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Posted on 6:15 PM by Wanto and filed under
By Jesse Meradz

Whether you grow the one or both, use a seed box containing up to two inches of finely sifted soil, light and well drained. Sow the seed thickly on the surface and do not cover this but press it down firmly into the surface. Water well, place inside a transparent plastic bag and put away in an airing cupboard or some similar place where the temperature will be fairly steady at between 5o and 60F.

Leave it there until it is obvious that the majority of the seeds have germinated and then bring out into the light, again in a warm place. When the little seedlings are only an inch or so high cut them with scissors as you need them, but do not let them get too mature. Keep sowing successions every week or two and you will always have some ready and fresh for salads, sandwiches and garnishes.

Miniature bay trees, no more than two feet tall, are on sale in many garden centers and have met with a ready response. They have been grown especially for indoor cultivation and are quite attractive in appearance with their regular, triangular shape and their thick, dark green leaves. Bay leaves are not so frequently used as some herbs, and the odd leaf or two plucked for soups and stews will not be missed from the thick-growing foliage. When the bay is clipped into shape the shoots may be dried.

A means of growing herbs in the house in a more decorative manner is to make use of a terracotta strawberry pot, the kind with several lips or openings in the sides. The mere shape of the pot is pleasant and when the green growth appears out of the openings and cascades down the sides the effect can be quite charming.

By trial and error you will soon find how many seeds should be sown for a single meal or helping, for unlike mustard and cress this is seldom a crop that can be used with a large number of dishes. On the other hand, they make an excellent and welcome addition to soups, stews and salads, and once tried many uses can be found for them.

Yet the cress is almost tasteless and used mainly as a filler and a softener for the stronger tasting mustard. Try to grow mustard alone. When it is cut young and immature it is quite mild.

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