Grant Douglas's Garden Diary

Week 28: Third week of July

Beautiful day today, even the Monarchs were making little warm forays out from their Redwood Tree.

Have you got a Herb Garden? Now is a good time to establish Herbs so that they will come away in the Spring, and you will be picking in the Summer. I think that you actually need more than one Herb Garden because you can divide the majority of Herbs up into four groups, all with different requirements.

The first of these are those that require a 'mediterranean' environment - lots of sun, excellent drainage and average nutrients. These include such things as sage, rosemary, thymes, savories, hyssop and marjoram.

The second group are those which tend to be invasive, require moisture and will cope with some shade. These invasive types are often best planted in a bottomless bucket, buried in the ground to restrict there spread. They include all the varieties of mints, balms, vietnamese corriander, penny royal and oregano.

Next group are those which are treated as annuals or biennials and are easily grown as part of your vegetable rotation. Such things as basil, parsley, corriander and dill.

The last group are those which are very frost-tender and for most people need to be grown either in under the eaves, or in containers which can be moved during the Winter and these include such things as lemon verbena and lemon grass.

Of course this division is not strictly correct. There are many other Herbs which do not fit into any one of these categories. Such things as pineapple sage, which will grow in sun or part-shade and can be grown quite successfully in a perennial ornamental border, chamomile prefers full sun, but moderate moisture.

Most Herbs can be propogated very easily by division (breaking up clumps) cuttings (Rosemary, thyme, sage) or seed (lemongrass, basil, parsley etc). This is a very brief summary but plants will only thrive if they are put in their correct environment, but the addition of Herb gardens to your property can be both attractive and beneficial.

Sowing or Planting this week:
Tomatos, Peppers, Chillis - see earlier Diary.
Broad Beans (I am trying a new variety for me this year called Imperial Green, where the beans stay green, even after cooking) Standard Variety - Exhibition Longpod
Garlic
Lettuce (Loose-leaf Fancy and Triumph Hearting - not outside now, but in containers, in a protected place e.g. Greenhouse, veranda)
Potatoes (in trays for sprouting)
Red Onions - protect soil surface from heavy rains (Heard the other day about the use of carpet underfelt - sounds like good idea. Just get it off as soon as germination takes place)
Shallots
Spinach (winter varieties eg. Hybrid No.7) - not outside now, but in containers as above

Sow Direct: (in containers, protected as above)
Corn Salad
Mescalin Mix
Rocket

Preparation of beds for Strawberries and Asparagus.

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