You may be feeling the pinch from the recession we are living in so I thought I would share a few tips that will save you some money.

1. Make Your Own Compost

Save the environment and stop sending things to the landfill that don’t need to be going their. I am of course talking about kitchen waste and yard waste that could be composted and used in your garden or containers.

We started composting last year in 2009 and just loved it. Now we don’t spend money on buying compost and additives for the soil, plus we are sending hundreds of pounds less to the landfill so Mother Nature thanks us.

2. Start From Seed

I meant to go this route a couple of years ago but time just sorta slipped away and before we knew it planting time had arrived and all our seeds were still in their neat little packages.

We ended up spending hundreds of dollars on plants. DUH!!

This year I have set aside a room in the basement for my own little nursery and will start as many vegetables and flowers as I can in the space we have.

Think about starting from seed. You will pay less for one pack of sees and get perhaps dozens if not more plants from that pack. So if you paid a dollar for the pack of seeds and grow a dozen plants you saved more than ten dollars right there.

Then, when your plants go to seed you can collect and save those seeds for next year, which saves you even more money. Pretty cool.

3. Start Mulching NOW

We didn’t do any mulching for years in our flower beds and never really thought about, all the time weeding unnecessarily. Not any more…

Now we have started putting mulch around more every plant we have and guess what, it takes far less watering as the water doesn’t evaporate as fast with mulch down.

We also have almost no weeding at all.

Note: put the mulch thick enough that starter shoot from weeds can’t get any light of the mulch won’t work well. I am talking from first hand experience.

4. Start A Vegetable Garden

We did a lot of flower gardening before we finally bought a place big enough that we didn’t have to use containers for everything.

Vegetable gardening is a great way to grow things at home instead of going to the superstore and giving them your money.

We started small with a 4 x 16 foot gardening and had great fun. It didn’t turn into a disaster at all, thanks to veggie gardening tips I have found around the net. Next year we plan to double or triple the garden size.

We plan to grow enough produce this year that we can preserve some for the winter months and save even more money. Our home is an older home and still has a cold room in the basement. Bonus.

5. Buy A Rain Barrel, Cut Down On The Water Bill

It’s a great idea to collect rain water so that you don’t have to use tap water as it takes away from our water table.

Keep a fine mess over the barrel to keep out breeding insects like misquitoes. We just use the same mess/screen that we put on our windows. It’s cheap and does the job perfectly.

Never leave standing water uncovered.

BONUS TIP: Grow herbs both indoors and outdoor so you have fresh herbs all year long. Keep your herbs in containers so that you can have them close to your kitchen if your garden isn’t.

In making your herb garden, you’ll discover that there is hardly any home or company untouched by the beauty of flowers and decorative plants. Indoor herb gardening isn’t considered necessarily as art, because it takes time and effort. But others have pushed the concept of indoor gardening much further, as they grow vegetables inside. Such projects depend on artificial lighting systems, which does not allow weeds to proliferate as much as sunlight. Plus, the gardener directly influences the soil, in the absence of the weather influence .

Indoor herb gardening depends on containers or pots made either from plastic or from ceramic materials. Plastic has the inconvenience of getting hot, which is why most gardeners prefer ceramic materials with some form of drainage at the bottom to let water flow away. The preparation of the soil poses most challenges for indoor gardening. Different or equal proportions of ingredients need to be added, such as sharp coarse sand, peat moss and native soil.

Indoor gardening could also use a combination of sand, silica, forest mulch and perlite. The conditions change if your vegetables grow in hanging containers because you have to keep them lightweight normally relying on some premixed soils. From this perspective, indoor gardening costs more because the soil mixture influences costs. But, once again, what matters is the extent to which you do the indoor gardening.

Besides soil, another issue worth considering is that of containers. They should have proper drainage and aeration. It is important to leave some two inches of space between the margin of the contain and the soil so as to be able to water without problems. As for the gardening cycles, most people will stick to the same routine as with outdoor gardening. But, since there are no changes in the weather, you can grow plants directly from seeds.

Cherry tomatoes and herbs are among the favorite to grow by indoor gardening. They look nice, they are very attractive and the fragrance is great. Mint, rosemary and chives will delight your senses while you are working on your little indoors garden. Additionally in making and planting your herb garden,the arrangement of shelves, tables and plant stands can further enhance the beauty of the garden.

Although sage is most commonly associated as THE herb used in the bread stuffing we all squish inside of the Thanksgiving turkey, this herb plant grows in several different varieties that each impart their own unique flavor.

