce. For a special flavor when roasting chicken, I'll pull off some tarragon leaves and slide them under the skin before placing it in the oven. The basil is great in salads and pesto. I make tea from the mint and lemon balm (see my article "Tea in the Garden II"). When I make pickles I use my own dill.


My wife has discovered the special quality that herbs add to handmade soap and bath products (see her products at www.sudsnbuds.com). She'll make a luxurious batch of lavender soap and sprinkle lavender flowers on the top before it hardens. She has made silky soap with mint fragrance and added some of my crushed mint leaves for extra aroma and texture. Lemon balm, rosemary, and sage have found their way into her bath products. I added a new bed to the garden devoted to new herb plants specifically for her use.

My wife's lavender soap

We've identified how we like to use garden herbs and that's the first step in deciding what to plant. Rather than select plants at random and then try to find a use for them, determine how you currently use herbs and plant accordingly.

Are you a cook? If you cook Italian food, plant parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. If you like Mexican food, go with basil, cumin, cilantro and parsley to match with the tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos in your vegetable garden. For French cooking try tarragon, chives, parsley and chervil. For Greek food grow mint, marjoram, fennel, and dill. Look in your spice cabinet and see which herb bottles are empty and grow those.

Tarragon and oregano in my garden

If you want to focus on making tea, start with mint, lemon balm, and chamomile. Lemon verbana, sage, anise hyssop, and lemon thyme make fragrant teas. Lavender, fennel, and rose hips can be brewed too.

Do you want to make sachets or fragrant pillows? Lavender, mint, rosemary, lemon balm and thyme will hold their aromas for a long time.

I won't spend much time on the aesthetic or medicinal values of herbs. To me, every herb can add visual interest to a garden. The colors, textures, and shapes of herb plants will benefit your landscape even if you never use the leaves, flowers, or seeds for any other purpose. As to the medicinal aspect of herbs, the uses are quite subjective with some people strong advocates of their qualities and others doubtful. If you use herbs medicinally, then growing them in your garden makes perfect sense.

By beginning the selection process with your intended use, choosing the types of plants to grow is easy. The next step is to figure out which herbs are appropriate for your garden. While most herbs can be grown in a typical garden, some do better than others. Identify the space you have to grow in and how much time you want to invest. Few of the plants take up a lot of space, so a small area can be home to many different types.

Basil grows easily from seed and is available in almost every garden center and nursery as starter plants. It will produce throughout the summer, may wilt in a the hot sun, and will die in the cold of winter. You have to plant new basil every year. Chives grow well from seeds or starter plants, but can handle the cold and will return every year in a bigger clump. You'll only need to plant once.

Cilantro, or coriander, offers two uses. The leaves are great in salsa, salads, and a number of ethnic dishes, and the seeds can be ground or used whole. The plants will die in the cold, but they produce seed graciously and grow quickly. Dill is similar, with leaves and seeds producing vibrant flavors in food. I plant my dill in a wine barrel half and new plants pop up every year from the previous season's seeds.

Dill setting seed

Mint returns with gusto every year even after a cold winter. It grows so well that it can easily overtake a garden and become a weed. I strongly recommend planting it in pots or containers that will limit its growth. You can find pineapple mint, chocolate mint, spearmint, peppermint, and many other types, each with a slightly different minty fragrance.

Thyme, tarragon, oregano, and sage will faithfully return every spring. In most Zone 5 gardens, and above, they should be considered perennial plants. Rosemary and lemon balm will return if the winter wasn't too harsh.

Sage ready for harvest

If you have a particular herb in mind, look at a seed packet, ask about it at a nursery, or do an online search. You might be surprised to find that it will be perennial. Even if it is considered an annual, you should be able to plant seeds or potted plants and be able to harvest during and at the end of the season.

If you don't grow herbs, consider starting. If you do grow herbs, think about adding more. Fresh, dried, or frozen, they're easy to grow and easy to use.

Tea in the Garden II

Herbs are a great addition to any garden. They're easy to grow in a small plot or pot, add fragrance and texture to the landscape, and offer you a ticket to many culinary adventures. For me, few things are as enjoyable as a walk to my herb garden to snip off a little fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, and toss it all into a pot of simmering tomatoes. Who knew that Simon and Garfunkel were singing about a recipe for spaghetti sauce.

In the next few days I'll harvest my sage, rosemary, and thyme, along with oregano and tarragon. After they're finished drying, I'll crumble them and fill the little glass bottles that already have printed labels on them. Those are the bottles of mass-produced herbs that I bought at the grocery store years ago. I've reused the bottles over and over again to hold my own herbs. I don't remember the last time our household purchased those common herbs; each year's harvest is enough to sustain us through the winter until fresh herbs sprout again.

