Cayenne, potatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant are all members of the Solonaceae family. Never eat the leaves, flowers, or stems of the cayenne pepper plant. Do not eat any of these parts of the cayenne plant because they can be toxic. The fruits are perfectly safe. There are a need that everybody has to be very careful about how much anybody used because these peppers are very hot.
The cayenne pepper is aan annual herbaceous and it grows up to 24 inches. Cayenne are probably native to South America. They are all cultivated plant at this time, but you still have some growing in the wild. Cayennes prefer to grow in hot and dry areas, so you can have long seasons and bright sunny days.
Cayenne needs to be started in late winter or early spring, indoors in a bright, sunny, warm, location. With cayenne seeds, they do not have to have any special treatment. The seedlings does like very warm temperatures to grow well. The germination is real good and it only takes one week. When everybody do all the right growing condition there will be 80 90 percent germination. After all danger of frost, this is when the plants can be transplant outdoors. I leave 12 inches between each of my cayenne plants. These plants require very little watering and they grow in clumps. Cayenne plants like full sun to grow. They also prefers dryish soil. There are two other herbs which are cilantro and basil that if I grow my cayenne close by this will enhance each of these herb's flavor. To harvest the cayenne you will need to pick the bright red fruits which are called chilies in late summer, or even in early fall. before the first frost comes.
Cayenne is one that many chefs uses this in their dishes as a flavoring. Cayenne is found at farmer's market. There are many medicinal benefits of using cayenne. They are used for heart, circulatory health, as well as for pain relief especially of the muscules and joints.
Summary Cayenne is a very good herb to have because it has many benifitical uses.
Different types of mints are in my herb garden. I like to have several different kinds of mints, because there are a lot of different uses that I will talk about later on in this blog.
First we need to learn more about mints, how to grow and harvest them. Mints are perennial, which means they will be back over the winter months. They grow in zones 5 to 9. Mints will grow up to 2 feet tall, but it depends on which species and cultivator they are. Their flowers will be tiny purple, pink, or white flowers that blooms above the leaves of your mint plants in mid to later summer. There leaves comes in many different shades of green, most of them with toothed edges.
Mints plants can be planted into my herb garden anytime from early spring through summer. Usually plant my mints in the spring, while I am planting other herbs or vegetables. Mints can tolerate both full sun and shade, but they really like it to be partial or filtered shade, so I keep a certain area in my garden just for my mints. I will add 1/2 inch of compost every other year, because high fertility levels will make them more likely to develop a disease like rust. Other diseases that mints can have are anthracnose, and verticllium wilt. I have to keep my eyes on my mint plants for these plants for these pests and they are cutworms, spider mites, aphids, and mint flea beetles. After my mint plants gets up to 6 to 8 inches tall, this is when I start harvesting them. I will gather the leafy stems in the morning after all of the dew is dried off. I will snip off the tips of branches. If I decided I wanted to dry some of my mints, which I usually ever time. For the ones that I am going to dry, I have to pick these mints before or after my plant has bloomed. I will cut stems 4 to 6 inches above the soil during early summer and a second cutting above the soil in the off for drying. I gather my mint together and hang them upside down to air dry. I have found that peppermint holds it fragrance and flavor better than the other different varieties of mints.
There are many different uses that I can use my different mints. Mints goes real good with meat, fish, and vegetable dishes, and I add fresh leaves to my salads and I add either fresh or dried mints to my dried beans, or cooked grains. I like to put some mints to my carrots, peas, and potatoes dishes. I use a lot of my different mints in my hot tea. Mints have a good fragrance so I like to add it to my potpourris and sachets.
This is a perennial herb that grows to three feet tall and lavender will grow in zones 5 to 8. The flowers on a lavender plant are lavender, blue-purple, pink, or white flowers during midsummer. Lavender s a highly aromatic with a highly aromatic with a real clean scent to it.
I always love having a herb garden, because I cooked with several different herbs, and with lavender flowers and leaves I like to use them in my homemade potpourris and sachets. I will plant my lavender seeds indoors about eight weeks before we will have our last spring frost. I will put my pots of lavenders seeds under a lot of light because they have to have light to germinate. After the threat of frost is over, I will then transplant my plants out in my herb garden. I always plant my lavender plants in full sun. Lavender likes to be planted in certain soil, so I will get my soil up to date. They like well-drained alkaline soil.
