What did you do in the garden today?

[Ardj]

Does anyone have any experience with white sage? I am planting an herb garden (it is for kitchen use). The plan I am following calls for purple sage but I cannot find purple sage anywhere, looks like an arid plant so perhaps it is not good local. I found common sage, and I can plant that, but we have white sage growing wild here in the pasture. It looks like white sage is mostly ornamental. Has anyone grown it? Used it in cooking?

I use white sage only for smudging. Little advice on a herb garden - just grow what you will use and eat. Don't overdo on herbs, and don't plant them in the same place.
Some herbs like a little stress, when the soil is dry for some time - like rosemary - it produces more oils that way, and it smells and taste much stronger. Basil doesn't like
lots of water too. I have some herbs that I use in my food and some that I dry for herbal remedies for cold and flu season.
Good luck !

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Does anyone have any experience with white sage? I am planting an herb garden (it is for kitchen use). The plan I am following calls for purple sage but I cannot find purple sage anywhere, looks like an arid plant so perhaps it is not good local. I found common sage, and I can plant that, but we have white sage growing wild here in the pasture. It looks like white sage is mostly ornamental. Has anyone grown it? Used it in cooking?

I use white sage only for smudging. Little advice on a herb garden - just grow what you will use and eat. Don't overdo on herbs, and don't plant them in the same place.
Some herbs like a little stress, when the soil is dry for some time - like rosemary - it produces more oils that way, and it smells and taste much stronger. Basil doesn't like
lots of water too. I have some herbs that I use in my food and some that I dry for herbal remedies for cold and flu season. 
Good luck !

I appreciate the advice, but many of these plants come back year after year so I was devoting a blocked out space for them. Also i was looking forward to having a pretty but functional space. I use most of the plants listed, except borage (anyone use/like borage?). Perhaps I will go ahead and add two white sage to my common and see what I think, I do not do a lot/ any smudging.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Does anyone have any experience with white sage? I am planting an herb garden (it is for kitchen use). The plan I am following calls for purple sage but I cannot find purple sage anywhere, looks like an arid plant so perhaps it is not good local. I found common sage, and I can plant that, but we have white sage growing wild here in the pasture. It looks like white sage is mostly ornamental. Has anyone grown it? Used it in cooking?

I use white sage only for smudging. Little advice on a herb garden - just grow what you will use and eat. Don't overdo on herbs, and don't plant them in the same place.
Some herbs like a little stress, when the soil is dry for some time - like rosemary - it produces more oils that way, and it smells and taste much stronger. Basil doesn't like
lots of water too. I have some herbs that I use in my food and some that I dry for herbal remedies for cold and flu season. 
Good luck !

It will probably be next year's project, but what herbs do you grow for cold and flu?

 

[Ardj]

For cold and flu I made a special mixes of herbs. I have mint,salvia, catmint,lemon balm,hawthorn,chamomile,hops,rosemary,basil,anise,lovage, and many more. My whole garden is full of goodies. What I can grow I buy , like elder flowers or linden flowers.

 

[lazy gardener]

I appreciate the advice, but many of these plants come back year after year so I was devoting a blocked out space for them. Also i was looking forward to having a pretty but functional space. I use most of the plants listed, except borage (anyone use/like borage?). Perhaps I will go ahead and add two white sage to my common and see what I think, I do not do a lot/ any smudging.

Beware, plants in the mint family are extremely invasive. But, if you take a shovel in the spring, and cut deeply to sever the runners, and yank them out, you may be able to contain it. Lemon balm is well behaved, IMO.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I appreciate the advice, but many of these plants come back year after year so I was devoting a blocked out space for them. Also i was looking forward to having a pretty but functional space. I use most of the plants listed, except borage (anyone use/like borage?). Perhaps I will go ahead and add two white sage to my common and see what I think, I do not do a lot/ any smudging.

Beware, plants in the mint family are extremely invasive.  But, if you take a shovel in the spring, and cut deeply to sever the runners, and yank them out, you may be able to contain it.  Lemon balm is well behaved, IMO.  

I am planting a couple. What if a buried it in a large pot? Like the ones trees come in?

 

[Ardj]

Great idea if you don't want the mint to take over everything - pot is a solution.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Great idea if you don't want the mint to take over everything - pot is a solution. 

Thanks!

 

[Ardj]

Your welcome ! Btw - you can dry some mint for winter months , its absolutely fantastic for tummy aches.

 

[lazy gardener]

I like to cut the bottom off a spackle bucket, and bury the bucket in the ground to contain those naughty plants, but they will eventually escape even that. To provide ultimate control, plant them in a pot ABOVE ground, and put a saucer under the pot so they get NO ground contact. I dried some parsley last fall, and it lasted me all winter. Still have 1/2 of a jar left. Awesome flavor. Need to dry a lot more spices this season.