Drying Herbs For Pantry

The cold came fast in the GTA. Real fast. Minus -10º C overnight. Once weather reports warned of this onslaught, I took quick action and cut back our herbs growing in containers.

We love cooking with herbs and although, I do enjoy fresh, dried home grown herbs suffice over the long winter haul.

Here are just some of the methods I use to dry.

1.  Wash thoroughly. Even though we grew these organically, living in an urban environment (construction close by) I washed the cut herbs thoroughly.

2.  Laid the cuttings down on a clean towel.

 3. Covering them with another.

4. Gently wringing them, by rolling towels together.

(Be forewarned - this can get quite messy when you take cuttings from Rosemary and Thyme. They drop a lot of foliage if you squeeze too hard)

5. Tie them with an elastic on top and clip on to a drying rack. This is optional, but I find the best results are to dry the herbs over a gentle heat source - like a radiator.  Here, I just used a spare oven rack and leaned it on the window, on top of the radiator. I've seen folks use Sock Rack dryers, which work great!

(Note: Thyme and Rosemary can drop leaves when drying, so use a baker pan/sheet beneath to catch any fallen foliage.)

I left a few tougher herbs that I know weather the cold better, but not leaving them in their current position.

We tucked them in a vestibule, under cover, away from heavy frosts.

Results:  Within 5 days, the herbs are nearly completely dry.

You must thoroughly dry them to store. Slight dampness can cause mould developing in what ever container you use for storage.

Be creative.  When I ran out of room, I started to dry Peppermint and Lemon Balm by the window curtain rods!

Next step is gingerly removing them from the wrack and placing the cuttings in large paper bags and squishing them free from the stems till they become small bits.

Great for the spice cabinet in the pantry.

Some herbs can easily be chopped up fresh and kept frozen in freezer bags. I do this for parsley, dill and chervil.

Easy and simple.

Save Your Money - Don't Buy Plant Supports

I can't help but be frugal. I hate waste and I dislike spending money needlessly. I rather save funds to buy more plants.

Here are some ways to promote waste diversion and help to support/stake plants:

1. Chop sticks. I love Asian Food and when we order take out, we ask for chop-sticks. I may not use them to eat dinner, but my plants benefit from them!

Now, we do use them for eating as well. We just give them a good wash before using them as stakes.

Because I am so busy in the spring with outdoor gardening, several of my houseplants stretch for light in the summer.  As the shade tree casts dimmer light in my living room, I sometimes forget to turn the plant and it winds up growing off to one side. Chop sticks are fabulous for that extra prop.

2. Stems and branches from pruning shrubs and trees:

A pony tail support of sorts, this grass took a beating one night from a nasty thunderstorm.  The grass was smothering the begonias beneath and they needed rescuing. In a few weeks the undergrowth will hide the binding. I used birch stems from a recent dead birch take down (you probably have some from your old winter planter creations, no?), they are great supports. Better than bamboo sticks. IMO anyway.

Tucked in behind, they do the trick!  You can use dogwood, pussy willow stems and any that are sturdy enough to bear the brunt of some wind. Tie them into a teepee formation. It will work great with sisal or raffia bindings.

3. Coat Hangers:

Now that my amaryllis has flowered, I patiently wait until leaves start to yellow and whither, to start the whole process again.

With a simple cut and twist, this ?-shaped plant support is soooo handy. From holding up cactus, to divisions, to orchids - it's been used a LOT. So easy to make.


4. Dead evergreens: ie Taxus (Yew)

Unfortunately, a large Taxus Yew lived here. To dig out yews, well - the retaining wall around it may have been damaged since the roots are really deep. So instead of cutting it from the base, we placed some pots around it and have grown Morning Glory's that are nicely covering and give visual interest.

I've seen dead trees miraculously transformed by Ivy, Clematis and Creepers. Bringing new life to what was dead is pretty cool.

5. Plastic Utensils: I added this one to just prove a point (you can use ANYTHING!)

Having removed baby plantlets from below, and repotted, this Haworthia needed a little propping up for a month or  so. A plastic fork works great!

What do you use?

Perennial Geraniums -Taking Cuttings

Perennial Geraniums are a gift to the perennial border. This one, 'macrorrhizum': grown primarily for its foliage (turning red in the autumn), is a great blanket for the foreground and has been a great weed suppressor for the garden. It has exponentially grown in diameter with little or no intervention on my part. Drought tolerant and super hardy, I decided to take cuttings and spread the joy around a bit more.

Some geraniums, like this one, produce thick, segmented chunky stems. Which can begin rooting on their own, if the ground is friable and there's adequate moisture through the growing season.  In the autumn (September), I chose sturdy segments, that had at least 6 inches worth of fleshy stems for my cuttings. I wouldn't try doing any later than mid-September: this way roots have a chance to mature before heavy autumn frosts.

If you don't see any roots, take a closer look: on some, you can see little bumps where roots will easily develop. I took my pruners and simply cut this segment out - closest to where it was attached.

Behind this pole, a lovely Clematis thrives. I buried three Geranium cuttings (insuring adequate spacing) around the back side. Leaving just the leaves and an inch of stem above ground. As you can see, I didn't hoe, turn over or add any amendments to the area. All three cuttings took well. Hoping their mature growth will help shade and keep the clematis robust during the summer months. 

This could be as easily done now (spring) as well. Just keep the cuttings moist during the hot summer months. 

How To Take Cuttings from Trailing Houseplants

Whether you desire to add to your houseplant collection, or merely desire to learn how, trailing houseplants have to be the easiest plants to propagate.

Here, I established a Purple Passion Plant quite easily. 2 months old and it needs to be up-potted and centred properly in a new container.

Here's how:

Once trailing plants have enough stem growth and length, you can begin cutting off  12 inch segments, or even more - better to be longer than shorter. Cut the stem off below a leaf joint.

This Hoya has lovely rootlets already forming. Cut segments with these if you can. Several trailers have this form of root establishing on stems.

This Hedera helix Ivy has them as well.

The Purple Passion plant I established above had no rootlets. I just selected sturdy, healthy stems with leaves with buds at their base.

Gently pull and tease the leaves off the stem. At this axil joint, roots will develop.

Again, take a foot long sturdy length...

Remove all leaves from the bottom end and leave one or two leaves at the tip.

All I did was wind the vine portion with no leaves inside the base of a glass and situated it near a window in the bathroom. Indirect light and humidity from the bathroom is ideal to help initiate root development.

Every week, I would rinse and refill the glass with fresh water and now you can see, ample roots have established. It's time to pot up.

Please, don't wait too long to pot up. Once the roots are about an inch or so in length, it's perfect for soil. Too long, and the roots will struggle in a dryer medium, having been used to water all the time. Also, only so many nutrients are suspended in tap water and the plant will suffer too long without soil.

Take potting soil and dampen it a bit. Remove the vine stem from the glass gently and place into empty pot. Gently fill the pot with the dampened potting soil and tap the pot on a surface to help compact the soil. Be gentle, as tiny hairs are on the rootlets and you don't want the soil to damage them. I thoroughly water the pot at first, just after transplanting from the glass. I do not water the plant again, until the potting soil is dry. Overly watering these cuttings can result in root rot. You have to play it by ear.  Watch the plant for several days after you transplant it into soil. You will see foliage droop or curl if they either are too dry or too wet.

These two variegated hoyas were made by cuttings from one original parent plant. It's so easy!

Other plants that can easily be propagated this way:

German Ivy (Senecio mikanoides)
Pothos or Philodendron Vines
Peperomia
Plectranthus

Endless possibilities.