I love lavender because the plants flowers so pretty and their fragrance is great. When I go tout o my herb garden and I see that my lavender flower spikes and stems are nearly open, then it is time to harvest my lavender. I cut the flowers several inches below the bloom. Stems are cut to about one node of the woody growth if I am harvesting the leaves or if I am going to use in some of my arrangements. The lavender that I am going to use for my arrangements, I have to dry this amount. I usually will hand them upside down in a hot, well-ventilates location. Lavenders flowers whether dried or fresh can be added to baked goods and jellies.
I like to buy my oregano plants and I will pant them in my garden, where they can have full sun, which is where they like to be planted in. Oregano needs to be planted in well-drained, soil. I always let the top inch of the soil to dry out between the watering. I will plant my oregano plants, so they are 1 foot apart between each groups of plants. I watch out for these pests on my oregano plants, such as spider mites, aphids and leaf miners. The diseases that I look out for are leave spot and root rot. I harvest my oregano when the plant reaches 6 inches tall. I will harvest whole stems just before bloom for drying. Then I will cut the whole plant back to 2 to 3 inches above the ground in August, so it will grow new growth.
I take my scissors out to my garden and snip off the ends of the stems! I am going to dry oregano, I will cut off whole stems an inch or two above the soil. To dry, I will hang the leafy stems upside down to dry in the air! Oregano is used in tomato sauce. I use the leaves either fresh or dried in my vegetables, eggs, cheeses, and meats. Oregano can be added to olive oil and this will be a perfect seasoning for Italian dishes.
Basil is a tender annual and basil grows to a 1 to 2 feet tall, height will vary according to a cutivar.
I love to grow my own herbs and basil is definitely one that I always grow in my herb garden. Another reason I plant basil is because there are several different varieties for me to choose form. Most of time, I will planted several varieties of basil in my garden. Sweet basil is one and it has deep green glossy leaves with smooth edges. Anise basil has green leaves with purple veins. Lemon basil has small, sharply pointed light green leaves with smooth edges. Now, there are many more types of basil's.. Lemon basil is used for seasoning for fish dishes and they are used in salads. Genoves basil is used in pesto. Spicy Globe has good flavor to add to what you are cooking. Different basil's used for different uses. As for cooking. I use it fresh, dried, or frozen in pasta, vegetable soups, salads, egg dishes, shellfish, entrees and salad dressing. If I want to add flavor to my vinegars, all I do is add some basil to it. I will add some basil to my extra-virgin olive oil. I like to add some of my basil's to my flower arrangement for my home, especially the purple and the ruffled-leaves one, because of the fragrance and beauty of my basil's.
Now I would like to tell you how I planted and harvested my basil's. I will start my basil seeds inside so I can get a early harvest, and I do this six weeks before my last spring frost. After I know for sure, that I am not going to have anymore frost, I will my basil plants out in my garden. Basil like full sun, so this works for me, because my garden is in full sun.
They like well--drained, moist, nutrient rich soil. So before plant my basil plants in my garden, I will add one inch of compost in the area that they will be planted. After the soil warms, I will mulch with straw and this helps to retain high moisture levels. Each basil plant needs 12-18 inches space between them. I start harvesting my basils when the plants get to be 8 inches tall and before they start blooming, and you do this by cutting the leaves and stems. When I go out to harvest some of my basil. I always will do this on a dry day. After the harvesting has begun I will cut back the central stem, and I do this by taking the top two or three sets of leaves. New branches will form in the axis where there the leaves join the stem. Continue to pinch the branch tips, but I always leave a pair of new leaves below the cut, so I can keep getting more basil a pair of new leaves below the cut, so I can keep getting more basil. After I have harvest my basil, I will leave the stems in a cool place, standing in container of water. Sometimes I will hang some of my basil's up to dry. A lot of the time I will freeze the leaves after I blanch the leaves. Basil is also good to have when I am having a get together and we are eating outside, I just put some basil on the table and crush the leaves to release their fragrances and I do this because basil repels many flying insects. I like to be able to eat outside when the weather is nice and not have to be bother by bugs.