Hopefully reading this article will expand your use of the sage herb into areas never considered possible….and….will take you on an enjoyable culinary journey of the herb.

Common Sage (salvia officinalis) grows as a perennial evergreen bush. The plant should be pruned to encourage new growth with stronger flavored leaves. Pruning will keep the plant in a uniform bush shape without the woody stems associated with the sage plant. The leave should be harvested before the plant flowers and either dried, frozen or preserved in vinegar. Common sage is best used to flavor fatty meats such as pork, goose, lamb or duck and oily fishes. Sage is used in sauces and stuffing and is many times sautéed in olive oil until crisp and added to pasta sauces.

Tricolor Sage (salvia officinalis tricolor) sports three colored leaves, hence the name of tricolor. The leaves are beautifully streaked with variations of the colors green, pink and white, lending this plant a beautiful appearance that is guaranteed to add color and texture to the herb garden. The tricolor sage plant is not as hardy as other sage varieties and will need mulch cover to survive a harsh winter – or consider bringing it indoors for the winter to enjoy fresh. Tricolor sage has a milder flavor that lends well to use in poultry dishes, soups and eggs.

With grouping the pots in batches having one large plant in each group can create a focal point for the container garden that will make it look more focused. Bold leaves and striking colors can also be used to create focal points.

You can use a touch of garden art on your container garden design flora pots. A mix of perennials, houseplants, herbs trees and shrubs can be used for your pot garden and you can try and experiment as many number of times you want with your different ideas before selecting one.

An indoor herb garden is fun and easy to create and maintain. They take up little space and once the planting is done, it requires minimal time and effort to keep them growing and producing.  Creating and maintaining an indoor herb garden can also be a relaxing activity which helps calm stress.

But did you know that an indoor herb garden can also help you control your weight? Believe it or not, fresh herbs are a powerful component of a healthy diet and they can help you manage weight challenges. They affect digestion and metabolism in a positive way that can help individuals lose weight and keep it off.  The easy access to fresh herbs with an indoor herbal garden can aid in your healthy weigh goals.

The use of any medications or herbs should be carefully considered and reviewed with a doctor if there is a plan to use them in their natural form or in large quantities. Supplements and herbal combinations can be harmful in some cases and herbs often interact with certain drugs negatively.  But we’re not talking about herbal supplements, pills, and herbal “wonders” that claim to make the weight melt away.

The type of weight control we are talking about is safe and healthy. It simply requires the use of a herb garden to wake up foods and make them delicious – even if the food is green like broccoli or brussel sprouts! Herbs can be used to spice up the flavors of healthy, natural foods in a way that makes them more appealing and inviting. When foods taste better, people are more likely to enjoy and even crave them.

Using a herb garden to create delicious, nutritious, and flavorful dishes is one way to help control weight.  Fresh herbs make a lot of difference too.

Consider the possibilities of using herbs from your indoor herb garden to enhance a dietary plan.

1. Cayenne pepper is an herb that is often used in cooking. It is a very spicy, hot addition to dishes and it wakes up flavors. It can stimulate digestion and increase metabolism. Once the body begins to metabolize foods faster, the body becomes a fat burning machine.

2. Have a cup of green tea with breakfast, lunch and dinner to aid in weight control. Green tea contains powerful antioxidants that fight cancer and it is a good way to help control weight.

3. Add a sprinkling of basil to tomatoes, pasta sauce, squash, and zucchini for a flavorful burst of taste. Using herbs to add more vegetables to your diet increases your intake of antioxidants and high fiber foods.

4. Crush mint leaves and sprinkle them over fruit, tea, or fresh vegetables. Use herbs to up your intake of fruits and veggies.
5. Nothing wakes up peppers, onions, tomatoes, and pasta sauce like fresh oregano. A light coating of homemade pasta sauce covering whole-wheat noodles is a dieter’s delight.

6. Bake chicken with a generous dusting of crushed rosemary to make it delicious and nutritious. Just remove the skin, spray lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with crushed black pepper and a generous serving of fresh, crushed rosemary and bake at 400° for about 50 minutes. Healthy and nutritious!

7. Add a healthy sprinkling of tarragon over fish before cooking to make it tasty and healthy. Eating 2-3 portions of fish weekly will help with your weight loss efforts.

8. Thyme is often overlooked but it is one of the most versatile herbs to wake up foods and taste buds. Try some on potatoes, pork, tomatoes, pasta, eggless quiche, and other dishes. The flavor is worth it.

