HERB GARDENS: SAVE MONEY IN A SMALL SPACE

Do you have a small space and want to get a big bang for your buck. Try a herb garden. Herb gardens are easy to grow and many herbs are perennial in Northern Michigan(will come up next year without replanting. Fresh herbs are especially expensive in stores where a few stalks of oregano, sage, chives etc., can be $2.00 or more.

Some favorite Northern perennial plants you can grow in your herb garden are: sage, mint, chives, oregano and catnip. Basil is a popular herb to grow but, it is an annual in Northern Michigan. Dill will sometimes seed down and come up the next year but, I don't count on it.

All of these plants can be purchased in most garden centers (sometimes in produce departments in some supermarkets), and are easy to grow. Just plant in well drained soil and keep them watered enough so they won't dry out. Remember though, keep your basil plants covered when it freezes. Also, remember that oregano spreads by roots and is a prolific seed producer so, you will need to keep it contained from the rest of your garden and yard or, it will cover your entire property.

Herbs are great for container gardening so if you have a sunny patio or window sill, you are ready to start herb gardening. From window sill to sauce or frying pan gives you the freshest herbs you can get for your favorite dishes.

I like to plant my herbs with my other perennial plants like rhubarb and asparagus. That way, with all my perennial plants in the same area, I know which garden to clean off first in the Spring.

Overall, herbs are easy to grow, will save you lots of money, and give you a fresh garden to kitchen flavor in your cooking.

HOT AND DRY WEATHER: WEED AND WATER

When it is hot and dry, you need to think about your plants. When it is hot and dry then you should take extra care to make sure that weeds are pulled up so that the weed roots do not soak up any water that can help you plants. Watering plants with weeds and grasses around the bottoms is silly. In fact it may harm your plants since the aggressive weed roots will soak up most if not all of the water and allow the weeds and grasses to just grow bigger plants and roots to soak up water and nutrients your plants need to mature and even survive. So, before you water your plants you should pull up the weeds around them. Perennials and annuals should have weeds pulled out a foot or more all the way around the plant. Shrubs and trees should have 2-4 feet of weed/grass free area from their base.

After the weeds and grasses are gone, water your plants heavily. Make sure the ground is well soaked with water so that the plant will be able to take in drinks of water until you water again. For some plants that produce fruits, a soaker hose is advisable for better fruits and yields.

Don't over fertilize when it is hot and dry. When it is hot and dry your plants might start to droop and look bad but, all they need is a good drink of water. Fertilizers, particularly those with high nitrogen numbers (the nitrogen number is the first number on a bag of fertilizer) your plants may be burned, stunted or even killed if you apply nitrogen when there is a drought.