Q: What is the best way to grow and dry garlic? I live in Minnesota, is there a list of herbs that I can grow, harvest and dry for my personal use?
—Sent via e-mail from J. Werlinger

A: Growing garlic is fairly easy. However, harsh Minnesota weather isn’t exactly the ideal growing climate for garlic.

Photo by graibeard/Courtesy of Flickr
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Growing Garlic

Latin name:  Allium sativum L. 

Soil condition: Garlic thrives in well-drained soil with a pH level between 4.5 and 8.3. If you are not sure if the soil to too acidic or too basic, test the soil by purchasing a pH test strip from your local garden store. Garlic is not drought tolerant and does not do well in extremely wet soil.

Temperature: Garlic will typically germinated in 60 to 80 degree weather.
Maintenance: Keep an eye out for these pests: Onion thrips, armyworms and onion maggots. Although pests are not a big issue with garlic, it is something to keep in the back of your mind. If you are planning on growing garlic, make sure you stay on top of weeds, as garlic does not fare well against them.

For additional reading on growing garlic in Minnesota, visit The University of Minnesota: Extension.

Drying Garlic

Regardless of which method you choose to dry garlic, the most important component is good air circulation. You will want to store your drying garlic in a dark and cool location.
Hanging garlic: This is the method I recommend as it efficiently dries the garlic and minimal space is required. Tie 7-12 garlic stalks together to forms a bundle. Check on the garlic maybe once a month. The type of garlic will depend on the drying time, however, the process will take anywhere from 6 to 8 months.

For additional reading on drying herbs, read DIY: Drying Fresh Herbs.

Growing Herbs in Minnesota

The USDA Hardiness Zones notes that Minnesota's average minimum winter temperatures range from -20 to -45 degrees. That being said, growing herbs indoors throughout the winter months is a great option for colder climates.

Growing Herbs Indoors

Growing herbs indoors is a great way to enjoy summer flavors during the cold winter months. These herbs do fairly well indoors: basil, bay, cilantro, chives, dill, ginger, lemon verbena, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. Keep in mind each herb’s growing requirements (watering, sunlight, fertilizer, etc.).

For additional reading on this subject, read long time herb gardener Betsy Strauch's article Wintering Herbs Indoors. If you are interested in creating a winter herb drying display basket, read Rosemary McCreary's An Indoor Visual Feast. 

Do you live in a cold climate-growing zone? What herbs do you have success with and which do you bring indoors during the winter months? Drop me a comment or e-mail me at: snelson@ogdenpubs.com.

Q: I started my first herb garden 13 years ago—I never had any trouble growing sage. My husband and I moved to a new house three years ago—each year, I plant sage, and it dies. Any ideas? 
– E.  Darnell

A: The fifth part in our “Herb 911” series is dedicated to sage (Salvia officinalis), member of Labiatae or the mint family. Sage is a great addition to the series, as the herb’s growing conditions are similar to other herbs in the series. Sage is a fairly resilient herb, so it can bear a trial-and-error gardening method. Like most herbs, sage is better when fresh, yet still good when frozen.

If you are planting seeds, it should germinate in temperatures that don’t drop below 60 degrees or go higher than 70 degrees. Also, growing sage seeds indoors with lots of light is more successful then leaving them outdoors as the sage germination period can be tricky. Keep overnight temperatures in mind if you plan on leaving seeds outdoors. A couple of weeks ago, I planted sage seeds in a pot. This past weekend, they were starting to come up when a spring cold front moved into the Denver area. I’m not sure what the damage is, but just in case I planted more seeds. If your sage plant is established, but still young, you have a little more leeway with the temperature—keep it about 55 degrees to 85 degrees. If your sage is an adult shrub, it can withstand -30 degrees winter temperatures, if properly covered.

Like rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), also from the Labiatae family, sage prefers a light fertilizer and for the soil pH to be between 6.0 and 7.0. To measure the soil’s pH, you can buy a pH reader from your local garden store. Sage thrives in fairly rich soil that is well-drained. However, sage can tolerate droughts and poor soil conditions just like lavender.

