All About Herbs

23/04/2026

As usual, some amazing entries

23/04/2026

Flower show today

12/04/2026

Useful if you have a dehydrator.

You can throw banana peels straight into the garden and let nature do its thing… but that takes months or even a year.

I like results a little faster than that.

Turning banana peels into a powder gives your plants access to those nutrients much quicker, especially potassium which helps with flowering and fruiting.

Here is how I do it.

1️⃣ Wash the peels well
Bananas are often sprayed, so give those peels a good rinse and light scrub. This is especially important if you are using them in vegetable beds.

2️⃣ Cut into strips
Slice the peels into thin strips. The smaller they are, the faster they dry.

3️⃣ Pre dry to save time
Lay them out on a tray and let them sit on the counter or in the sun for a day or two. This pulls out a lot of moisture before they ever hit the dehydrator.

4️⃣ Dehydrate fully
Place them in a dehydrator at about 135 degrees until they are completely brittle. They should snap, not bend.

5️⃣ Grind into powder
Use a blender or coffee grinder to turn them into a fine powder. That is when the magic happens.

How to use it in the garden

Sprinkle a tablespoon or two into the soil when planting or lightly work it into the top layer around established plants. You can also mix it into your compost or potting mix.

This is especially great for crops that love potassium like tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and even fruit trees. It helps with stronger roots, better flowering, and improved fruit development.

It is one of the easiest ways to turn kitchen scraps into something your plants can actually use right now instead of next season.

Have you ever tried using banana peels in your garden or are you still letting them break down the slow way?

12/04/2026

Every berry bush in your yard follows a different pruning logic. Treat them the same way and you cut off this year's harvest or leave dead wood choking out the productive stems.

One question settles each one: which canes carry this year's fruit.

🫐 Blueberry — best fruit comes from canes that are a few years old. After about six years a cane turns thick and gray-barked with sparse small berries. Remove one or two of the oldest trunks at the base each spring and let fresh shoots replace them. A mature bush wants six to eight main canes of mixed ages

🌿 Raspberry — the cane type changes the whole approach:

- Summer-bearing types fruit on last year's canes. Those spent canes are gray and brittle by spring — cut them all at ground level. Then thin the new green canes to the four or five strongest per foot of row

- Ever-bearing types fruit on the current season's growth. The simplest method is to mow everything to the ground in early spring and let the row regenerate for one heavy fall crop

Blackberry — same principle as summer raspberry. Canes that fruited last year are done — gray and papery while this year's canes are green or reddish. Remove the spent ones at the base. On upright varieties, shorten the side branches on new canes to concentrate berry size

Currant and gooseberry — both fruit best on two- and three-year-old wood. Remove canes older than three years each spring. Keep three or four canes of each age class so the bush stays permanently productive without losing a full crop year

The canes that fruited are finished. The canes that grew last year are loaded. The canes emerging now are next year's investment. Three ages, three roles — pruning is just deciding who stays. 🌱

12/04/2026

🌿 The most common raised bed mistake is filling the entire depth with expensive purchased topsoil or compost. A standard 12-inch deep raised bed filled entirely with quality growing medium costs significantly more than it needs to and provides no growing advantage over a bed filled with a cost-effective layered approach that uses the bottom 6 inches for bulk fill and reserves the upper 6 to 8 inches for the quality growing medium where plant roots actually spend most of their time.
Understanding what plant roots need, and where in the bed profile they actually develop, changes how you approach filling a raised bed and significantly reduces the cost of establishing one without any reduction in growing performance.
Here is the complete raised bed filling framework 👇

What roots actually need and where they grow:
Most annual vegetable crops develop the majority of their active root system in the top 6 to 10 inches of growing medium. The fine feeder roots that absorb water and nutrients concentrate in the upper portion of the bed where organic matter, biological activity, and oxygen levels are highest. The deeper roots provide anchorage and access water reserves during dry periods but do not contribute significantly to nutrient uptake in the same way the upper feeder roots do.
This root distribution means the quality and composition of the upper 8 to 12 inches of the bed matters enormously. The lower portion of a deep bed matters much less and can be filled with significantly less expensive bulk material that contributes primarily as a moisture reservoir and as organic matter that decomposes upward over subsequent seasons.

