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Miz
Otter Tractoring, 6/02
Howdy! Welcome! Don’t you just love this weather? Not quite spring yet, but so close you can smell it in the air. Just warm enough to come outside for a bit and plan the garden for later. You just sit right down on that bench and make yourself comfy. I’m just figuring out where this year’s annuals will go. |
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So, you’re planning a garden too?
Wanting some herb ideas for it.
That’s always good. Some
herbs are just so useful you might as well grow your own, so you always
have some right to paw when you need them.
You a beginner or long-time Garden Worm like me?
Beginner? Alrighty,
then, we’ll start with a few that are pretty simple to grow right at
home. I can think of
several that are useful for both you and your pets, and worth growing
your own patch.
There's
plenty of room for |
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Garlic (Allium sativum) is too good not to grow. It’ll help with just about any kind of infection, yeast, fungus. It’s safe for cats with respiratory infections and congestion, good for dogs who can use a gentle anti-inflammatory, good for cleaning out droopy ears and face wrinkles. You can grow it from seeds or cloves – the cloves are faster and easier, but cost a bit more. Garlic’s hardy, and you can plant it in early spring, up to six weeks before the last frost. It loves to wiggle its toes in rich, somewhat dry soil, so you won’t have to water much. Plant the cloves about two inches deep and about six inches apart. By mid to late summer, the tops should start to fall over and turn brown. If they don’t do it on their own, don’t wait – knock ‘em over yourself. Withhold water for a few days before harvesting and you’ll be able to just lift the plant out of the soil. Shake off the dirt, be careful not to bruise the bulbs, and store them in a cool, dark, dry spot. |
| Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) may seem like an odd choice, since most gardeners think of them as pests, but they aren’t! Dandelions are little Warehouse Clubs of nutrition, and ones that are cultivated have even more of the good stuff than wild ones. The leaves can be eaten in salad (when young and tender) or steamed like spinach (when they’re more mature). The flowers can be used to make wine, or to add a festive touch of color to butters, spreads and vinegars. The roots help with anemia, make an excellent over-all tonic, are a good diuretic and appetite stimulant, all for both humans and furkids, and can also be toasted and munched like sunflower seeds or ground and mixed with coffee. It’s worth cultivating a little patch of them. Dandelions prefer raised beds of loose, nitrogen-rich soil, and mixing in a little sawdust or fine woodchips makes harvesting the roots easier. As you know if you’ve ever had them move in and settle in your yard, they don’t require much in the way of care or attention. The very young spring leaves should be blanched to reduce bitterness, or you can wait a couple more weeks and use them fresh in a salad. As soon as the leaves are fully mature, that’s when you want to harvest the roots. Wash the dirt off, drain them well, and dry them spread out in an oven set on “warm” or in a warm, partly shady spot. Store the roots in a tightly-lidded jar until you want them. | 
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Calendula (Calendula officinalis), or “Pot Marigold” is actually an older variety than the decorative flowerbed marigold. The Pot Marigold has a longer stem, with ray flowers instead of little ball-shaped ones. The flower petals make an excellent topical antiseptic for minor scratches, scrapes or burns for human and critter alike, and a few drops of the tea or tincture soothes digestion and helps relieve cramps. Do be cautious in using it if you have hay fever. It’s not the same plant, but it is related and may cause sniffly symptoms for some hay fever sufferers. Calendula is easily sown from fresh seeds (check the date on the package – if the seeds are over a year old, they probably won’t grow). Calendula is another hardy plant that doesn’t need much attention – keep their patch of earth free of weeds and thin them to about nine inches apart and they’ll be happy. Once the flowers are in full bloom, pinch off the flower head, pull the petals off, dry them on paper (not a screen), and store the dried petals in a moisture-proof container until you’re ready to use them. |