Indoor herb gardens are a great way to have fragrant herbs on hand any time. They are easy to grow and maintain and the rewards are tastier, healthier foods prepared at home. Wake up the flavor of foods by creating your own indoor herb garden. You’ll find the time you spend creating your herb garden is well worth it and you’ll enjoy the stress-free activity.

Ralph J Miller is the author of this article and the creator of the Ebook “My Sectets to a Successful Herb Garden”. For more information and tips on herb gardening and growing herbs indoors, please visit our website at http://www.MyHerbGardeningSecrets.com and while your there you can register to recieve your Free Herb Gardening Secrets Mini-Course.

Herb plants from your own herb garden are an easy and inexpensive way to make recipes even tastier than you ever imagined. Herbs can also be used for garnishes or as adornment for your dinner table. Knowing the secrets and tips to harvesting herbs will make them even more flavorful and enticing.

Taking advantage of the spicy, sweet, or pungent flavors of foliage removed from herb plants requires more than simply plucking them from the garden and tossing them in a recipe. When you know how to properly harvest, prepare, and preserve the fruits from your herb plants, you will get more from your Herb Gardening efforts. A Culinary Herb Garden is a treasure once you learn the secrets to harvesting herbs.

The herb harvesting process is not difficult nor does it take a lot of expensive equipment or processing. The most important secret to remember about harvesting from herb plants is to retain as much of the natural essential oils as possible. Essential oils are one of the most vital and important parts of the herb plants and most all herbs store valuable, flavorful oil within the leaves.

Learning about herb harvesting without losing the natural oils in the leaves will result in the most aromatic, flavorful, and savory herb plants possible. Whether you are using herbs fresh from the garden, or drying them for later use, preserving oil from the herb plants is the most important thing to remember during harvesting.

Culinary Herb Garden Harvesting

The following tips will help you harvest the most luscious and delicious herbs possible:

1. Always consider the timing of the harvesting process. Mornings are the best time of the day.
2. Since the wind can disperse and dilute the essential oils of the herbs, you should harvest them on a calm, dry morning during mid-summer.
3. Keep in mind that fewer oils are produced by the herb plants on extremely wet days so the herbs will not be as fragrant and pungent if harvested during rainy or wet days.
4. Dew settling on herbs can affect the oils and flavor so be patient and wait until the dew has dried from the leaves right before the flowers open.
5. Harvesting should be done before the sun becomes too hot or the heat will cause the herbs to have less oil.

Culinary Herb Gardening Secrets for Continual Growth

Not only is it important to harvest at the right time, it is also important to understand how to harvest from the herb plants. Pulling large clumps of herbs and flowers from the plant can cause damage. Knowing the secrets about how to harvest delicacies from the herb plants will make them more precious.

Consider these essential tips for herb harvesting:

1. Do not remove the entire plant or you will lose the opportunity to have a continual harvest of freshness from the herb plants.
2. Herb gardening takes time and effort and you should only take a small amount of growth and foliage from herb plants for each use. It is recommended not to take more than 1/3 of the plant’s foliage at any one time.
3. The herb plants require a fair amount of foliage to continue reproducing and growing well so take care during the harvest and afterwards. Do not handle herb plants in a way that causes unnecessary loss of foliage.
4. Herbs can be picked for immediate use or they can be dried, prepared, and saved for later use. Never harvest more than you believe you can use in a reasonable time because the fresher the herbs, the tastier and more fragrant.
5. Before, during, and after harvesting, always check the herb plants for insects or damaged leaves. Take necessary precautions to remove or avoid insects in the future.
6. Using a good pair of sharp shears or knife is advised. Pulling with the fingers may damage the plants and the root system causing poor herb production later.

Culinary Herb Gardening Rewards

A Culinary Herb Garden brings great pleasure to those who engage in the process. Once you learn the important basics about herb harvesting, you will find that herb gardening is rewarding and uncomplicated. A few tips can make a significant difference in how your herb plants reproduce and grow in the future. Taking the time to properly prepare will make the Herb Gardening experience more effective with every herb plant you choose.

Knowing when to harvest from herb plants and how to take care of the plants for continual beauty and production of healthy, fragrant foliage is a treat for the senses. Start your Culinary Herb Gardening today and watch your herb plants flourish for a long time to come.

Ralph J Miller is the author of this article and the creator of the Ebook “My Sectets to a Successful Herb Garden”. For more information and tips on herb gardening and growing herbs indoors, please visit our website at http://www.MyHerbGardeningSecrets.com and while your there you can register to recieve your Free Herb Gardening Secrets Mini-Course.

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