The size of the plant will determine how much water it will need. Start with two cups of water every three days. Adjust this amount if you see mold or fungus at the base of the plant, which indicates too much water, or if the soil dries out.

There are many different types of sage: common (or garden) sage, pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), blue (or Cleveland) sage (S. clevelandii), broad leaf sage, clary (or muscatel) sage (S. scleria), golden sage (S. off. “Aurea”), purple sage (S. off. ‘Purpurea’) and tri-color sage (S. off. ‘Tricolor’).

Although these general growing conditions can be applied to the various types of sage, each variety has specific needs and purposes. Common sage is used primarily for cooking and is typically used in medicine as an antiseptic, a disinfectant and to help restore the liver and the digestive system. Clary or muscatel sage is occasionally mixed with Muscatel wine, and this variety prefers heavier soils and is not typically used for cooking. The tri-color sage can withstand 20 degree temperatures and is also used in culinary dishes. Diviners’ sage or sage of the seers (Salvia divinorum) is a psychoactive sage. This herb was used medicinally as a healing agent and for divination practices in some ancient cultures.

Photo by Narisa /Courtsey Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/narisa/

Tips for Keeping Sage Alive

There are many different variables for solving Darnell’s sage problem. Here are a few general tips and pointers.

• Don’t plant sage next to cucumbers or members of the onion family as they are not compatible plants. Incompatible plants can spread dominant flavors to another plant, causing it to loose original taste, can lead to an increased number of insects in your garden, or can lead to a decreased plant production.

• Sage has a difficult time germinating. Start your seeds indoors if the temperature is too cold outside. You can move your seeds outdoors after a month or two.

• Keep an 18- to 20-inch distance between sage and other plants when planted in a bed for root growth and bushiness of the plant.

• When planting sage in a garden, keep in mind that sage is compatible with tomatoes, rosemary, strawberries, carrots and marjoram among a few other plants. Plants that are companions often have similar growing habits and conditions.  

Do you have problems growing sage? What herbs do you have a difficult time growing? Let’s chat about it; drop me a comment or email me at snelson@ogdenpubs.com.

Q: Why are my herbs dying?

A: The fourth part in our “Herb 911” series is dedicated to mint (Mentha spp.). Although it is easy to grow, I’ve killed a few mint plants for many different reasons. Whether you have better luck or a light brown gardening thumb like me, these tips will improve the health of your mint.

All mint varieties are “easy” to grow because they can flourish in almost any lighting condition, but mint performs the best in full sun. The general ideal temperature range is between 60 to 80 degrees.

The herb likes a medium-rich soil—not too moist and not too dry. The pH should be around 5.6 to 7.5. If you live in a dry climate, you might want to water more frequently. The opposite goes for wet tropical climates, such as southern California or Hawaii.

A few common types of mint are spearmint, which is often used in dishes; peppermint, which is commonly used in teas as it is stronger than spearmint; and apple mint, which is used in teas and salads. The main differences between these various types of mints are their scents, flavors and appearance.

Tips for Keeping Mint Alive:

In general, the same tips for growing common types of mint are the same for unique and rare types of mint.

• If you plan on planting mint in a pot, keep in mind that its roots grow quickly. I recommend using a medium sized pot, around 12 to 15 inches deep and seven to 10 inches wide.

• If you are going to plant mint in the ground, keep it away from other herbs. It will give a minty flavor to its closely surrounding plants. On that same note, don’t plant different types of mint next to each other, as they will loose their original flavors.

• Keep an eye out for weather conditions, such as sudden freezes or heat waves that could damage your plants and adapt water and fertilizer amounts.

• Find an appropriate watering balance for your growing Zone and plant size. For a medium sized plant, about five to seven inches, use about two to three cups of water every three days and adjust from there. 

Do you have problems growing mint? What herbs do you have a difficult time growing? Let’s chat about it; drop me a comment or email me at snelson@ogdenpubs.com.

Q: Why are my herbs dying?

A: The second part in our “Herb 911” series is dedicated to one of my favorite herbs: rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). The perennial herb thrives in warm sunny conditions and germinates in temperatures that range from 65 degrees to 75 degrees.

