I have this herb garden growing. Oregano, Rosemary and Basil. I'm not exactly sure when to cut them/dry etc. Also I think a few of the leaves have insects on them...I think they are called scale. Is there any way to remove them safely? I have looked onliner but nothing concrete so far.

ANy help is appreciated.

With Oregano, Rosemary and Basil.....you just cut them off as you need it.

Herb gardens are totally weak. I just lost a lot of respect for you.

Hi twinklebitch..

To remove the scale safely so u can still consume u'r herbs...

cap of dish soap in a squirt bottle of warm water...add the saop after the water and spray generously on the leaves....

to harvest...can harvest throughout the year to use as u like in sauces ect...and always top off any flowers that may appear....

hope this helps



ps....can cut to dry at anytime during the year...

pippet said:

great advice ... herb gardens rock... cooking with fresh herbs is wonderful and herbs are very healthy for you !!

i try to pinch off my herbs at least a couple times a week ... this also encourages them to grow and bush out too if you cant use them to cook with dry them or gift them to friends that love fresh herbs

Mach said:

Mornin Mach.. ..and ThankX

La Serra Domestica

pippet said:

Morn sweet Pip

MrTee said:

damn ... thats cool !!

Pip and Mach have covered the basics but with Oregano the flavour is best when dried, unlike Basil which should always be used fresh and to some extent Rosemary is better fresh too (that’s the whole point of growing yer own ).

Harvest the oregano just after it has flowered and dry the lot, leaves, dead petals, seeds, stalk, everything. The best way is to make a bunch and put it into a small PAPER bag. Tie the bag up at the top round the stalks and hang somewhere warm and dry (keeps the dust off) if you are in a nice dry hot place, outside is fine too. Then store it in an airtight jar out of the sunlight.

You might also want to note that Rosemary will keep growing all year round, and Oregano will come back again after you cut it off, but Basil only lives a year. The best way to keep your basil over the winter months is take off all the big leaves as winter draws in and freeze them in a ziplock bag. Just take them out as you need them.

Good luck

last yr i planted way to much sweet basil ... i still have jars of pesto

Mach said:

, I struggle every year with basil, soggy, wet, cold England is no place to grow basil

Home made pesto, how cool is that

PREDOMINANT said:

OMG i had a basil row like 6 feet wide and 8 feet long bout 3-4 feet tall

yeah ... the home made pesto rocks...i gave everal jars away to friends too

if it wasnt almost a yr old i would send you a jar

Mach said:

Yr old pesto



You had a basil patch!

PREDOMINANT said:

Oh mighty great basil patch

so... could i mail the pesto ? it's been in the fridge the whole time...

it's VERY strong pesto ... concentrated... tread lightly

Mach said:

That would be wonderful! But d'you realy think a jar of pesto would make it safely to the UK?

PREDOMINANT said:

dunno

Mach said:

MAybe if you grow another medow of basil this year you could send me the leaves instead. I mean, customs are not likely to have any problems with a pile of aromatic dried herbs are they?

herb gardens! I just planted my basil last night. (norhteast) and my oregano is going to take over my whole herb garden I think.
In my herb garden I have
parsley (flat leaf)
tarragon
creeping thyme
basil
rosemary
oregano

but we also have
strawberries
Rhubarb
tomatoes
cucs
lettuce
carrots
various squashes
brocolli

pippet said:

Thanks So, I assume you just spray the water and that's it huh? I am also getting the impression I can keep cutting back and saving what I lop off. OK, I'll Try it!

Mach said:

I was hoping you'd respond! Thank you

TwinkleBitch said:

the soap in the water will kill the scale...and will still make herbs safe for consumption

PREDOMINANT said:

Thanks for the advice...OK Basil fresh...oregano Dried and ROsemary either. I had heard about the paper bag thing. I have some bulbs I need to winter so I best be getting some bags then!

Now can't I just keep cutting them back and drying them out or do I need to cut all at once? Wait I think I get what your're saying...Oregano you can keep pinching. Rosemary too...but basil does not. I am figuring I cut or pluck the big ones and keep them in a zippy. But I should probably wait for germanation so I still have plants to cut...right? How big does Basil get before I cut it?

:rose: Thank you to everyone that helped me out. I so appreciate it!!!!

this is how i do some of my basil

i let it get about 8 inches high then every 3 days or so i pinch off some of it ... if you want a short stocky plant ( cuz they can get pretty big/tall )

hmmmm ... really a good herb book with diagrams and the such would help you... OR a website with how to section ...

you wanna pinch off the semi larger leaves fro the top but leave tiny baby leaves right inder them ON ... pinching from the top of growth down makes plant stay bushy and full ... or justlet um grow wild and big and take whatever leaves ya want

good luck ... herbs are fun to grow and use

here is a nice page on basil

http://portfolio.umaine.e...basil.html

we used to have mint in our garden when I was a kid, it smelled lovely.

Lleena said:

i love mints ... i have peppermint and spearmint ...they DO smell yummy

Mach said:

I used to pick the leaves off and sniff them ~nostalgia~