herb gardening for dummies

Karan Davis Cutler Kathleen Fisher Suzanne DeJohn The Editors of the National Gardening Association Learn to: • Choose, plant, and care for herbs • Prevent pests and disease from invading yo ur containers • Use homegrown herbs to boost your healt h, add flavor to meals, and save money Herb Gardening 2nd Edition Making Everything Easier! ™ Open the book and find: • How to grow herbs in gardens, containers, and on windowsills • Culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, and herbs for health and beauty • Experts tips on what to grow • Design basics for herb gardens • The lowdown on soil • Guidance on how to choose seeds • How to cut and dry herbs • Delicious recipes • An encyclopedia of herbs Suzanne DeJohn is an editor with the National Gardening Association. The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational nonprofit organization in the United States, providing resources at www. garden.org and www.kidsgardening.org. $19.99 US / $23.99 CN / £14.99 UK ISBN 978-0-470-61778-6 Gardening/Herbs Go to Dummies.com ® for videos, step-by-step examples, how-to articles, or to shop! Grow, care for, preserve, and use healthful herbs Starting an herb garden outweighs the costs of buying retail herbs. Plus, adding homegrown ingredients to your meals is a healthy and tasty way to improve any dish you make at home. This friendly, hands-on guide gives you tips and advice on how to grow a thriving herb garden that will add depth and flavor to home-cooked meals — as well as boost your health. • Herbs 101 — get the 4-1-1 on the basics of growing herbs and the botany principles that’ll help them thrive • Know before you grow — make a garden plan based on your unique growing conditions and herb preferences • Get down to the nitty-gritty — discover how to plant your seeds indoors, when to move them outdoors, and how to care for and maintain them as they grow • Reap what you sow — find out how to harvest and preserve your herbs and get yummy recipes to use them in your culinary concoctions Herb Gardening Cutler Fisher DeJohn National Gardening Association 2nd Edition Spine: .768’’ Spine: .768’’ Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include • Checklists • Charts • Common Instructions • And Other Good Stuff! Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows. Check out our • Videos • Illustrated Articles • Step-by-Step Instructions Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on • Digital Photography • Microsoft Windows & Office • Personal Finance & Investing • Health & Wellness • Computing, iPods & Cell Phones • eBay • Internet • Food, Home & Garden Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com *Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules. Get More and Do More at Dummies.com ® To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/herbgardening Mobile Apps There’s a Dummies App for This and That With more than 200 million books in print and over 1,600 unique titles, Dummies is a global leader in how-to information. 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To get information on all our Dummies apps, visit the following: www.Dummies.com/go/mobile from your computer. www.Dummies.com/go/iphone/apps from your phone. by Karan Davis Cutler, Kathleen Fisher, Suzanne DeJohn, & the Editors of the National Gardening Association Herb Gardening FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION 01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd i01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd i 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM Herb Gardening For Dummies ® , 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its af liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010938831 ISBN: 978-0-470-61778-6 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd ii01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd ii 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM About the Authors Karan Davis Cutler: A former magazine editor and newspaper columnist, Karan Davis Cutler is the author of seven other garden books. She publishes regularly in horticultural magazines and is an eight-time winner of the Quill & Trowel Award from the Garden Writers Association of America. Kathleen Fisher: Kathleen Fisher was an editor of The American Gardener, published by the American Horticultural Society, and a longtime newspaper reporter and magazine editor. The author of several books and many articles, she died in May 2005. Suzanne DeJohn: A writer and horticulturist at the National Gardening Association for 14 years, Suzanne now writes, gardens, and runs a pet- friendly B&B in northern Vermont. The National Gardening Association (NGA) is committed to sustaining and renewing the fundamental links between people, plants, and the Earth. Founded in 1972 (as “Gardens for All”) to spearhead the community garden movement, today’s NGA promotes environmental responsibility, advances multidisciplinary learning and scienti c literacy, and creates partnerships that restore and enhance communities. NGA is best known for its garden-based curricula, educational journals, inter- national initiatives, and several youth garden grant programs. Together these reach more than 300,000 