Clinton News-Record, 1984-04-25, Page 53Page 11
Start a kitchen herb garden
Herbs can add spice to your garden year round.
Increase your Braden save
ioin a horticultural club
Interest in gardening is ."growing", says
Tony Hogervorst, rural organizations co-
ordinator ( Horticulture) for the . Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food's rural
organizations and services branch.
Today, there are more than. 55,000 hor-
ticultural society , members in 249 hor-
ticultural societies across Ontario.
There is no minimum or maximum age to
belong; you need only the desire to share the
secrets , and -.he experience of growing
plants, he says.
Many society members work with their
local school board to sponsor Youth Garden
Clubs, giving youngsters • the chance to
watch plants grow.
Society members also make a valuable
contribution to their local communities by
holding----open---meetings and providing
gardening and landscaping information to
new homeowners and other gardening en-
thusiasts.
Several . societies organize • flower and
vegetable shows in conjunction with fall
fairs or host competitions among members
at harvesttime.
Every municipality may form a local hor-
ticultural society, Hogervorst says. Check
with your local library, municipality office
or Chamber of Commerce, for information
on joining your local group.
If there isn't a local society, write to the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food,
Rural Organizations and Services Branch,
Guelph Agricultural Centre, P.O, Box 1030,
Guelph, Ontario N1H 6N1.
Ask for instructions and requirements to,
form.your community horticultural society.
Loyal green
thumbers
By Wendy Somerville
Horticultural societies in Goderich,
Clinton, Blyth, Bayfield, Auburn and
Lucknow all play a major role in keeping
Huron County beautiful and at its best.
These local societies promote the idea of
encouraging young and old to become
involved in many aspects of horticulture.
By glancing throughout your municipality
the obvious products of many hours and
countless ideas can he seen in the form of
flower beds, gardens, preserved forests and
other forms of landscaping.
Several of these societies sponsor special
events and c mpetitions during the year.
This way they allow members and the public
alike a ch • ce to display their best
horticultural efforts.
Blyth
Founded in 1922, the Blyth Horticultural
° Society holds open meetings everyother
month. These meetings often feature special
guests.
In past years the club has held an annual
flower show. They also care for 18 floyver
beds throughout the village, maintain the
community park and display hanging
baskets, located on all the standards
downtown during the summer.
Executive members are: president,
Harvey McDowell; first vice president,
Mary McCallum; second vice president,
Harvey McCallum; secretary, Margaret
East; treasurer, Flora Fear; directors,
Elma Masill, Carol Lawrie, Dan McInnis,
George Harrower, John Hesselwood, Bert
Turn to page 12
By Bob Hamersma
Horticultural Research
Institute of Ontario
You can turn herb gardening into a year-
round activity by growing herbs as
houseplants. They will add a touch of
greenery to your kitchen, and add extra
flavor to your meals.
Potted herbs, whether brought in from
outdoors in the fall, or grown from seed in=
doors, offer the same amount of fragrance
and spice as garden -grown herbs.
If you have a garden, plant fresh annual
herb seeds outdoors in the spring. This will
give you a good supply of herbs for
-houseplants the next winter. Perennial
herbs can be lifted out of the garden in early
fall, and divided into smaller plants for use'
indoors. ,,
However, you don't need a garden to start
an indor herb garden. Herbs can be grown
easily from seed indoors in the spring or
fall, especially if artificial lighting is
available:
,Not all herbs will adapt to an indoor en-
vironment. Some of the more popular herbs
which can be used for kitchen gardens are
parsley, basil, chives, peppermint,
rosemary, summer savory, sweet mar-
joram, and thyme.
Herbs grown indoors require a location
with full sunlight (south window) and cool
temperatures (10 to 13 C) . Although good.air
circulation is essential, direct drafts should
be avoided. -
Plant herbs in ample -sized containers,
larger than at first seems necessary. Herbs
must have sufficient room for continuous
growth to provide a constant supply of
greens for use in the kitchen.' All containers
must have slits or holes in the bottom for
good drainage.
The best soil.for most herbs is a mixture of
equal parts of. good garden loam, coarse
sand, and orp anic matter. Recommended
organic'materials include peat moss, well- ___
rotted manur, or well -decayed compost.
Herbs can be .used fresh, or can be
preserved by drying or freezing. The leaves
and , seeds are the most commonly used
plant parts because they contain the flavor-
ing oils.. Leaves should be harvested just
before, or just as, the buds open. Always
maintain at least`twa sets of leaves at the
base of each stem so the plant will continue •
to grow. Harvest seeds just as they ripen.
The Ontario . 1Vlinistry`of Agriculture and
Food factsheet 263/14 offers detailed infor-
mation about herb. gardening. This leaflet is
available from local agricultural offices, or
from the Information Branch, Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food,
Legislative Buildings, Toronto, Ontario.
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