| Catnip (Nepeta cataria). If you have a kitty, you simply must grow some catnip! Besides being fun for the felines, it’s also a good digestive aid and mild sedative that’s safe for the whole family. You can grow catnip from seed, but the seeds are so tiny that they can be a pain to even see, much less handle. Fortunately, it also grows well from cuttings and anybody who’s ever grown any is likely to still have a plant or two around to get you started. It’s a very sturdy plant, needing only well-drained soil, although it is more fragrant if grown in good, full sunlight. Gather the leaves and tops in late summer, when the plant is in full bloom. Dry them carefully in a shady spot and store away from moisture (and in a cat-proof spot!) | 
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The last one we’ll discuss today is Echinacea (Echinacea augustifolia). The roots are used topically to treat wounds and speed healing, and eaten or made into tea to use as an immune system stimulant and antibiotic. Echinacea is a hardy plant too, and will grow in about any garden soil, though it does like to wiggle its toes in soil treated with some compost and rock phosphate in the spring. It’s easy to start from seed, just wait until the air temperature is at least 70º. Echinacea does like its elbow room, so space the seedlings between 18 and 24 inches apart, and don’t water unless you have a long dry spell. Echinacea does take a bit of time; you’ll want to dig them up every four or five years and replant in freshly fertilized soil. Harvest the roots after the plant has endured two or three hard frosts and begins to die back. Clean off the dirt, dry in shade, and store in a dry place for future use. |
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Well, there you have it. My top five recommendations for the most useful, easy-to-grow herbs to start your medicinal garden. I think I have some seeds you can take along, and maybe Puff even left me a Catnip cutting or two to share. You start getting that garden ready and if you have any questions, come on back. I’ll be here. |
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| Mumsy's Note: Growing your own herbs and food is great fun. They're pretty, they smell wonderful, you get to eat them, and it's good for Mother Nature when you grow organically. It's easy and good exercise, too. You can do it in just about any patch of sun, in the ground or in containers. Start out small and see what you can do. You'll be glad you did! | 
Happy Salad Herbs, 8/03 |
Part of our food for the year, 9/03 |
Editorial Note: These articles are meant to increase knowledge of the use of plants in treating various conditions. They are not intended to, nor can they, replace the advice and treatment of a licensed medical provider. A licensed practitioner of medicine should always be consulted for an accurate diagnosis and for supervision of the use of any herbal treatment. Pug Manor urges all visitors to seek the best medical advice available to receive the best, most informed treatment. Pug Manor is not responsible for any unsupervised use of any herb or alternative treatment for any condition by any visitor to our site. |
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I've got some great herbal ideas to
spice things up!
Bless you! Did you miss my article on Cold
and Flu Remedies? |
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Miz Otter, as she is known to the inhabitants of
the small forest village she serves, was born in a riverbank burrow as
Evangelina Otter quite a few years ago (she refuses to specify exactly
HOW many, only that it was “oh, a little before that flood.”).
She has never liked her full name and as a young otter miss was
known as Evy. It’s a
nickname that she carried into adulthood, though these days, it’s used
only by a few close friends. To
most of the village, she is simply “Miz Otter.”
She was married, after a properly lengthy courtship, to Franklin
Otter, a fisher otter respected in the village for his honesty and
kindness. Sadly, Mr. Otter
was lost to her in an unfortunate fishing accident several years ago.
She prefers not to discuss it, as it still brings a tear after
all this time. They had one
kit, Arthur, who now lives with his own wife and kits in a pond on the
other side of the woods.
Editor's Note: If you'd like to drop Miz Otter a line with questions or comments, you can find her at MizOtter@aol.com. When Puff lets her use the computer, that is. ;) |
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Kyla, aka Miz Otter, has been an herbalist for a dozen years now. Born in Indiana “some time ago,” she has a BS in Journalism from Butler University. When not playing among the plants, she can be found in Ohio, writing and editing for a national credit card bank, and playing with her three dogs, four cats, two parakeets and Lifemate. She is also an involved member of Ohio Pug Rescue and assists with transports and fundraisers.
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