* First Name: * Last Name: Address: City: Province: Postal Code: * Email Address: Phone: This is a great time in the garden. Everything should be growing quickly now; a watchful eye must still be kept for temperatures that could suddenly dip below 5° C (protect your basil) or even a sudden late frost. I can remember frost up to the second week in June so don't believe because the 24th of May has past it is safe, it is only a guide not written in stone. It is nice to see the familiar faces at the store and market and many new ones as well. It is for my new customers and the ones just new to growing and using herbs that this newsletter is designed for but hopefully there will be useful information for everyone. Before choosing the herbs to plant in your garden, you need to understand their life cycle. All herbs can be divided into three categories, annuals, biennials and perennials. Annuals such as basil and dill, grow, bloom and set seed in one growing season. Once this cycle is complete they die. Biennials, like angelica and parsley, do the same but over two years instead of one. Perennials, such as mint and sage, can live for many years but only if conditions, suit them. Perennial herbs have different degrees of tolerance to the cold. Tender perennials like lemon verbena, marjoram, pineapple sage, and scented geraniums, are easily killed by frost and must be brought indoors for the winter in all but the mildest climates. Many herbs can withstand some frost but will only survive in a mild winter. Plants like chives, mint, oregano, sage, sorrel, and thyme will keep coming back year after year in most parts of Canada, though eventually they may decline and need to be replaced if not properly split or pruned. Perennials can be further divided into two groups - woody and herbaceous - based on how they grow. Woody perennials develop a framework of branches that remain above ground in the garden through the winter like a small shrub. Lavender, sage, thyme, and winter savory all fall into this category. Although they won't put out new growth in the cold winter months, you can harvest the leaves of these plants for the kitchen through out the year. Herbaceous perennials, on the other hand, die back to the ground in autumn and disappear from the garden, but their roots stay alive. They include chives, fennel, lovage, mint, oregano, sorrel and tarragon. All begin growth from the ground level up each spring. The entire plant world is first grouped in brood divisions, classes, and orders according to various characteristics, such as if they flower or not, how many seed leaves they have. From their they are separated into families. Being able to recognize the families of plants you will then better understand their growing requirements. Surprisingly, even though there are more than three hundred plant families, most culinary herbs fall into just two. The first is the mint family, or in Latin, the Labiatae family. Labiate family has flowers shaped like lips. They have square stems, leaves that form in pairs opposite each other on the stem, and a branching growth habit. Members of this family included anise hyssop, basil, lavender, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, perilla, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme. The second family is parsley, or Umbelliferae family. Umbelliferas are best identified by their flower clusters, shaped like upside down umbrellas with flat tops. They have hollow stems and a circular growth habit that emanates at the base of the plant. Family members include angelica, chervil, cilantro, dill, fennel, parsley, lovage and sweet cicely. There then are some strays. French tarragon is a member of the compositae, or daisy family, chives the Liliaceae, or lily, family; scented leaf geranium, the Geraniaceae family; bay, the Lauraceae family; lemon verbena, the Verbenaceae family; and sorrel, the Rumex family. Then many pot herbs belong to the mustard, or cruciferae family. Herbs are actually easy to please, with the three hundred or so culinary herbs I grow I find they share more likes than dislikes. That is why you can grow many different herbs in one tiny garden. Herbs like nothing more than to bask in the sun most of the day. There are a few exceptions, chervil, sweet cicely, and sweet woodruff like a shady spot, and sorrel, lovage, angelica, and lemon balm are content in part shade. The general rule of thumb with culinary herbs is that they require at least half-a-day's sun, six hours and most appreciate more. When they don't get enough light, they'll be slow growing, spindly, weak in flavor, prone to pests and generally unhappy. When you choose a site for your herbs, think about the amount of sun it will get throughout the season as well. There may be other plants or trees nearby that will grow during the season and could shade your herb out. After considering the light conditions, soil is next in importance. It is most important that herbs have good drainage no matter what type of soil you have or what the climate is like. Herbs feel tortured if they have to live in swampy soil with standing water constantly around their roots. They will be more susceptible to disease and eventually the roots will rot. Poor drainage is also responsible for many winter fatalities. When herbs don't come up the next spring in areas where they should be winter hardy, the problem is usually wet roots in soggy soil or sporadic freezing and thawing. If you have poor drainage the best way to improve the soil structure is by digging in organic matter, sand, or gravel, or by building a raised bed. The other extreme is garden soil that is so sandy and rocky that it won't hold enough water to keep the plant healthy. Whether it's too sandy or too heavy the cure is the same - organic matter. The best is homemade compost. Whenever you plant something new, use it as an opportunity to dig organic material into the soil. To help the soil structure under established perennial herbs, apply organic matter as a top dressing each spring. When watering your herbs most prefer a deep drink at least once a week but allowing them to dry out partially between watering. Herbs that are newly planted should never be allowed to dry out completely. Some herbs like a little more water than others. As long as their soil is well drained, mint, sorrel, basil, parsley, and chervil will grow best if kept evenly