Compost and Slow Feeding Plan For Perennial Tea Herbs

Herbs thrive best in soil that drains freely and offers balanced nutrition, and organic amendments tend to be more beneficial than short-acting liquid feeds or powders in creating healthy soil over the long haul.

Use kitchen waste like banana peels, coffee grounds and eggshells to create your own homegrown herb fertilizer. Blood meal is another good source of nitrogen-rich compost material.

Compost

Compost is the result of biodegradation, an organic material breakdown process in nature which occurs when organic (carbon-rich) materials like leaves, twigs and branches as well as grass clippings are combined with nitrogen-rich green materials such as vegetable scraps, fruit pits and eggshells. Compost provides essential nutrients to the soil.

Compost can enhance a garden’s structure, fertility and moisture retention, as well as curb weed growth and maintain consistent temperatures within its soil.

Create your own compost with a mix of brown and green material and keep it moist at all times for best results. Microorganisms that thrive in aerobic conditions will quickly start breaking down organic matter quickly while producing heat to aerate the pile. After several months, your finished compost should be ready for use – although you may need to separate out items that did not break down easily, such as twigs and hard-to-break items like produce stickers and eggshells from it before sifting.

Fertilizer

Microorganisms in compost decompose organic material such as food scraps and leaves at an increasing rate, depending on their size and temperature of the pile. When temperatures increase, microorganisms decompose even faster. When finished compost should appear dark-brown in color with crumbly texture that has an earthy smell; additionally it should be screened or sifted to remove items such as twigs, fruit pits or eggshells that didn’t break down during processing.

If growing herbs indoors, plant the seeds in a watertight seed tray filled with rich soil mix or peat pellets. Most tea herbs tend to germinate at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius). A bright window and grow light provide optimal conditions for these fast-growing herbs.

Overfertilizing is best avoided as this can dilute essential oils that give herbs their distinct flavors and aromas. When planting herb beds in garden beds, opt for slow-release organic pellet fertilizer while when growing them in containers use a balanced liquid fertilizer every three or four weeks for best results.

Water

Growing a themed herb garden can be an engaging and fulfilling project. Herbs can be grown in traditional garden beds, raised bed gardens and containers; those that spread freely such as mint and lemon balm should be contained by planted in limited spaces to reduce their wild potential.

No matter if your herbs are perennial or annual, both will benefit from having well-prepared soil and frequent watering for optimal growth. A layer of organic mulch such as wood shavings, shredded leaves or straw will further cool the soil, reduce water evaporation and salt buildup while discouraging annual weeds from appearing.

Start planting tea herb seeds indoors 6-8 weeks prior to the last frost, or purchase seedlings from a nursery, and transplant as appropriate according to their mature size. When transplanting, space plants according to their mature size. When fertilizing with liquid organic fertilizers such as fish fertilizer or compost tea fertilizer be sparing with both water and fertilizers – overfertilized herbs tend to have less flavor; use only in moderation! Water frequently enough so as to maintain moist but not soggy soil conditions.

Harvesting

Herbs such as chamomile, lemon balm and mint are easy to grow both indoors and out (except anise hyssop – which should only be planted outdoors after Western Washington’s average frost date ). Chamomile makes an excellent addition to tea gardens while others can also be grown as part of mixed herb, vegetable or flower gardens.

Selecting an ideal location for herbs is essential to their growth. They thrive best in sunny, well-draining spots with rich organic soil. When cultivating them in pots or window boxes, use potting mix instead of heavy garden soil as herbs detest wet feet and waterlogged roots.

Compost piles are ideal for beginning any herbal garden because mesophilic microorganisms start breaking down organic materials as the pile heats up, followed by thermophilic organisms which further break them down to provide nutritious humus that feeds plants.