Herbs and Gardening

      Freshly grown vegetable and herbs are the best thing. Especially with a rough economy. Good thing is you don't need much space. I have been doing this for about a year now. I usually stick with the small items such as tomatoes, peppers, oregano, cilantro, parsley and basil. Fresh herbs can spruce up any dish by ten fold.

  Three things to consider before starting your garden. Is how much space do I have.What seasons do the vegetables I like grow in and what do I actually eat? If you have plenty of space go crazy and start planting what you like. Your first time you will usually make a few amatuer mistakes.(Ex. No proper spacing, planting the wrong plants beside each other) Gardening is like a puzzle. You should plant specific plants beside other plants. Here is a website that give you a rough idea on what each plant likes to be beside. http://www.danthegardener.co.uk/plant-friendships.htm Make sure to look up information for the seasons that the vegetables you enjoy. Lettuces grow in the cooler weather. Same thing for Broccoli, and Spinach.
    There are also other plants that help keep away pests. Marigolds are a known plant to help keep the critters away.Last but not least, Plant everything that you enjoy to eat. Don't plant eggplant if you don't like eggplant.

    Last year I decided to take a challenge and plant a pineapple plant. As most people know pineapples don't grow in Pennsylvania. It took me 3 tries to get it to root. Most people don't know that if you peel most of the flesh from the pineapple leaves. That it will reveal roots. If you set them in water and refresh the water everyday. The roots will begin to sprout and grow. It takes about 3 weeks. Make sure to have it in the sunshine to help promote growth.