Care Level: I'm Easy
Pet Friendly: Warning
Toxic to pets if ingested.
Salsa with Cilantro
Credit: Southern Discource @southerndiscourse
YOU WILLNEED:
1/2 medium yellow or sweet onion
1/4 C finely chopped cilantro
2 jalapenos
1/4 C vinegar, skinny
2-3 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4-1/2 lime
DIRECTIONS:
Finely dice tomatoes & onion and place in medium glass mixing bowl. Add chopped cilantro. Slice jalapenos in half to remove the seeds and the membrane than that holds them. Finely dice peppers and add to tomatoes and onion. (Note: You may want to wear gloves while you work with the jalapenos or make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after) Add vinegar, garlic, chili powder and 2 tsp of salt and sugar. Toss well. Taste to determine if another tsp of salt and/or sugar is needed. Squeeze lime over salsa. Toss once more. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately with tortilla chips or with any Tex Mex dish.
Care Level: I'm Easy
Pet Friendly: Warning
Toxic to pets if ingested.
Place this plant in full sun (6-8 hours) to part sun (4-6).
Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
This plant needs humidity levels between 40-60%.
This plant can tolerate cooler temperatures in the winter and grows in full sun to part sun.
Protect your mint in the winter in colder regions with mulch or bring your container into a protected porch area.
Fertilize every month during its growing period in the spring and summer with an organic fertilizer. Let the plant rest in the fall and winter.
To transplant into a garden container and to prevent it from taking over a garden bed, use well-draining soil. Give your plant plenty of rooting space and keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Keep your plant in a container since the roots run ramped and quickly take over a garden. Prune in the morning when the essential flavors are higher. You can trim leaves off the stem when the plant reaches six to eight inches long. After the first frost in the fall, cut the dead leaves and stems back and it will sprout back in the spring.
To propagate this plant during the growing season: Take a 4-6 inch stem cutting in the early spring. Use a knife or sharp pruners, cut below a node where there are at least three leaves. Remove the bottom leaves to expose the node. Place the stem in a glass jar and fill it with filtered water and watch the roots grow! Replace and freshen the water each week. After the roots are six weeks old, add the cuttings to moistened potting soil, continue to water, and give it the bright, indirect lighting requirements.
Plant in full sun (6-8 hours) to produce flowering stems.
Keep the plant in well draining soil and consistently moist for the best results.
Humidity isn't needed for this plant. It is used to arid climates.
This plant can withstand a frost after its fully established and rooted. It does best in temps between 60°F-70°F.
Grow outside in the full sun (6-8 hours). It is a perennial in zones 4-10 and will rejuvenate in spring after the last frost.
Give a dose of high potassium fertilizer in the spring.
To transplant into a garden bed, water your plant the night before. Cultivate the soil to an 8-10 inch depth. Dig the hole twice as wide as the grower pot and the same depth (not deeper). Remove the sage and center in the hole. Water in the hole and let drain. Add organic compost mixed with your native soil and mix. Fill around the plant and up to the top of its soil line. Tamp down with your hands to remove any air pockets. Water again around the drip line, then mulch up to the drip line of the plant to help retain moisture. Keep his soil moist as it gets established. He can take bouts of drought after he's established.
Clip the sage in the spring and several times throughout the growing season to boost his young shoots with a potent flavor. Trimming will limit legginess and flowering if you're using it for a culinary herb.
Water the mother plant the night before to hydrate all the stem ends. After adequate growth on the main plant, take a cutting, using sharp pruners to remove a softwood cutting measuring 3-5 inches. Remove any bottom leaves up 1-2 inches. Moisten a half mixture of sand and coir mix. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone and poke a tiny hole in the planting mix and plant the stem, then tamp the soil down around it to secure it. Water the plant often to keep the soil consistently moist while it roots. Place the cutting in bright indirect sunlight. After 4-6 weeks, the roots should establish. Acclimate the sage to normal light conditions a few hours a day, starting in the morning light and progressing each day over a two to three-week period. Transplant your new plant baby into rich garden soil in full sun and consistent soil moisture. Give a dose of high potassium fertilizer in the spring.
Plant this herb in full sun (6-8 hours).
