How to dry fresh basil.

You may ask why we are bringing up drying basil in the dead of winter?  Well, we think you should be planning now what herbs, flowers, and plants you want to grow in garden containers this coming spring.  So maybe if we tell you how to dry potted basil (popular herb) and why you want to dry it, you will include it in your coming garden décor.

Dried basil in flowerpots can be used in so many cooking recipes.  Sauces, pesto, chicken and pasta dishes.  It really is one of the most used and desired herbs you can pot and grow at home.  And, have you ever priced basil at the grocery store?  argh.

If you don’t want to grow your own basil in flowerpots you can always dry any fresh basil that you purchase at the grocery store.

After harvesting the basil grown in clay planters, make sure it’s gently washed.  Lay the basil bunches in a dish strainer or on a kitchen towel where they can dry completely.  Remove as much stem as possible because they don’t dry so well.

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting.  Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread leaves out so they aren’t touching. Place in the oven for around 1 to 2 hrs. checking every 15 mins or so.  You don’t want the leaves to burn but just feel dry to the touch.  Remove and cool completely.  Now you can crumble it up removing any stems.  Bottle the crumbles and store in a cabinet out of sunlight.

See how simple this is!  You can easily grow and dry your own basil in almost any size and kind of flowerpot.  By using a clay planter instead of planting directly into your yard or garden, you can container the roots from spreading.  We like to grow all herbs in terracotta clay instead of other types of garden pottery because the clay will breathe and that is good for creating healthy roots.  So, if you have clay flowerpots or any clay planters laying around use those first.  Just make sure they are large enough to hold the number of herbs you want to grow.

[Read More] Better Berries Potted

Bring Potted Succulents indoors for Winter

Winters cold is not the easiest condition for potted succulents, plants, bushes, and trees to stand up to. Especially if they are planted in clay flowerpots or clay containers.  Most succulents are hard enough to keep healthy under normal weather conditions but winter brings a whole new set of issues.

It at all possible it is a best practice to bring your clay containers of succulents indoors or at least into a garage or garden shed.  This isn’t a necessity but a helpful step to assure the potted succulents have the best chance of surviving the cold.  If it’s not possible you can take added steps to mulch the potting mix, wrap the whole planter in bubble wrap or burlap or just let them tough out Winter and re-evaluate next Spring.

If you can bring all clay flowerpot succulents indoors give them one good watering before you do. That way they will be nice and moist and you won’t have to start with the watering process right away. This means you need garden saucers for each clay planter or you will have to move the clay flowerpots to the sink to water them.  Like most houseplants, succulents need well, draining flowerpots or garden bowls.

Now check the potting mix in each terracotta flowerpot.  If it’s compact and hard it’s best to replace it or at the very least work it to soften it up.  All root systems like the loose potting mix to grow and expand in.  Clean up the planters so that you don’t bring any bugs indoors.  Remove old leaves, twigs and other debris that may be on, in or around the pot.

Lastly, trim the succulent up if necessary.  Any old spent leaves or climbing string of pears can be clipped off and cut shorter.  Since succulents don’t grow fast you don’t need to go overboard here.  The idea is to just give it a manicured look not so much a hair cut and a shave look!  LOL

Place your garden pots in a sunny window, don’t overwater, make sure it’s not too warm in the house and your outdoor potted succulents will give you a steady stream of beauty all thru the cold winter months until you move them outside again come Spring.

How to create interesting garden containers

If you have a green thumb touch, or maybe not so much here are some tips that may help when it comes to what types of plant materials to pot in your garden containers.  Of course, everyone’s tastes are different and we encourage that, but these tips can work in general ways also.  These tips also work with all types of garden containers.  Clay flowerpots, Clay Planters, Concrete Pottery, Glazed flowerpots, tall, thin and window box pottery.  Make it simple and keep it simple!

Mix different leaf textures & sizes
Potting green plants in your home and garden pottery or containers is not the most exciting thing to do but if you think about it, they make a wonderful filler for very little financial investment.  If you put your palms, flowers, bulbs or succulents in the center of your planter and fill the border with leaves and greens you will have a much fuller flower pot arrangement without a lot of expense.

Sample:

Lamb’s Ear:  We love these silky soft leaves.   They range from pale yellow to deep emerald green and have a fuzzy softness to them.  These are great when planted in clay planters all alone because they grow fast and provide lots of colors as well as filler.  The leaves have almost a light grey cast to them because of all the fuzz.  Love it!

Ferns:  Ferns are known for their feathery tapered leaves.  They range in too many colors to list here but they are perfect as filler or as stand-alone.  Each leaf has a natural bend to it so it looks lovely draped on the outside of your clay flowerpots and glazed planters.  Ferns are also perfect for patio or porch hanging terracotta planters.

Hosta:  These leaves are little paddles that look lovely when mixed with spikey flowers or plants that have height.  A deep green that complements all colors of flowers, even white.  When mixed with other green leaf plants they add a tremendous contrast in color and style to all your clay planters or clay flowerpots.

What is an Olla and why do you need them?

The definition of an olla is a low fired, clay ceramic vessel used to save a gardener time, energy and water.  Potted planters watered this way do not put stress on water sources and help potted plants to live long healthy lives.  A clay olla watering jar is considered an inexpensive way to maximize the output of your garden while minimizing overwatering, runoff and water loss.

When watering your garden containers, it is sometimes difficult to get enough water to the roots of the plants only without the water flowing out the bottom drain hole and on to the porch or patio surface.  With the olla planted in the center of the flowerpot, the water will seep out the sides of the porous clay directly into the area where the roots are located.  Many times, the roots will be drawn to this source of water and wrap themselves around the olla bottle.  Water irrigation for garden planters becomes super-efficient and has little runoff or evaporation.

Bury a watering clay olla in the center of your garden container, leaving 2” above the opening of the bottom so dirt and mulch don’t fall inside.  Gently tap soil around the olla making sure there are no air pockets.  Fill with water.  Plan on checking the water levels of the ollas on a regular schedule until you have worked with them for a bit to understand how much and how often you should refill them.

Small size watering ollas are good for porch and patio pots.  Usually, space would be about 2 feet long like a window box planter or wide like a round garden pot or garden bowl.  The medium size is best when you have large planters where you need to water around 3 feet.  The large size is better for potted trees, large shrubs or the largest planters you have.  You can always use multiple ollas in each pot or window box.

FYI:  When leaving for a short vacation, Ollas are the perfect solution for your flowers to stay healthy and watered while you are gone.  With the slow release of water, they should be good for up to 10 days or so.