Mint Bee Balm What free foods have you used to help prepare a meal? ?
For example:
When I was a child, my grandmother used dandelion greens as an iron rich vegetable.
My grand children like to chew mint leaves. They call it gum plant.
My bee balm produces beautiful red petals that taste like a spice. My son commented when he ate one, Hm mm, taste like Pizza. So it is similar to something put in some pizza sauces.
And the leaves of bee balm make a great cup of tea mixed with a tea bag. It is good flavored, but also a diuretic.
For some reason the answer button is not showing? So you can email me your answers.
We eat nopales (cactus) all the time.
After you clean off the pricklys with a *sharp* knife,
you dice them, rinse them -for a LONG time- to get the
slime off, and cook them with pork meat and chili, or use
them in a cold salad (mix with tomatos, jalapenos, onion,
whatever you like) or even browned ground beef. After you
clean them, you can even just freeze them as they are to
use later. They taste similar to green beans.
I want to strew lemon balm (AKA melissa, balm mint, bee herb, sweet balm, etc) upon my chamber floor so it smells like citrus heaven.
Thanks for any advice.
wise answer but I don't have a forest where I live. Do I need to order them online
becoz Immahs confuzzled. thankyu
Lemon Balm can be found at most garden centers. It is a perennial and will come back each year. I have been growing it for years to make tea with . I just add some dried leaves to my tea when it is brewing and it gives it a lemony taste.
Chocolate Mint is another wonderful herb. If you can find them look for a Miskito plant it is a member of the geranium family and gives off a very fragrant sent when crushed and keeps the Miskito away also
Iris Flower Seeds I've heard that both coffee grinds and BBQ ashes can make a good compost for some types of plants. What type?
I need to know what types of plants would like those things as compost and what would not. Specifically flower or vegetable or herb gardens. I have planted some flower seeds and irises that aren't doing well. The iris man told me to put some compost down at first and then leave them alone. But he suggested compost made from food waste, and I don't do that because we get a wild rat problem around here. Will the coffee grounds be good or bad for irises? How about ash?
Coffee grounds are a good choice.Just stir them into the soil alittle. Coffee grounds add a little acid to your soil which almost all plants like.
BBQ ash would probably not hert the soil and would add Carbon to the soil. Which plants can use too. However, I would be worried about the fats in the ash from the BBQ sessons. They might attract the rats. Dig them in well. GrandBob
Rune Factory: Frontier - Under the Moonlight (White Iris' Intro)
How do I divide iris rhizomes? Is it too late? Will they flower next yr if I didn't cut off stems w/blossoms?
I live in California zone 9.
I'm pretty sure I need to divide them cuz they look too crowded.
Also, I didn't cut off the flowering stems this year (too busy and forgot!), so i suppose the energy went to seeds instead of the rhizomes... will they flower again next year? If not, then what happens--will it flower the year after then?
Thanks!
You're not too late. Dividing Iris rhizomes follows the same time-line as in first time planting:
"The best time to plant iris is late summer through early fall. We recommend planting from August 1st until Mid-October depending on your location. Those in more southern climates can usually plant up to early November."
http://goodthymesgardens.com/iris_care.html
They may bloom next year but usually, after dividing, "they need a year to rebuild carbs for flowering". When you divide your Iris, cut off the dried up stems & tidy up the leaves now. Some people like to trim the Iris into a fan shape for air circulation & so the sun can shine on the rhizomes.
"They should be cut, trimmed and free of any weedy rhizomes, such as quackgrass or thistle, and then set into the new location as soon as possible. Plant just below the soil surface and water in."
Anise Hyssop Can someone give me tips on growing perrenials from seed?( specifically anise hyssop.)?
Each perennial has it owns requirements. Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a perennial in zones 5 to 9. This is a very fragrant licorice tasting herb you will want to place at the back of your garden as it can reach up to four feet in height. These plants like moist, well-drained soil in a sunny location but will tolerate a drier area and some light shade. You can direct sow after the last frost date for your area. Otherwise you will need to start them indoors and transplant them out after the last frost date. Slugs love the little baby plants so be ware! They germinate quite easily and I have had new seedlings "volunteers" come up the next season around the "mother" plants. This makes a great tea!
Whats the best way to start a flower from a piece that broke off, in Water or using the rooting hormone.?
It's a perennial called Agastache 'Tutti Fruiti' or Anise Hyssop, it broke off and i don't know the right way to make a start from it, in water or using the hormone rooting medium. Thanks for any help.
Trim it to just below a leaf node, and strip all the lower leaves off. Cut the top off till you have only about 4in of stalk, with around 2 or 3 pairs of leaves. Put the stem in water and keep in a light place but out of direct sunlight. When roots start to grow (after a week or so), transplant into compost in a pot, and keep watered. Put in a shady, sheltered place in the garden, when new growth is noticed, move it out into the dappled sunlight, then to full sun after a couple of weeks. You can now plant it out into the garden if you wish, but keep it well watered.
Hope this helps.