moist. In general herbs are not heavy feeders. We find sprinkling worm castings around the plant each spring is appreciated, followed by another application when the herbs are cut back after they flower. Fast-growing annuals like basil; chives, coriander, and dill, need a bit more food. A compost tea applied once a month will keep these plants growing rapidly. Novice gardeners often seem reluctant to cut and prune their herbs. The truth is that plants actually like to be trimmed and need to be pruned to keep their health and vigor. Pruning is just as important as water and light. There are a few general rules for pruning or harvesting herbs. The first is that you should not cut your herbs back by more than one-third of there total size at one time. Herbs, like other plants get their strength from photosynthesis. If you cut back a plant too severely at the wrong stage in its growing cycle, it will lose its vigor and will have a difficult time recovering. There are some exceptions, chives, which stores energy in underground bulbs can be cut to the ground. Oregano and mint like a severe pruning after they bloom. The second rule is to harvest sprigs rather than individual leaves. Cutting off a stem encourages the plant to put out new growth, but stripping leaves from the stems simply weakens the plant. Think of harvesting like pruning your plant. Your goal is to keep the plant bushy and attractive. Herbs in the mint and parsley family have their own distinctly different ways of growing and therefore, should be harvested differently. Labiate family herbs have a branching growth habit. When you cut in the middle of one of the stems or pinch off its growing tip, it will form a fork, sending out two new branches from the junction of the last set of leaves, and this will make the plant bushier. The more growing tips you cut off, the fuller the plant will eventually be. Always snip a stem above a set of leaves, one-third to one-half of the stem. Umbelliferae family herbs have stems that radiate from a central growing point at soil level. New growth starts only at the center of the plant. The rule is to cut stems off at ground level, the outer leaves first. This will encourage vigorous growth to continue from the center. Herbs that are not in these two families have their own needs. French Tarragon and lemon verbena should be cut midstem just like the mints. Chives should be snipped to within two and a half centimeters of the soil, so they can renew themselves from their bulbs. Bay laurel is best harvested leaf by leaf tugging downward on the leaf rather than with scissors. Scented geraniums should be harvested by clipping whole sprigs from the tips of the stems. To keep your herbs healthy and vigorous, it's often necessary to prune them even when you have no use for fresh sprigs. Most herbs benefit from being cut back after they flower but before they go to seed. This will ensure the plant will put forth fresh growth, and often they will bloom again in the same season. Annuals in the Labiate family like basil; or perilla, should not be allowed to flower at all. Pinch the flower buds off as soon as they appear to prolong their lives and promote bushiness. Don't throw those buds away they have the same flavour as the herb, use them in salads or as a garnish. Woody perennials like rosemary, sage, winter savory, thyme and lavender, are really shrubs. They don't die back to the ground in winter and start their growth from roots; they develop a framework that carries over from season to season. If you are trying to correct a neglected plant be careful, they're still sensitive to being cut back too hard. Never prune a woody branch below where there is any new growth, for it won't have a place to break new stems. Also don't prune these woody perennials back in autumn. Since pruning encourages new tender growth which will be susceptible to cold. It is best to prune in early to mid August, before fall sets in so the plant will have a chance to toughen up in preparation for the frost. Annual Umbelliferae family plants, like dill, cilantro, and chervil benefit from having the flowering stalk cut off before it has a chance to develop. This treatment will prolong the life of angelica, a biennial, it will often live for three years and if you do it to lovage, a perennial, it will reward you with a new crop of more tender and less bitter green leaves. Also look on our website for our guide to cooking with fresh herbs; now to focus on the garden tasks for June. Seed outside in the garden Basil, Borage, Chives, Cilantro (Coriander), Dill, Fennel, Sweet Marjoram, Summer Savory, Winter Savory, and any others you wish to replace, or keep going. Plant up annual herbs into containers to keep near the kitchen like Basil, Sweet Marjoram ect. A new herb garden should be weeded thoroughly to give the new plants the best chance. Cut second-year growth of angelica for candying. Cut sage for drying. Mulch beds. Feed roses early June (Epsom salt solution see recipe).* Remove all faded flower heads promptly. Plant annuals to fill in any spaces. Thin out vegetables and annuals. Prune hedges and any hardwoods such as maple or birch. Fertilize the annuals and perennials with worm castings. Stake tall growing stalks. Earth up potatoes. Shade greenhouse when the sun gets too strong. Sow (if you haven't already done so) runner beans and French beans. Main crop beets, carrots, kohlrabi, lettuce, cucumbers, marrows/zucchini, parsley, radish, spinach, turnips or plant out starts. Thin all crops where necessary, but still leave the carrots alone. Hoe at least once every two weeks. Special promotions in the store and at the market are continuing this month. Fill a 18 plant tray and get two free plants and look for our instant theme gardens 18 plants put together for you to save you time and a lot of decision. Choose from Edible Herb Garden, Edible Flower Garden, Edible Italian Garden, and the Edible French Garden. Check out our website for the new botanical feature and recipe for our feature plant Perilla. www.growtasty.com *Epsom Salt fertilizer for Magnesium Mix 30ml (aprox. 1 once or 2tbsp) of pure Epsom salts (from drug store) in 250ml (1 cup) of boiling water, stir thoroughly. If the Epsom salts are not all dissolved, add another cup of boiling water and stir again. Add this mixture to enough water to make 4 liters (aprox. 1 gallon). Happy Gardening.