Rosemary is sensitive to frost, cold temperatures and sudden freezes. Especially if you live above Zone 8, I recommended that you plant your rosemary in pots rather than in the ground so it can survive the winters. The exception to this is Arp, which is the only hardy strand of rosemary that can handle Zone 5 temperatures.

The pH in the soil can vary from 4.5 to 8.7 and it can tolerate anywhere between 12 and 100 inches of water. Because this is such a wide range, it can be difficult to find the right balance.

Photo by geishaboy500/Courtesy Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/geishaboy500/

Last week, Debby asked “Part of the plants branches have turned brown; is this from lack of water or too much?” Although I have not seen Debby’s rosemary plant, I think the problem lies in the watering amount. Last summer I was a little water happy and a few of my rosemary branches turned brown and the leaves fell off. To remedy this, I reduced the amount of water and watered less often. I think Debby’s plant will bounce back if it has a good drainage system and is watered less often.

Tips for Keeping Your Rosemary Alive

• Place your rosemary in a warm, sunny location to maximize its growth.

• Find a good watering balance.

• Keep an eye out for weather conditions that could damage your plants and adapt water and fertilizer amounts.

• Don’t be afraid to trim rosemary back, it is healthy to frequently cut branches. However, keep at least 20 percent of the plant in tact.

Do you have problems growing rosemary? What other herbs do you have a difficult time growing?

For further information on growing rosemary, check out Tanya L.K. Denckla’s The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food.

Q: Why are my herbs dying?   

A: Many readers have called and written our office with a common frustration: Why are my herbs dying? 

Here at The Herb Companion, we thought everyone would be interested in the answer, so we crafted this five-part series about "Herb 911."

Although finding a cure varies for each herb, I’ll do my best to touch upon common herbs and their growing conditions in this series. I will cover basil (Ocimum basilicum), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), mint (Mentha spp.) and lavender (Lavandula spp.) and on the final posting, I will take requests from readers about which herbs to address. Comment with your requests at the end of each blog post!   

Flash 'Red Rubin' basil teams up with classic 'Genovese'.

Herbs can die for many reasons; a few being location, exposure to sun, amount of water and pests. Basil is an annual herb that is hardy and easy to cultivate. That being said, I’ve had my fair share of dead basil plants.  

Tips for Keeping your Basil Alive 

• If your basil is taking a turn for the worse, it may be because of the location. Pick a location that is sheltered from harsh wind and yields lots of sun exposure. Basil thrives in warmer conditions, especially in the summer months. Choose a site that receives at least six hours of direct sun each day. (Explore the Bountiful World of Basil)

• If your basil meets the location requirements and it is still not holding up, the cure may be in the soil conditions. Like most herbs, basil loves rich, moist and well-drained soil and the ideal pH range should be close to or around 6.0. Your local nursery or hardware store will have pH test kit that comes with a color chart.

• If the location is spot on and you’ve achieved a balance in the soil, it might be a temperature issue. Anything below 50 degrees is too cold for basil, and the herb will start wilting and turning brown.

• Keep in mind that the lower leaves which are closest to the soil may turn a yellow-brown and fall off. This is normal and healthy, due to the larger and higher up leaves soaking in the majority of the sun.

What do you do to keep your basil alive? What other herbs do you have problems keeping alive? Drop me a comment and let's discuss!

Q: I need plants that deer don't like!

--- via e-mail, from 'rejean'

A: This is a question we hear often; you are definitely not alone. 

Fortunately, Kathleen Halloran tackled this question in the November 2008 issue of The Herb Companion.

Here are some quick solutions from Kathleen:

1) Plant rosemary, or other Mediterranean herbs, such as oregano, sage and thyme. Deer generally dislike the fragrance.

2) Try native ornamental grasses, which are beautiful and close to deer-proof.

3) Daffodils are more deer-resistant than tulips.

4) Plan your garden to repel deer. Use these 14 plants for a Deer-Be-Gone Garden.

5) Never feed the deer ... and spread the word to your neighbors. You may think putting out corn for the deer during the cold seasons helps them survive, but it doesn't. In fact, corn is nutritionally deficient for the needs of a deer, can even be bad for them, and lures them closer to your garden.

Still looking for more advice? Check out these tips for repelling deer.