Herb Gardens

Mel Bartholomew’s All New Square Foot Gardening; Grow More in Less Space, is one of my all time favorite gardening books. Whether you are into growing herbs, flowers, vegetables, or a combination of all three, you should definitely check out this book. Visit Mel’s website to find out more about the square foot gardening method, or to order one of his publications.

I owned a copy of Mel’s first book, Square Foot Gardening, that was written in 1981. That book was totally falling apart, so I was happy to see he totaly revised and republished the book in 2005 as All New Square Foot Gardening. I bought the book after being a fan of Mel’s TV show for many years. Square Foot Gardening appeared on PBS from 1982 to 1986 and on the Discovery Network from 1989 to 1991.

ABOVE: A photo of the garden at my last house, which used the square foot gardening method. The garden was so densely planted, you couldn’t tell it utilized the square foot method.

Square foot gardening methods can be utilized by anyone, no mater what size their garden is. This method of gardening is all about maximizing your gardening space to get the most yield, with the smallest space and the least amount of effort. At my previous house in the neighborhood I currently live in, I tore up the entire front yard, had my husband install raised beds, and planted everything using the square foot gardening method. That house was certified as a Florida Yards & Neighborhood, thanks in part to my use of the square foot gardening methods.

The basic principals of square foot gardening are:

• efficient plant spacing
• never walk on soil
• soil improvement
• stop planting so much
• grow vertical
• optimal garden placement
• raised beds
• optimal garden size (smaller is better)

Take care,
Lynn Smythe

P.S. - I’ll be writing about the Florida Yards & Neighborhood program in a future post.

A few days ago I wrote about Eliot Coleman’s book The New Organic Grower. Today I’m writing about another one of Eliot’s book that is in my personal library - Four Season Harvest.

Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables From Your Home Garden All Year Long, was originally published in 1992. A revised and expanded edition was published in 1999 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company. I have a copy of the paperback book, which is 234 pages long. Four Season Harvest contains many b/w illustrations by Kathy Bray, and  color photographs taken by Eliot’s wife, Barbara Damrosch.

I currently live in a USDA gardening zone 10 in SE Florida, so I can pretty much garden year round. There is a bit of a problem with high heat and hummidity during the summer months, but heat loving crops such as peppers, okra and certain herbs can still be grown in the summer. I am doing research for having a four-season garden when we finally relocate to western North Carolina. We have 4 1/2 acres of land in an area which is a USDA zone 7. I would like to be able to grow salad greens, and other items, during the winter months.

Four Season Harvest discusses microclimates, cold frames, high tunnels, greenhouses, root cellars and other items which can be used by the home gardener to help extend their growing season into the winter months. It also discusses how certain crops, such as carrots, parsley and onions, can be left in the ground, and with a little protection, be harvested throughout the winter.

I can’t think of a better review of the book, than to quote a few words from Eliot himself, taken from his introduction to the book:

“The surprise of our winter garden is how simple it is. Winter vegetables will thrive in any winter climate with a little protection from wind and weather. No heating, or high-tech systems are necessary. The keys to success are a new attitude and new crops.”

I highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in growing their own herbs and vegetables.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe

I am a big fan of organic gardening, that’s how I grow all my herbs, vegetables and butterfly plants. My husband always threatens to go out and buy a big jug of Roundup, to spray all over the yard to kill the weeds. I don’t mind a few weeds, as long as I know that anything I pick from my yard is safe to eat. Leave the stinking chemicals for someone else.

I am also a big fan of Eliot Coleman. Eliot, along with his wife Barbara Damrosch, used to host the TV show, Gardening Naturally, on the Learning Channel. Eliot, with over 30 years of organic gardening experience, is the author of 3 books, and has contributed chapters to many other gardening books.

I own a copy of Eliot’s book The New Organic Grower; A Master Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener. The book, which was first published in 1989, was revised and expanded in 1995. The New Organic Grower, at 340 pages long, contains TONS of fantastic information on all aspects of organic gardening. Although parts of the book go into a bit too much detail for the average home gardener, there is still quite a bit of information that can be incorporated into your own organic garden.

I found the chapters on crop rotation, green manures, direct seeding and season extension to be particularily helpful. If I ever decided to start a small farm, the chapters on part-time help, marketing strategy and livestock will certainly be of interest. Don’t laugh, I have contemplated having a small farm for many years. We own 4 1/2 acres of virgin land in western North Carolina. A couple of goats to keep the weeds at bay, a couple of chickens for fresh eggs, a couple of guinea hens for pest control, maybe a donkey to be the guard dog/farm mascot - who knows!?!