This is a pattern I've followed season after season. When the tomato or pepper production suffered, the herbs were always providing useful crops. When the pumpkins or corn failed to produce adequate quantities, the herbs offered a glimmer of success. This year I decided to expand on that dependability and branch out a little.

Peparing the herbs for drying.

A few weeks ago I harvested bunches of peppermint and lemon balm. I washed them, tied them into small bundles, and hung them to dry in a clean corner of our guest room. Today I took a few sprigs of the dried peppermint, crushed the leaves, and tucked them into my tea ball. After a healthy splash of hot water and a few minutes of steeping, I was rewarded with a fresh cup of peppermint tea. A very good cup of peppermint tea.

Just up the road from us in Boulder, Colorado, is the Celestial Seasonings tea factory. Every bag of Celestial Seasonings tea that you buy in this country is produced at that plant. They offer free tours and one of the highlights is the mint room. The fragrant oils in mint are so powerful that they'll affect the taste of the other tea ingredients stored in the warehouse so they store the mint in its own separate room. It's an overwhelming experience and one that will clear out your sinuses for weeks to come.

A mid-winter delight, when snow blankets the ground, is to sit in front of the fire with my wife and sip a hot cup of mint tea. Traditionally it's a Celestial Seasonings mint tea because we always seem to come home with boxes of it after visiting the factory. The cup I made today, with my own leaves, tasted just like that mid-winter brew. Actually, it tasted a little better because it was from my garden.

I certainly don't intend to put the company out of business and I'll continue to buy many of their other blends, but I was able to replicate one of their successes with one of my own. It felt good.

Mint has been part of my garden for years, but it was usually used as a garnish. In years past I intended to use it for tea, but other gardening chores always seemed to have a higher priority. I grew chamomile for the purpose of making tea, but that fell short too. This year, with focus and determination, I finally fulfilled the goal I set of making a cup of tea from my own harvest. It will be the first of many.

Too often we have plans for our plants and then time and weather intervene and upset the cart. The little successes are what makes gardening so enjoyable and I suggest you find as many successes as you can. Herbs can be the conduit to continued success. I'll continue to experiment with herb blends for tea and see what happens. That's how Celestial Seasonings started. Who knows where it will lead me or you, if you do the same.

Herbs are a great addition to any garden. They're easy to grow in a small plot or pot, add fragrance and texture to the landscape, and offer you a ticket to many culinary adventures. For me, few things are as enjoyable as a walk to my herb garden to snip off a little fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, and toss it all into a pot of simmering tomatoes. Who knew that Simon and Garfunkel were singing about a recipe for spaghetti sauce.

In the next few days I'll harvest my sage, rosemary, and thyme, along with oregano and tarragon. After they're finished drying, I'll crumble them and fill the little glass bottles that already have printed labels on them. Those are the bottles of mass-produced herbs that I bought at the grocery store years ago. I've reused the bottles over and over again to hold my own herbs. I don't remember the last time our household purchased those common herbs; each year's harvest is enough to sustain us through the winter until fresh herbs sprout again.

This is a pattern I've followed season after season. When the tomato or pepper production suffered, the herbs were always providing useful crops. When the pumpkins or corn failed to produce adequate quantities, the herbs offered a glimmer of success. This year I decided to expand on that dependability and branch out a little.

Peparing the herbs for drying.

A few weeks ago I harvested bunches of peppermint and lemon balm. I washed them, tied them into small bundles, and hung them to dry in a clean corner of our guest room. Today I took a few sprigs of the dried peppermint, crushed the leaves, and tucked them into my tea ball. After a healthy splash of hot water and a few minutes of steeping, I was rewarded with a fresh cup of peppermint tea. A very good cup of peppermint tea.

Just up the road from us in Boulder, Colorado, is the Celestial Seasonings tea factory. Every bag of Celestial Seasonings tea that you buy in this country is produced at that plant. They offer free tours and one of the highlights is the mint room. The fragrant oils in mint are so powerful that they'll affect the taste of the other tea ingredients stored in the warehouse so they store the mint in its own separate room. It's an overwhelming experience and one that will clear out your sinuses for weeks to come.

A mid-winter delight, when snow blankets the ground, is to sit in front of the fire with my wife and sip a hot cup of mint tea. Traditionally it's a Celestial Seasonings mint tea because we always seem to come home with boxes of it after visiting the factory. The cup I made today, with my own leaves, tasted just like that mid-winter brew. Actually, it tasted a little better because it was from my garden.