children nationwide each year. NGA’s Web sites, one for home gardeners and another for those who garden with kids, build community and offer a wealth of custom content. For more information about the National Gardening Association, write to 1100 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT 05403, or visit the Web site at www. garden.org or www.kidsgardening.org. Dedication To Kathy Fisher, who was bright, capable, and enormous fun — and who died far too young. And to our mothers and fathers, who encouraged our interests in plants and in words. Authors’ Acknowledgments We’ve depended greatly on the kindness of many (herb-growing) strangers — and friends. For speci c help, we are indebted to Gwen Barclay, Hank Becker, Kathy Bond Borie, Rosalind Creasy, Barbara Ellis, David Ellis, Donald M. Maynard, Patsy Jamieson, Susan Romanoff, and Holly Shimizu. 01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd iii01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd iii 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editors: Kelly Ewing, Natalie Harris Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy Copy Editors: Christine Pingleton, Susan Hobbs Assistant Editor: David Lutton General Reviewer: Cathy Wilkinson Barash Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor: Carmen Krikorian Editorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggar Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South Cover Photos: © iStockphoto.com / kkgas Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Carl Byers Proofreader: Laura Bowman Indexer: Dakota Indexing Illustrator: D.D. Dowden Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd iv01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd iv 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM Contents at a Glance Introduction 1 Part I: Herb Basics 5 Chapter 1: Why Grow Herbs? 7 Chapter 2: Herbs 101 19 Part II: Deciding How and What to Grow 35 Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Home Ground 37 Chapter 4: Designing Your Herb Garden 53 Chapter 5: Herb Garden Plans 63 Chapter 6: Herbs in Containers, Indoors and Out 79 Part III: Getting Down to Earth 103 Cha pter 7: There’s No Place Like Loam: Preparing Your Soil for Planting 105 Chapter 8: It’s Time to Plant 123 Chapter 9: Everyday Care and Feeding 139 Chapter 10: Managing Pests in Your Herb Garden 157 Part IV: Cut and Dried: Handling the Herbal Bounty 175 Chapter 11: Harvesting and Preserving 177 Chapter 12: Culinary Concoctions 191 Chapter 13: Herbs for Healing and Soothing 209 Chapter 14: Herbs for Beauty 219 Chapter 15: Herbs for Hearth and Home 225 Part V: The Part of Tens 235 Chapter 16: Ten Gifts to Make from Herbs You Grow 237 Chapter 17: Ten Lists of Herbs for Different Uses and Garden Situations 245 Appendix: An Encyclopedia of Herbs 251 Index 351 02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd v02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd v 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM 02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd vi02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd vi 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM Table of Contents Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 What You’re Not to Read 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 How This Book Is Organized 2 Part I: Herb Basics 3 Part II: Deciding How and What to Grow 3 Part III: Getting Down to Earth 3 Part IV: Cut and Dried: Handling the Herbal Bounty 3 Part V: The Part of Tens 3 Appendix: An Encyclopedia of Herbs 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Part I: Herb Basics 5 Chapter 1: Why Grow Herbs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 What Makes an Herb an Herb? 7 Seeing Why and Where to Grow Herbs 8 Herbs in your garden 9 Herbs in containers 9 Considering Culinary Herbs 9 Upping your nutrition quota 10 Finding ways to cook with herbs 10 Adding  avor to oils, vinegars, dressings, and marinades 10 Brewing herbal teas 11 Exploring Medicinal Herbs 11 Making history 12 Going mainstream 12 Food or drug . . . or neither? 12 Creating Herbal Body Care Products: Beauty or Bust? 13 Using Herbs for Hearth and Home 14 Looking at Herb Folklore 14 Sage renders men immortal, and other tall tales 14 Virtues of delight 15 Read All About It 16 02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd vii02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd vii 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM Herb Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition viii Chapter 2: Herbs 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 What’s a Wort? Plant Name 19 Clearing up common name confusion 20 Getting scienti c with names 20 Looking at the Herbal Cycle of Life 24 Surveying Herb Anatomy 25 The root of the matter 25 Stem dandy 25 Leaf it be 26 Factoring in  owers 27 Caution: Invasive Herbs Ahead 29 Plants that will make you rue the day 29 Location is everything 30 Underground travelers 31 Avoiding Dangerous Herbs 32 Herbs from the Wild 34 Part II: Deciding How and What to Grow 35 Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Home Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Climate Is Key 37 Factors that in uence what you