Maintaining Your Garden
Although some people may regard garden maintenance as a lot of work, I consider weeding and other chores as a labor of love. Nurturing the garden will come full circle when the plants nurture us in remedies.
The Vital Tasks of Watering and Weeding
Watering and weeding are two important garden tasks. Watering is essential, of course, but it can be a stumbling block for new gardeners. Don’t just water the surface, give the ground a good soaking because watering deep is important for root development. However, too much water is just as detrimental as too little because roots sitting in waterlogged soil will rot. The trick is to water slowly at the base of the plants so it soaks into the soil and does not form puddles.
Because temperatures and humidity are constantly changing, when and how much you water will vary throughout the season. Use your fingers to check for moisture a couple of inches below the surface of the soil, and then follow the needs for the types of herbs you have planted. By paying attention to how quickly or slowly the soil dries out, you will get a good feel for the particular needs of your garden. Water the garden early in the morning. This way, the water will soak into the soil rather than evaporate during the heat of the day. Watering early also gives the foliage time to dry, which helps avoid the development of fungal disease.
Plan to spend some time each week removing weeds. Most herbs are slow growers and weeds can quickly take over, robbing them of water resources and space. The greatest amount of weeds show up in the early part of the season, so keeping them under control is important when herbs are in the early stages of their growth cycle and just getting established. As previously mentioned, mulch helps keep weeds down but too much can keep the soil too moist for many herbs. It may seem like a fine line to walk, but experiment to see whether mulching or not mulching works best for your garden.
Be sure to get rid of weeds before they go to seed or you will have a lot more to contend with later. Pull them out by hand and dig as little as possible to avoid disturbing herb roots. Also, weeding is easier after a rain shower when the ground is soft. Doing a little weeding often is an easy way to keep them in check.
Propagation: Making More Plants
At some point you may want to propagate your plants so you have more without having to purchase them. There are four methods that are easy to do, however, not all plants can be propagated by all four methods. Specific information on appropriate propagation methods is included for each herb in Part 3. The four propagation methods are seed, division, cutting, and layering.
Seed: Starting plants from seed was covered in the previous chapter. Seeds can be purchased or you can gather them from many of your existing plants.
Division: This refers to dividing the plant’s roots. To do this, dig up the entire root ball and then pull it apart into two or three pieces. Some fibrous roots may need to be cut apart. While this can be done with a shovel, a spading fork makes this task easier. Once the root ball has been separated, dig a hole for each piece and plant them. This can be done in the autumn, however, if you do it in the spring the new plants will have more time to get established.
Cutting: Starting at the top of the plant, move down at least five leaves and cut off the top part of a stem. Cut on an angle rather than straight across to expose more of the interior stem. Remove a few of the bottom leaves from the cutting to have enough of a stem to plant. Place it in a container with potting mix and set it away from direct sunlight. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. The cutting will produce its own root system.
Layering: In this method, a piece of stem produces its own root system before being cut from the original plant. Carefully bend a lower stem so part of it lays along the ground. It helps to pin it in place. To make some pins, take a wire coat hanger and cut the sides off creating a U-shaped wire. Carefully push one pin into the ground to gently hold the stem in place. If necessary, use two pins. Cover that part of the stem with a little soil and water it. That is the point at which it will develop roots. Give it a few weeks and then carefully move some of the soil to check for roots. If they have developed, cut the stem close to the original plant and transplant the new one in its own location.
Winter Care: Tuck Your Garden in for the Season
At least several weeks before frost is expected, turn under the soil where any annuals grew and cut back the other herbs. If you have a fireplace, keep woody stems of lavender to toss into the fire during the winter for an aromatic treat. Autumn leaves are timed perfectly for use as a protective winter mulch around the base of biennials and perennials. Mulching will also prevent erosion from rain and snow melt. Straw also makes a good winter mulch.
An easy way to mulch is to scatter oat seeds around the garden and cover lightly with soil. In a week or two little shoots will appear. Don’t worry about oats overtaking the garden because the first good frost will kill it off. The grassy oat leaves create a mulch that can be turned over and worked into the soil in the spring. No matter what you use as mulch, in the early spring after the threat of frost ends pull the mulch back from the base of the plants to allow air circulation around the stems, which will prevent rot.
Depending on your zone, tender perennials may need to be over-wintered in a garage or in the house. If the herbs were not grown in containers, transplant them into pots. Just like hardening off in the spring, gradually move the potted herbs to their new locations so they have time to adjust to the different conditions. Also, check that you are not moving pests inside, which could infest other houseplants. Make sure these new indoor plants get the right amount of sunlight.
After the harvest and clean up, the remaining parts of plants can go on the compost pile. Like the garden, tucking your compost pile in for the season will protect it. Some microbes remain active in the winter and protecting the pile will have it ready to go earlier next spring. If you created the pile with cinder blocks, bricks, or stones, your protective barrier is already in place. Securing a tarp over it can help keep it dry. Another way to get it ready for winter is to put leaves and branches on the compost pile and then top it off with some soil. After the winter holidays, I recycle my Yule wreath by placing it on top of the pile. This works nicely to protect it and in the spring I chop the wreath into small pieces and mix them in with the compost.