I highly recommend getting a copy of The New Organic Grower for your own bookshelf. I also own a copy of Eliot’s book Four Season Harvest, which I will review in a future post to the Herb Gardens site.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe

Science Fair Project
My 7th grade daughter was a bit frantic tonight, as she was trying to figure out what topic to choose for her science fair project. The science fair project is the entire curriculum for the first three months of her honors science class. The project topic summary is due tomorrow, so she had to pick a project quickly! And it had to be a project she will enjoy, as she will be working on it everyday until the science fair which takes place in November. Three months is a long time to work on something you’re not interested in.

We had all three laptops running this evening, as my husband and I helped her to pick a project. We found many sites listing various science fair projects, I think that was the problem. She was totally overwhelmed by all the choices. One site had an A to Z listing of HUNDREDS of projects. YIKES - too many options!

I knew we had to pick something that I could help her with. Originally I thought it should be something to do with electronics or aviation, so her dad could help her out, but he seemed less than enthusiastic to help. Go figure. So we were looking at all the food, cooking, gardening and botany related projects, as those are all areas I have a bit of experience with. I finally came upon a recycling science project page and saw a listing for recycling coffee grinds.

EUREKA! I have been using used Starbucks coffee grinds in my organic garden for a number of years, with fantastic results. So here is my daughter’s final science project outline:

Topic:
Recycling Coffee Grinds in Organic Gardens

Question:
Can coffee grinds be used to fertilize plants?

I will be posting up additional information on the progress of the science fair project as it becomes available. I think we will be using tomato plants, in various soil to coffee grind ratios, and keeping track of how well they grow. Sounds like it can turn out to be a pretty cool science fair project. Or am I just living vicariously through my daughter? I don’t remember participating in any science fair projects when I was a kid - bummer.

ABOVE: Herb Gardens Author Lynn Smythe

Hello everyone,

I started the Herb Gardens blog back in April, and have enjoyed posting a variety of herb related information to the site ever since. Now that the site has been up for awhile, I thought I’d provide you a bit more background information on Herb Witch, the author of the Herb Gardens site.

The herbs and spices included on this site are either herbs that I have grown in my various gardens throughout the years, or ones that you can commonly purchase from your local farmer’s market and gardening centers.

I am a trained Natural Health Consultant and perpetual student of herbalism. I have conducted extensive research and continue to conduct studies in the fields of alternative medicine, aromatherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and naturopathy.

As a young preteen and teenager I spent many afternoons wandering the undeveloped forests of the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. In the fall I remember feasting on a variety of wild blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. At Christmas time I would help my mom collect pine boughs which were used to make aromatic balsam pillows and garlands that were used to decorate our house.

In later years my mother became interested in the identification and collecting of wild mushrooms. I remember her serving plates full of wild puff balls which had been sautéed with lots of sweet butter and fresh garlic. I also remember seeing, and avoiding, the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) on many of my journeys. Although I have some experience in the proper identification of wild mushrooms I would still rather buy my mushrooms from the grocery store just to be safe!

I have enjoyed cooking and gardening for many years. During my high school years I helped my mother weed her vegetable garden and always dreaded the bountiful zucchini harvest. We had so many zucchini from that garden that my mom even found a cookbook with over a 101 ways to cook zucchini, including a recipe for zucchini cake. It was quite an interesting item for a young girls palate to experience, but it didn’t make the zucchini disappear any faster.

When I was much older I commandeered my friends front yard and turned it into a garden which I filled with a plethora of bulbs and alpine plants. In the summer of 1991 I relocated to the south which was a bit of a shock. I went from a USDA Zone 4 garden in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, to a USDA Zone 10 garden in south east, Florida.

The path taken to become a herbalist will vary from person-to-person. My personal journey began a few years ago when I began to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. During this time I researched the many herbs such as dill, fennel, ginger, mint, and chamomile that could help with my various digestive problems. I began growing a multitude of herbs in order to keep a ready supply of medicinal herbs on hand for making my own tea blends. I joined my local herb society to learn what herbs grew well in the hot and humid south and began to write a monthly column for their newsletter in order to share my growing knowledge of herbs with my fellow society members.

My friends, neighbors, and family members began to ask me for advice on minor ailments such as upset stomachs, insomnia, and headaches. They also started to come to me whenever one of the  recipes they were following called for fresh herbs or when they needed advice on growing their own herbs and flowers. I started writing articles for publications such as The Herb Quarterly, Back Home, and Llewellyn Publications annual Herbal Almanac.

Thank you for visiting the Herb Gardens site. Have a pleasant visit, and enjoy your time here.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA Herb Witch