Thyme is a drought tolerant plant once it gets established. Water the first several weeks if natural irrigation isn't available. Let it dry between waterings.
Average humidity is good for this plant.
This culinary herb or groundcover prefers moderately dry climates and mild winters in full sun.
The herb likes a more Mediterranean climate.
To transplant into a garden container or the garden bed, water your plant the night before. Dig the hole twice as wide as the grower pot and the same depth as the grower pot (not deeper). Remove the plant and center in the spot. Add rooting hormone around the roots of the plant. Water in the hole and let drain. If you have clay soils, add composted leaves to enhance the soil consistency. Fill around the plant and up to the top of its soil line. Tamp down with your hands to remove any air pockets. Water again around the drip line.
Any time of year, remove any dead, damaged, or diseased stems from the plant. After flowers fade on the plant, sheer back 1-2 inches to shape and promote new growth. This herb may wane in the heat of summer, so trim back, and it will recover in cooler months.
To propagate your French Thyme: Container planting: Water your plant a couple of days before dividing and transplanting. Inspect your plant for overcrowding or if you want to spread more of the love in your garden. If it is root-bound in the pot, remove the plant and tease and pull apart the mass of roots. You can use a sharp, sterilized knife to divide the root mass. Ensure you have several healthy root sections in each division. Divide each clump into its new pot, using a size smaller to compensate for less root mass and deep enough for its roots to grow. Plant in well-draining potting mix amended with rooting hormone. Place the plant at the same level as the previous pot adding soil at the bottom. Water the soil and add more if settling occurs. Set it in medium, indirect sunlight for several weeks to settle in. Check the moisture each day and add misting to keep the soil moist while the roots establish. After 6-8 weeks, roots will begin to develop. You can tug onto the stem to ensure the roots are anchoring well. Once its roots establish, move the container to a sunny spot giving it full sun (6-8 hours). Garden planting: Water your plant a couple of days before dividing and transplanting. Lift the plant out of the ground with a shovel. Lay it gently on the ground with roots in tack. Use a knife to cut through the roots and divide the clump into sections for replanting. Transplant each clump by digging the hole no deeper than the root system and twice as wide. Center the transplant in the hole and add rooting hormone around the roots and water. Fill in around the plant with organic matter mixed with the native soil, careful not to cover it any more than the original plant. Water again well and monitor the soil moisture if it begins to dry.
Plant this herb in full sun (6-8 hours) to part sun (4-6 hours).
Keep the soil on the dry side and not saturated.
This herb is used to average humidity climates similar to the Mediterranean.
Give this herb afternoon shade.
The herb likes a more Mediterranean climate.
To transplant into a garden container or the garden bed, water your plant the night before. Dig the hole twice as wide as the grower pot and the same depth as the grower pot (not deeper). Remove the plant and center in the spot. Add rooting hormone around the roots of the plant. Water in the hole and let drain. If you have clay soils, add composted leaves, to enhance the soil consistency. Fill around the plant and up to the top of its soil line. Tamp down with your hands to remove any air pockets. Water again around the drip line.
Prune any signs of flowers to alleviate bolting. Harvest leaves early in the morning and eat while fresh. When harvesting, use pruners and cut a stem above existing leaves to promote ongoing growth. Prune old growth out at the end of the season or the stems will become more woody and the leaves will turn bitter.
Stem cutting: To propagate, prune 4-6 inch stem cuttings with no buds or bloom from the parent plant. Remove leaves on 1/3 of the bottom half of the stem with pruners. (Do not tear off.) Dip the ends in root hormone (mixed in water at a paste consistency) and place 1-2 inches down in damp, well-draining, moist potting soil mix and tamp down around the stem to secure it. Use a 2-3 inch container with drainage and is deep enough for the roots to grow. Mist inside a clear plastic bag to create moisture and humidity and place the bag over the top of the plantings loosely. There is no need to tie off the bag but allow a little airflow under and into the planting pot. Set it in bright, indirect sunlight while they are rooting. Check the moisture and humidity each day and add misting to the soil (not the leaves) while the roots establish. After 4-6 weeks, roots will begin to form. You can tug onto the stem to ensure the roots establish after new growth begins. Transplant to the garden after the roots are mature.
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