I certainly don't intend to put the company out of business and I'll continue to buy many of their other blends, but I was able to replicate one of their successes with one of my own. It felt good.

Mint has been part of my garden for years, but it was usually used as a garnish. In years past I intended to use it for tea, but other gardening chores always seemed to have a higher priority. I grew chamomile for the purpose of making tea, but that fell short too. This year, with focus and determination, I finally fulfilled the goal I set of making a cup of tea from my own harvest. It will be the first of many.

Too often we have plans for our plants and then time and weather intervene and upset the cart. The little successes are what makes gardening so enjoyable and I suggest you find as many successes as you can. Herbs can be the conduit to continued success. I'll continue to experiment with herb blends for tea and see what happens. That's how Celestial Seasonings started. Who knows where it will lead me or you, if you do the same.

Presto It's Pesto

Another gardening dream came true. For years I've grown basil, an herb that adds aroma to the garden and savory flavor to the palate. In my garden, it's never grown to abundance because I regularly pluck off leaves during the summer to pair with fresh tomatoes and mozarella cheese, a delectable salad when drizzled with balsamic vinegar. I've always wanted to make pesto, but never seemed to have enough basil to fulfill the requirements of standard recipes.

A portion of my herb garden

Today I harvested a large bowl of leaves and immediately made a classic pesto. Some pine nuts, some Turkish extra virgin olive oil that was a gift from my good friend Della, some parmigiano reggiano cheese, some garlic, and the fresh basil combined into a delicious concoction. I sliced off a small piece off crusty ciabatta bread, spread a thick layer of the pesto, took a bite, and promptly soared to heaven.

Gardening brings satisfaction and joy on many levels. Chief among the enjoyment is savoring the moments of harvest when you taste the results of your labor. The warm, ripe tomato fresh from the vine. The sweet, yellow ear of corn. The crunch and flavor of sweet peas. The exploding wetness of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The slobbery mouthful of melon. And now I add the spicy freshness of basil in pesto.

I garden because I enjoy the process. I like planning and planting. I even enjoy fertilizing and weeding. But the process has an end result and that is the harvest. I've had years with only one or two tomatoes being produced. I've seen thousands of apricot blossoms frozen by a spring frost. I've had birds destroy nearly an entire season's supply of apples. I've had many green pumpkins and green tomatoes when the ground is white. Even with results that others might deem as failure, I've persevered and enjoyed doing it all over again.

Enjoying a fresh herb like I did today makes an entire year memorable. There have been many successes in my garden this summer and a few setbacks, but the good memories will remain. My first pesto only happens once. It took years to make it happen and it was well worth it.

Another gardening dream came true. For years I've grown basil, an herb that adds aroma to the garden and savory flavor to the palate. In my garden, it's never grown to abundance because I regularly pluck off leaves during the summer to pair with fresh tomatoes and mozarella cheese, a delectable salad when drizzled with balsamic vinegar. I've always wanted to make pesto, but never seemed to have enough basil to fulfill the requirements of standard recipes.

A portion of my herb garden

Today I harvested a large bowl of leaves and immediately made a classic pesto. Some pine nuts, some Turkish extra virgin olive oil that was a gift from my good friend Della, some parmigiano reggiano cheese, some garlic, and the fresh basil combined into a delicious concoction. I sliced off a small piece off crusty ciabatta bread, spread a thick layer of the pesto, took a bite, and promptly soared to heaven.

Gardening brings satisfaction and joy on many levels. Chief among the enjoyment is savoring the moments of harvest when you taste the results of your labor. The warm, ripe tomato fresh from the vine. The sweet, yellow ear of corn. The crunch and flavor of sweet peas. The exploding wetness of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The slobbery mouthful of melon. And now I add the spicy freshness of basil in pesto.

I garden because I enjoy the process. I like planning and planting. I even enjoy fertilizing and weeding. But the process has an end result and that is the harvest. I've had years with only one or two tomatoes being produced. I've seen thousands of apricot blossoms frozen by a spring frost. I've had birds destroy nearly an entire season's supply of apples. I've had many green pumpkins and green tomatoes when the ground is white. Even with results that others might deem as failure, I've persevered and enjoyed doing it all over again.

Enjoying a fresh herb like I did today makes an entire year memorable. There have been many successes in my garden this summer and a few setbacks, but the good memories will remain. My first pesto only happens once. It took years to make it happen and it was well worth it.