The layered filling approach — the cost-effective method:
🌿 Bottom layer — the bulk fill, 6 to 8 inches
The bottom layer of a raised bed can be filled with any combination of organic materials that will decompose over time and contribute to the growing medium above. This is the hugelkultur principle applied in a simplified form.
Small logs and branches: woody material that decomposes slowly, holding moisture and releasing nutrients over years. Fill loosely to allow settling.
Cardboard: plain cardboard without glossy printing or staples. Breaks down within one season. Suppresses any grass or weeds below the bed. Contributes carbon to the developing soil biology.
Leaves: autumn leaves either fresh or partially composted. High carbon material that decomposes within one to two seasons. Free from any garden with deciduous trees.
Straw: clean straw, not hay which contains seeds, provides bulk fill that decomposes within one season contributing organic matter to the growing medium above.
Grass clippings: mixed with cardboard or leaves to prevent compacting into a dense mat. High nitrogen material that decomposes rapidly and contributes fertility.
The combination of cardboard at the very base, logs or branches above it, and leaves or straw filling the gaps produces the most biologically active bottom layer with the widest range of decomposition rates and the most significant long-term contribution to the growing medium above.
🌿 Middle layer — the transition zone, 2 to 3 inches
A transition layer of finished compost between the bulk fill and the quality growing medium above introduces the biological community that begins processing the bulk material below. It also provides an anchor layer for the growing medium above and prevents settling of the surface layer directly into the bulk material below.
🌿 Top layer — the quality growing medium, 8 to 10 inches
The top layer is where the investment is made. This is the growing medium that plant roots primarily occupy and where the growing performance of the bed is determined. Two approaches both produce excellent results.

Mel's Mix — the original square foot gardening formula:
Mel Bartholomew developed this growing medium formula for his Square Foot Gardening system in the 1970s and it remains one of the most widely used and most reliable raised bed growing medium recipes available. The formula is simple and the results are consistently excellent.
One third blended compost. One third peat moss or coco coir. One third coarse perlite.
🌿 The blended compost component
Mel's original formula specifies blended compost from multiple sources rather than a single compost type. The reasoning is that different compost sources have different nutrient profiles and microbial communities. A blend of three to five different composts, mushroom compost, worm castings, garden compost, manure-based compost, and leaf compost, provides a more complete and diverse foundation than any single compost source.
Most gardeners cannot source five different composts economically. A blend of two or three is an adequate practical compromise. At minimum combine a mushroom or manure-based compost with a leaf or green waste compost for meaningful diversity.
🌿 The peat moss or coco coir component
Peat moss provides the moisture retention and slightly acidic pH that suits most vegetable crops. It also improves the physical structure of the growing medium, preventing compaction and maintaining the loose open texture that plant roots and soil organisms require. The environmental concern around peat extraction from peat bogs makes coco coir the preferred alternative in most current applications. Coco coir provides similar moisture retention and physical structure benefits without the ecological cost of peat extraction.
Coco coir is available in compressed bricks that expand when hydrated. One compressed brick typically produces 2 to 3 gallons of expanded coir. Hydrate fully before incorporating into the mix.
🌿 The coarse perlite component
Perlite prevents the compaction that would otherwise occur in a growing medium dominated by compost and coir. Over time compost-heavy growing medium compacts under the weight of watering and plant root development. Perlite particles maintain the pore structure that allows air and water to move through the medium and that prevents the anaerobic conditions that damage root systems.
Use coarse perlite rather than fine perlite. Fine perlite particles wash to the surface with repeated watering and provide less durable pore structure than coarse particles.

The alternative quality growing medium — the simpler approach:
If sourcing three components separately is not practical a simpler two-component mix of 60% quality blended compost and 40% coarse horticultural grit or perlite produces an excellent raised bed growing medium at lower complexity and potentially lower cost.
The compost provides fertility, moisture retention, and biological activity. The grit or perlite provides drainage and prevents compaction. This two-component mix is slightly less moisture-retentive than Mel's Mix in hot dry conditions but performs excellently in most US growing situations.

