By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Personally, I am always looking for new and exciting ways of displaying my plants.

I have numerous types of hanging baskets and planters that hold my favorite plants but when it comes to my herbs I am somewhat limited.

I have done a strawberry planter planted with herbs, a living, herbal wreath, and even a hanging basket.

But this year, I have decided to go back in time and create an herbal topiary with some of my herbs.

When it comes to herbal topiaries, there does exist two types.

The first type is referred to as Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

As discussed in part I, fresh herbs are a great addition to ones indoor gardening arsenal.

They provide flavoring for food, scents rooms, bathes, and provide overall beauty.

But container choice will depend more on where you plan to place your herb garden.

Traditionally, herb gardens have been found on the windowsill but other choices remain and utilize not only the horizontal space but also the vertical.

Strawberry Urn

A strawberry urn or pot is a great container for herbs. The pockets on the side of this planter make planting an assortment of herbs easy. If you plan to use this type of planter, make sure that it will be placed in a location that receives at least six hours of sunlight.

Before planting the strawberry urn, one must get the supplies together. Each urn will have its own number of planting openings so make sure you have enough plants for each pocket and the top.

Next the planter will need to be cleaned before it is planted. To do this, simply submerge the planter in a bucket of warm, soapy water with one cap full of bleach. Scrub and remove any soil particles, rinse and let dry out in the sun. Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

As the fall winds blow, many of my lovely garden plants begin to slow down and die.

The delightful taste of summer begins to slip away and be replaced by hearty meals filled with numerous root crops.

What I miss the most when summer drifts away is the taste of fresh herbs.

In the past, I bought so called fresh herbs from the grocery store.

These never really tasted as good as those I grew in the garden. So a few years ago, I decided to grow my own fresh herbs indoors.

Most herbs will do fine indoors. The key to their growth is providing the correct amount of sunlight and not overwatering.

Annual herbs are very easy to grow and can be started anew by reseeding in a container. Several herbal seeds are very Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

I love herbs and when I was first married I learned a valuable lesson about herbs.

My husband and I lived on a very limited budget when we were first married.

I would look through cookbooks and drool over fancy dishes using all fresh herbs.

I did try store bought fresh herbs but the price of these luxury items was just too much. So the next step I took was to only grow herbs in containers in the summer. How wonderful it was to have fresh basil, chives, sage, and mint.

But I left my lovely plants outside, which meant I had no fresh herbs for winter use. The simple solution to this problem was one that evaded me for several years and that was to grow them indoors.

Spring, summer, fall and winter are all a perfect time to grow herbs.

Once you start though, you are only limited by Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Everyone is familiar with dill as one of the sour components of dill pickles but dill also has a long history as an herb that provided protection for those who processed it.

The term “dill” comes from an Old Norse term, “dilla”, that means to soothe, calm and/or lull.

Dill was valued by the Romans, as a way of improving ones luck, while the Greeks viewed it as a way of encouraging wealth.

Many Romans and Greeks hung the seed heads of dill in homes, doorways, and above cradles to protect the inhabitance from evil. It was also believed that if evil approached you, protection could be acquired by Read the rest of this entry »