mm only 37, scares me to hear it too, that's not good. you should be real strong. I was probably my strongest ever at age 35-43 or so. Now I do too much sitting at a desk. taking care of the kids all day is real hard on a woman too i know, people don't always understand that. I only have one though, age 13, constant work...
anyway... herbs that have done real well for me in pots, inside and out are...
- rosemary (difficult to get started from seed, keep trying then make new plants from cuttings when full grown)
- parsley (easy as pie)
- hyssop (pretty easy)
- feverfew (easy, a must have, keeps headaches away, great to undo menstrual cramps, grows like a weed)
- lavender (moderate easy, not edible but smells pretty)
- sage (moderate easy, needs lots of water)
- oregano (easy)
- thyme (easy, keep trimming it back)
Cilantro didn't do well in a pot for me, really wants to be in the dirt outside, likes cool nights, start in early early spring but will germinate in warm weather too. Basil will grow in a pot nicely but it won't be enough to make pesto or even much spaghetti sauce because if you have it you will use a lot of it.
The Basil makes me feel real good and strong too, I highly recommend growing basil alongside cilanto and mixing them together for your pesto. It's loaded with vitamin a and other good stuff that will help you detox and rebuild. Use large leaf sweet italian. The others are good too but fussy and the leaves are puny.
I plant the basil and cilantro in little 4'x4' squares or so outside, that's a lot of both of those, less is not enough. Cilantro won't freeze if there's a frost but basil will. The cilantro you really have to start with lots of seed and sprinkle straight into the dirt and cover lightly about 1/4 ", keep watered. You have to keep throwing seed in to sprout all summer or you will run out of cilantro, it has a pretty short lifespan, about 6-7 weeks.
The basil i like to start indoors in a small container, like a plastic sour cream container, and then I transplant to outside when they get about 1" tall. Put lots of seed in, keep in a warm sunny window and keep moist... sprinkle seed on top and barely cover (very lightly), just sprinkle a bit of light soil on top. They'll sprout crowded, that's ok, they seperate easy enough if you are careful. Plant about 6" apart when transplanting and cut as the grow and they'll get real bushy. don't let it start to seed till you are done with them at the end of summer or they will stop growing and get tough and lose their flavor.
save lots of cilantro and basil seed for next year at summer's end to do it again.
Tomatoes grow real well in pots on the porch, use a big 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled into the bottom to drain. Use good quality organic garden soil (miracle gro organic is ok). do not use cheap store bought potting soil. It can have lead and even grubs in it or who knows what, it's not meant for gardening. use plastic pots or glass for your herbs too to avoid the possible lead in clay pots..
the cilantro pesto recipe is here with comments:
http://herballure.com/ubbthreads/sh...er=249106&Main=238723#Post248656The basil/cilantro chopped and eaten raw mix is my favorite. Plain cilantro is good too. Parsley makes it a tad bitter but still real good.
I have to start my parsley... now is time, it takes some time to get going. The basil you can start just 2-3 weeks prior to transplanting oustide, cilantro, whenever you are ready, even with snow still on the ground is ok. It'll sprout at the first sign of warnth.
Summer savory is real good too, makes great spaghetti. Probably ok in a pot. We also grow echinacea, outside, very weedy once it gets going. My daughter has never had a full blown cold. I always make her echinacea tea at the first sign of a sniffle she is always better teh next day. One time it broke a fever she came home from school within 3 hours. She also used to get canker sores from school, she would chew the echinacea they would be gone the next day.
all those plants like full sun, at least 6-8 hours per day, sage needs partial shade.
have fun with that, you will really enjoy the benfits. Just do it... force yourself to get started, just do it... because within 2-3 weeks of eating your homegrown stuff you will have a lot more energy to keep going at it. Now is time to start tomatoes and peppers too btw. onions, leeks...
drink a good amount of water after eating that pesto to flush out. Take some calcium/magnesium.zinc supplements about 3-4 hours after if you like.
that was my dinner this evening... expecting a wonderful day tomorrow... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
another interesting Item i grow is borage. i eat the young tender leaves and flowers. Gives you a very mild natural strengthening high or something. Great to eat before a day out somewhere, like kayaking, lots of good energy. very weedy I do not plant seed anymore it has taken over the garden on it's own after 5 years here. I pull lots out.