Calculating quantities — avoiding over or under purchasing:
🌿 The volume calculation
Calculate the volume of your bed in cubic feet. Length in feet multiplied by width in feet multiplied by depth in feet. For a 4 by 8 foot bed filled to 12 inches depth: 4 x 8 x 1 equals 32 cubic feet total. The bottom 6-inch bulk fill layer represents half that volume, 16 cubic feet. The top 6-inch quality growing medium represents the remaining 16 cubic feet.
For Mel's Mix in the top layer: 16 cubic feet divided by 3 equals approximately 5.3 cubic feet of each component. Purchase 6 cubic feet of each to allow for settling.
🌿 Settling allowance
All raised bed growing medium settles significantly in the first season as organic materials begin to decompose and compact slightly. Fill the bed 1 to 2 inches above the top of the frame to compensate for first-season settling. Add a 1-inch compost top dressing each spring to maintain the growing medium level and replace the organic matter lost to decomposition.

The economics — what this actually costs:
A 4 by 8 foot bed with a 6-inch bulk fill layer and 6-inch Mel's Mix top layer costs approximately $50 to $80 in materials depending on local compost prices and whether bulk fill materials are sourced free from the garden. The same bed filled entirely with purchased topsoil or bagged growing medium to 12 inches costs $120 to $200 or more.
The layered approach costs half as much, produces better long-term growing performance as the bulk fill decomposes and enriches the bed from below, and uses materials that would otherwise go to a green waste collection.

Topping up established beds — the annual maintenance:
Every season the growing medium level in a raised bed drops 1 to 2 inches as organic matter decomposes. Maintaining the growing medium level by adding a 1 to 2 inch compost top dressing each spring maintains the quality of the upper growing zone and replaces the biological activity lost as organic matter is processed.
Do not add more perlite or coir annually. These components do not decompose and accumulate in the growing medium over multiple seasons. Add compost only for annual top ups. Complete Mel's Mix refreshment is needed only every 3 to 5 seasons when the growing medium has significantly degraded.

Fill it right once. Top dress annually. The bed improves every season.
🌿 Save this. Use this formula for your next raised bed installation.
👇 What are you filling your raised beds with this season and what has worked best for you in previous years? Tell me because the raised bed filling solutions people develop from local available materials are always more creative than the standard recipe suggests.

12/04/2026

Isn't that clever??

I still think this is such a clever little seed-starting trick.

Instead of tossing used tea bags, you can use them to start seedlings and then plant the whole thing later without messing with the roots.

It works especially well for small seeds and for gardeners who like using what they already have before buying more trays and pots.

What you need:

used tea bags
paper towel
small tray
water
seeds like lettuce, pansy, broccoli, or marigold

Steps:

1. Fold a paper towel and lay it in a shallow tray.

2. Wet the paper towel so it stays evenly damp, not soaking.

3. Set the used tea bags on top in rows.

4. Make a small hole in each tea bag and drop in a seed.

5. Keep the tray in a warm bright spot and make sure the paper towel stays moist.

6. Once the seeds sprout and the seedlings are a couple inches tall, plant them out with the tea bag still around the roots.

What I like about this method is that it’s simple, cheap, and less fussy than moving tiny seedlings out of little cells.

The tea leaves break down, the roots stay mostly undisturbed, and it’s a nice way to reuse something that would usually go in the trash.

I’d only use plain paper tea bags for this, not the plastic mesh kind.

Have you ever started seeds in something unexpected like this?

12/04/2026

🌱 10 Vegetables That Thrive in the Shade

Not every garden space gets full sunlight, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow healthy, productive crops. Many vegetables actually do well in partial shade and cooler conditions.

🥬 Kale — A hardy leafy green that grows well in low light and even develops a sweeter flavor in cooler environments.

🌿 Parsley & Cilantro — These herbs thrive in partial shade, staying fresh longer without intense sun exposure.

