Julie writes: I want my son to have a “come grow with me” 5th Birthday Party. I want to have each child plant something easy in a small pot and take it home with a ruler in it to watch it grow!

What plant/seeds would you suggest that would grow fast (little patience at 5) and be easy for me to find in South Florida. The party is Jan. 7th; I’m anxious to get your advice.

Answer: Avocado pits [seeds] are excellent for youngsters.

They can be secured with three toothpicks pushed into the pit at intervals about a third of the way from the bottom [large end]. These support the pit when placed in a glass of water.

The base of the pit should be in 1/2″ water. Maintain level by adding water but never change the water. As long as the water remains clear, the pit is not rotting. If the pit does rot, discard it and start another pit.

Small roots will appear on the bottom, then the pit cracks and reveals the developing stem. There may be more than one stem and these should always be left alone.

When the top stem reaches 6″, cut it back to 3″. This induces a bushy leafy plant.

Do not wait more than 3 weeks after cutting it to plant it. Be careful not to injure roots.

Remove or break toothpicks off before planting. The upper portion of the seed must be exposed to allow new stems to grow.

The avocado should be potted in a large clay pot in a light sandy soil mix. Kids can watch the roots develop followed by the green stalk and then the foliage all rather quickly. They can measure daily so they would enjoy that and learn.

Tweet This Post

If you have already planted your herbs, you will have watched them sprout and flourish. Hopefully you will now know how very useful they can be in lots of different ways. But, using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit or work first.

The very first thing to do is to harvest them and getting the timing right is one of the most important things. The wind and the heat can disperse the essential oils of the herbs. You should harvest them on a still and dry day sometime around misdsummer. Fewer oils are produced by the herb on extremely wet days. So wait for a few hours for the early morning dew to evaporate from the leaves and then pick them just before the flowers open. Click here for more: herbs to grow at home

When harvesting, you don’t have to remove the whole plant. At this point, you are just taking a certain amount of growth for use. You do not need to use the herbs that you are harvesting at the time that you pick them. They can always be preserved for later use.Be careful not to take more then one third of the plant’s foliage at one time. The plant will need a good amount of foliage to re-grow well. While picking it is always wise to check the plant for any damage from insects and weather.

Typically there are three ways that people preserve their herbs for later use; drying, freezing, or preserving them in a medium like salt or vinegar. In order to dry herbs you need to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any foliage near the base of the stems. Tie the bundle up with some gardening string. Hang the bundle in a cool location away from sunlight. If you are looking to dry individual leaves you can place them on a screen or a rack. Don’t forget to turn them regularly so they can dry properly. Some gardeners use machines like ovens or dehydrators etc. to dry herbs, although this may not be as good. For more visit our blog: Herb Gardening Blog

Freezing herbs is a fairy simple way to preserve herbs. Place the ¼ inch cut herbs onto a baking tray covered with wax paper. When frozen store them in a freezer bag until they are needed.

The third alternative for storing your herbs is via a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar and it will be preserved for several months. Or you can make a flavored salt to preserve herbs by alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt. The salt will completely dry out the herb and all that is needed is to separate them and store in an airtight tub.

Of course, people often use herbs fresh right out of the garden. Make sure you clean them properly before using them. To clean them correctly, place them in a bowl of clean cool water. Use a sink if there are a lot of herbs to prepare. Place about two tablespoons of salt in the water. The salt in the water will drive away insects without damaging the plant. Remove the herbs from the water and dry them in a salad spinner.

There are many different kinds of herb for many different uses. Each one will need to be picked and prepared in a slightly different way. Make sure into research the specific type of herb you are using to use it correctly. Click here for more: Herb Garden Information

Related articles by Zemanta

• Harvesting Herbs from Your Home Herb Garden (hbb2obm.com)
• Autumn is a Great Time for Your Herb Garden (hbb2obm.com)
• Herb Garden All Sorts (hbb2obm.com)
• Window Box Herb Gardens (hbb2obm.com)

Tweet This Post

Herbs can also be grown indoors in pots or containers. They can also be grown in window boxes or hanging baskets. Growing herbs in pots is as easy as growing herbs in an outside garden. There is no difference from an indoor herb garden to an outdoor herb garden; they both need the same growing requirements.

All plants need three main things in order to grow successfully;

• Sunlight
• Soil
• Water

Your Herbs Need Sunlight

Herbs are no exception. Whether they are grown indoors or in an outdoor garden sunlight is the key for growing any type of plant including herbs.  You should place herbs grown in a kitchen or other room in a south or west facing window to get the best kind of sunlight.

Different types of herbs have different light requirements but, for the most part, all need a sunny location.  Some home herb growers supplement the light source with “grow lamps” or fluorescent lamps.

Your Herbs Need Proper Soil Conditions

Herbs also need a not too rich well drained soil to grow in. Add two parts of sterilized potting soil with one part coarse sand or perlite for herbs that are grown in containers. To ensure that the plant has good drainage you will need about an inch of gravel at the bottom of each pot.  Herb grown in pots indoors can also be supplemented with one teaspoon of lime per 5-inch pot to ensure that the soil is sweet enough for the herbs.

Your Herbs Need Water

Herbs grown in pots also need water, misting the plants and moistening the pebbles will help to keep the herbs within humid conditions.  Although they are grown in pots or containers they do need more water than herbs grown in a garden, you need to avoid getting the roots soggy or drenched.

If you are looking at starting a herb garden then take a look Successful Herb Gardening Secrets

An advantage to growing herbs in a container is that you have the freedom to move them about as you please.  Annual
herbs can spend all of their time indoors but, perennial herbs do better if they were to be placed outside during the summer.  To avoid the loss of foliage all herbs should be brought indoors before the first frost.  Though when it comes to chives, tarragon and mint this rule can be over looked.  After they have gone through a light frost these herb types will go into a rest period, then have fresher growth and form firmer.

All herbs can be grown in containers but some herbs do better then others.  Mint is a herb that needs to be contained or it will take over the garden.

Over all it is fairly easy to maintain an indoor herb garden, it keeps the herbs handy and within reach anytime you need them for cooking.  With these tips listed above, you will be able to care for your herbs and ensure a healthy well maintained plant.  To ensure optimum health of your herbs you should include periodic light feeding and yearly repotting.  You will also have to remember to replant annuals each year and move perennials outdoors when needed.  Also harvest them occasionally and the main thing is use your herbs as often as you want  It is no secret that pruning plants encourages new growth and this rule also applies to herbs.  Use them in your favorite dishes, store them and give them away to your friends and family.

Dont forget If you are planning on starting a herb garden then take a look Successful Herb Gardening Secrets

Tweet This Post