can grow 38 Weather matters 39 Using Climate and Zone Maps 39 The USDA Hardiness Zone Map 39 Determining your growing season 42 The Heat Zone Map 42 Native versus Exotic Plants 44 Giving Herbs What They Want 45 Making the most of microclimates 46 Letting the sunshine in 46 When the wind blows 48 Water, water everywhere 49 Location, Location, Location 50 Chapter 4: Designing Your Herb Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Getting Started 53 Catering to convenience 54 Deliberating one-shot deals 54 Creating an herbal oasis 54 An Herbal Nod to History 55 Formal designs — tux optional 55 Informal designs — the laid-back look 55 02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd viii02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd viii 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM [...]... Herb Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition Bath Sachets 240 Dream Pillows 241 Eye Pillows 241 Herb- Infused Honey 242 Pressed -Herb Notecards 242 Chapter 17: Ten Lists of Herbs for Different Uses and Garden Situations 245 Classic Kitchen Herbs 245 Herbs for Sweets 246 Herbs for. .. 246 Herbs for Containers 246 Herbs that Attract Butterflies 246 Herbs for Sunny, Dry Gardens 247 Pretty Herbs for Ornamental Gardens 247 Herbs with Edible Flowers 248 Herbs for Tea 249 Easiest Herbs to Grow from Seed 249 Herbs That Should Not Be Ingested 250 Appendix: An Encyclopedia of Herbs 251 Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)... 226 Herbs to Dry For 227 Potpourris and sachets 227 Decorating with dried herbs 230 Herbs to Dye For 232 Part V: The Part of Tens 235 Chapter 16: Ten Gifts to Make from Herbs You Grow 237 Herb Wreaths 237 Dried Culinary Herb Blends 238 Scented Herb Soaps 238 Drawer and Closet Sachets 239 Herb Bath Salts... to Earth It’s time for the nitty-gritty of herb gardening In this part, we demystify soil so that you know what you’re digging in and how to improve it Then we look at techniques for planting and caring for herbs, as well as dealing with pest problems Part IV: Cut and Dried: Handling the Herbal Bounty For some gardeners, gathering and using herbs are the fun parts (It’s all fun for us — yes, even the... 90 Ideas for Outdoor Container Combos 91 The whiskey sour barrel 91 All in a row 93 Hang ’em high 93 Growing Herbs Indoors 95 What really works 96 Gimme shelter 97 02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd ix02_9780470617786-ftoc.indd ix 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM x Herb Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition Caring for Herbs Indoors... 303_9780470617786-intro.indd 3 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM 4 Herb Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition Appendix: An Encyclopedia of Herbs If you have a question about a particular herb, turn to this appendix Arranged alphabetically by common name, the encyclopedia includes specific information about how to plant, grow, preserve, and use individual herbs Icons Used in This Book This book uses a variety of... entertaining aspects, and to inspire you to join the legions of herb gardeners, past, present, and future What Makes an Herb an Herb? Before we talk about growing herbs, it’s only fitting to define the meaning of the word herb (We pronounce it “erb” with a silent “h.” If you want to sound British, pronounce the “h,” as in the name Herb. ) What, exactly, is an herb? Different resources define the word in different... 11:29 AM 8 Part I: Herb Basics A biologist might use the term herb as shorthand for herbaceous plant — a plant that forms a soft, tender stem rather than a woody stem However, that definition leaves out many plants that are typically considered herbs, including rosemary, a charter member of the culinary herb hall of fame And it includes plants like daffodils, which aren’t on anyone’s herb list Some ethnobotanists... Why Grow Herbs? 9 ✓ You’ll save money If you’ve ever looked at herbs in the supermarket, you’ve probably noticed two things about them: They usually appear wilted or shriveled, and they’re very expensive If you grow your own herbs, you’ll have access to the freshest herbs possible — clipped right before you need them — for a fraction of the price Herbs in your garden You don’t need a special herb garden... still grow herbs Most herbs readily adapt to growing in containers, and some can even be grown on a sunny windowsill And even if you have a big yard, you may want to grow some of your favorite culinary herbs in pots just steps away from the kitchen for easy harvesting Find out more about growing herbs in containers in Chapter 6 Considering Culinary Herbs Before the advent of refrigeration, herbs with . .245 Classic Kitchen Herbs 245 Herbs for Sweets 246 Herbs for Containers 246 Herbs that Attract Butter ies 246 Herbs for Sunny, Dry Gardens 247 Pretty Herbs for Ornamental Gardens 247 Herbs with Edible. National Gardening Association Herb Gardening FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION 01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd i01_9780470617786-ffirs.indd i 10/18/10 11:28 AM10/18/10 11:28 AM Herb Gardening For Dummies ® ,. Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies. com, Making Everything Easier,