🥗 Lettuce — Perfect for shaded areas, as too much sun can cause it to wilt or turn bitter quickly.

🥬 Cabbage — Grows steadily in cooler, shaded spots, making it ideal for balanced garden conditions.

🌱 Arugula — A fast-growing green that prefers mild temperatures and partial sunlight.

🧅 Chives — Easy to grow and low-maintenance, they adapt well to less sunny spaces.

🥬 Bok Choy — Thrives in shade and cooler weather, producing tender and crisp leaves.

🥬 Spinach — One of the best shade-tolerant vegetables, growing well without direct sunlight.

🫜 Beets — While the roots develop underground, they can still grow effectively with limited sun.

🥕 Carrots — Adaptable and resilient, they grow well in partial shade with proper soil conditions.

Choosing the right vegetables for shaded areas allows you to maximize your garden space while maintaining a healthy and productive harvest.

12/04/2026

You're cutting all your herbs the same way. They don't all regrow the same way.

A basil plant wants you to pinch the stem tip above a leaf pair — two new stems replace every one you take. A rosemary plant wants you to cut where the brown wood meets the green growth. Cut rosemary the way you pinch basil and you'll hit bare wood that can't regrow. The branch dies.

Four types of herbs, four harvest methods.

🌱 The quick guide:

- Bushy soft herbs (basil, mint, oregano) — pinch the tip above a leaf pair. Two stems replace one. Pinch weekly and a single plant becomes a bush by midsummer

- Woody herbs (rosemary, sage, lavender) — cut where brown bark meets green growth. Leave green below the cut. Bare wood produces nothing

- Trailing herbs with tiny leaves (thyme, savory, marjoram) — run your fingers down the stem and strip the leaves off in one pass. Leave the growing tip. The stem refills in a few weeks

- Grassy herbs growing from the base (chives, cilantro, parsley) — shear the whole plant to two-inch stubs with scissors. Looks brutal. Two weeks later, a flush of tender new growth that tastes better than what you cut

The difference between a basil plant that bushes out all summer and one that grows into a single tall stalk and dies is one pinch per week 🌿

12/04/2026

12/04/2026

Planting tomatoes in 6-inch beds killing your harvest 🍅, Match these 4 bed depths to your crops or waste 50% of your roots 👇
Wrong bed depth wastes money soil and harvest potential creating stunted root-bound plants producing 30-50% less yield. 🍅 Tomatoes need 12-18 inches minimum developing extensive root systems accessing nutrients and moisture. Planting them in shallow 6-inch beds restricts growth causing early wilting nutrient deficiencies and small harvests. Carrots requiring 12-18 inches for straight growth become deformed twisted in shallow soil. Lettuce herbs and radishes thrive in 6-inch shallow beds while deep-rooted crops suffocate. Most gardeners build one-size beds then wonder why tomatoes fail or carrots fork. Matching bed depth to root requirements saves hundreds in wasted soil amendments and prevents crop failure.
Here's the depth mistake killing gardens 👇 Building expensive 24-inch beds for lettuce wasting soil and money. Using shallow 6-inch beds for potatoes restricting tuber development. Standard answer = 12-inch beds handle 80% of vegetables including peppers beans cucumbers beets. Shallow 6-inch beds perfect for salad greens herbs radishes saving money on soil. Deep 18-inch beds essential for carrots parsnips tomatoes eggplants accessing nutrients 12+ inches underground. Extra-deep 24-inch beds required for asparagus artichokes sweet potatoes establishing perennial root systems. Right depth = maximum harvest minimum cost healthier plants. Build smart not expensive. 🌱✨💚

11/04/2026

I'm here!! All set up and everything. Looking forward to a day of interesting.....

07/04/2026

This is very useful

Still wondering why some plants flop no matter what you do? It might be your soil 🌱 I’ve learned the hard way that the plant isn’t always the problem:

• Sandy soil dries out fast
• Clay holds water longer
• Loam is the easiest to grow in
• Peaty and chalky soil need the right plant match

✨ I always get better results when I match the plant to the soil instead of trying to force it