HerbKits.com

Last Tuesday, HerbKits.com sent us a few items for review.  A Culinary Herb Kit, an Herb Tea Garden Kit and a Garden Stacker Planter.  The kit also came with  Jiffy Peat Soil Pellets, a how-to DVD, an instruction manual, tea filters and a tea infuser.  Total retail value: $109.95. Sale Price: $94.94! Price: B+ 

Together, the items are meant to create an indoor herb garden that, if tended properly, should yield fresh indoor herbs all winter long.  And that is just what I’m bound to find out!

Immediately I tried constructing the garden stacker, which was for the most part, intuitive.  The 9-pot plastic stacker can sit on the floor or be hung from a chain, which is provided in the box.  The chain was a hard to attach to the pots, as was the saucer. Other than that, it looks pretty cool.  A- on the stacker.

A Basil Sprout

Opening the kits, I found the seeds organized in neat, clearly labeled containers.  They came with a helpful laminated guide showing detailed plant instructions for each of the seeds:  Light, water and soil requirements, germination periods, tips for growing success and successful seed storage.  In addition, a

German Chamomile

I followed the instructions for the Jiffy Pellets precisely, even though they were quite involved (read: confusing).  However, I found plants that would normally take 10-15 days to germinate, sprouting by the weekend!  My German Chamomile came up first, followed closely by a Citrus (Orange Gem) Marigold and quite suddenly by the Basil.  

Out of the 24 herbs they sent (full list below), my potting capacity was for, at most, 18 varieties.  Ideally, one would use a garden stacker for each Herb Kit.  I give it an A for inclusiveness; I would have liked to have seen a few more herbs for the Tea Kit, Jasmine being a prime example. 

So far, I would recommend this product for yourself or for a gift.  Although a bit pricey, it does come with everything you need.  I’ll continually update you on the success and/or failure of the herbs and the stacker as the fall progresses.

Here’s what all I planted:
Parsley
Garlic and regular Chives
Cilantro
Thyme
Oregano
German Chamomile
Orange Gem Marigold
Basil
Sage
Mustard
Savory
Lemon balm
Catnip
Rosemary
Peppermint
Lemon Grass
Lemon Bergamot

Here’s what I didn’t plant:
Lavender
Dill
Sweet Marjoram
Feverfew
Angelica
Anise

Hi!  My name’s Taylor, and I’m gnome for my green thumb.  In this weekly blog, I’ll share with you a few of the tips I’ve learned over the years for growing healthy, beautiful plants; answer or find the answer to your questions; and test out some of the products sent to The Herb Companion every week.  My first topic:  Indoor gardening

Question:  I’ve been successfully growing plants and flowers outside for a few years, it’s easy!  But when it comes to indoor plants, even ornamentals, I’m lost.  The leaves get dusty and brown, gnats are EVERYWHERE, and my cats are constantly conducting business in the larger pots.  What do I do? – Lacey, Kansas

5.  Don’t water straight from the tap:  Indoor plants, unlike outside ones, maintain a fairly consistent temperature.  Adjusting to the correct water temperature directly from the tap is nearly impossible, and too much heat or cold can shock something called the thermoreceptors (thank-you college biology credit!) of your plant.  Also, the browning in leaves and leaf tips on some of the more sensitive plants, especially lucky bamboo, is caused by something called salt burn, the plant equivalent of chemical poisoning.  To kill two birds with one stone, fill a CLEANED milk jug with water and leave at room temperature for at least 24 hours, without the cap, before watering.  The exposure to the open air releases some of the chemicals (not totally scientific, but hey-ho, it works), and the temperature normalizes.  After watering, refill, and set it out for weekly use.

4.  Schedule a watering regimen:  A lot of indoor plants die for two similar reasons:  Too much watering, or not enough watering, but there’s an easy way to avoid both.  Depending on the amount of sun or the type of plant, your watering time might be varied.  First, lightly touch the top of the soil to see if it’s moist, if it isn’t, grab a shish-ka-bob poker to see if it’s wet below the surface.  For most plants, you don’t want the soil to be bone-dry but not drowning, either.  Take notes for a few weeks while you observe how often and how much your plants need watered.  Record the trends and water accordingly.  Simple enough, right?  But, be aware that certain plants, like orchids, have special needs.  It’s always best to check the tags or do a quick internet search depending on the plant.

3.    Like shampoo and conditioner, planters and saucers should be two different things:  The planter + attached saucer combo seems to be the latest trend in indoor garden design, and people think they’re saving money by purchasing two for the price of one.  The problem? Drainage.  My mint pot had an attached saucer, and after a few weeks, I started noticing a curiously fetid smell coming from an otherwise great-smelling herb.  When I noticed that water didn’t seem to drain into the saucer, I got worried.  Stagnant, brown liquid had gathered under the pot and was blocked from draining evenly into the saucer.  Like me, if you already have such a planter, simply take a hammer and cover with a folded cloth or use a rubber mallet to lightly tap off the saucer.  I tapped on all four sides of the planter to make sure it came off evenly, and if you’re lucky, it will.  If not, tap off the sharp edges, and buy a terracotta saucer.  Jiggles the Gnome now has a reason to smile.

2.  Cinnamon, your one-stop pest control:  The soil in many of your freshly planted or transplanted herbs can be home to myriad insects, but because you have pets, you shouldn’t be spraying a lot of pesticides inside your home, especially if your animals are showing an interest in your herbs.  Lucky for you, both insects AND animals hate the smell of cinnamon.  Just sprinkle a thin layer of ground cinnamon (NOT cinnamon oil) on the top of the soil to suffocate the eggs and burrowed insects.  To quickly kill residual bugsters, fill a bowl with soapy, sudsy water and set it under a small lamp to leave overnight.  I have also spread cinnamon under the carpet around my baseboards to fix an invading ant problem.  As for the cats, because their urine has such a high concentration of ammonia, it can be caustic to your peace lily or selloum-philo.  The good news is that cats almost ALWAYS smell where they’re about to go, and they won’t want to go on a layer of cinnamon.  As a triple threat, cinnamon is composed of about 35% of the element manganese, which is essential in photosynthesis and also a common ingredient of most fertilizers.  When the cinnamon breaks down after multiple waterings, it feeds your plant.  Reapply as needed.

1.  Use banana peels to give indoor plants a straight-from-the-florist shine:   Feather-dusting plant leaves just doesn’t cut it when it comes to plant-maintenance, and it might not remove all the dust.  The texture and oils of the inside of a banana peel serve as a mild-abrasive for dusting and shining, and the nutrients of the peel feed the plant.  The trick can be especially useful for nearly-expired bananas (which Bogart the Gnome is handsomely demonstrating) that you might not want to eat. Simply use the peels for your plants, and then use the bananas for a great banana bread.  And heck, why not add some cinnamon while you’ve got it out!

If you have a question, send it to tmiller@ogdenpubs.com or if you have a product you’d like to recommend or ask us to test, mail it to the following address (and email me a note that it’s coming!)

Taylor Miller
The Herb Companion
1503 S.W. 42^nd Street
Topeka, Kansas 66609-1265