Using Artemisia Annua Seeds in Your Herb Garden
Are you aware of the health benefits of planting herbs with Artemisia Annua seeds? In fact, they are available in several forms. You can either use dry herbaceous or wet herbaceous form. Let us find out more about these two forms of these seeds for your indoor herb gardening needs.
Herbs with these types of seeds are called Artemisia plants. They belong to the family of Iridaceae or the mint plants. In fact, they can grow up to three feet tall. They are perfect for any type of location, since they grow easily. Their adaptable character makes them perfect for herb gardening.
When it comes to starting an indoor herb garden, the first thing you have to decide is the type of herbs you want to plant. If you have limited space, then you may opt to just use the ground covers like the Castor leaves, coffee grounds or eggplants. You may also consider the other types of herbs like lavender, mint and basil for your garden.
Other great choices for your garden include sweet albino sweetgrass, slow growing herbs like lemon balm and sage, and crabgrass. For your container garden, you may also consider growing bonsai trees such as the Chinese elm. These types of trees need partial sunlight in order to grow and bloom. Aside from using these types of trees for your garden, you may also consider using these plants for your cooking recipes.
Herbalists and farmers alike believe that it is important to harvest and dry the herbs before cooking. This is because herbs contain a large number of terpenoids and can be affected by heating. Before using the seeds, make sure that they are dry. This can be done by putting the herbs in a glass of water for about 24 hours. Check on them periodically to see if they are still moist. It would be best to store them in an airtight container.
To start, plant two sets of three flat flowerless herbs such as the blue vervain, creeping thyme, and creeping oregano in small groups. Then plant the third set of herbs in the same pot with one plant of each type. Fertilize each plant with a balanced soil fertilizer in the beginning so that the herbs will not take extra amounts of nutrients from the fertilizer.
After the seeds have been sown, place them about six inches away from each other in a mesh potting soil mix. Then plant the flowers in rows going from bottom to top. After the final row of flowers is finished, cover the entire area with more potting soil.
After about three to four weeks, add one drop of bloodroot to the mix to allow the herb garden to breathe. Then, water well and allow the herb to grow. When the herb starts to bloom, use a knife to cut the flower buds open. Each herb will taste different but some of the most popular include the blueberry, chamomile, chervil, dill, fennel, lemon balm, mint, Rosemary, and thyme. Other herbs that you may want to use in your recipes are the basil and the marjoram.
You can also use these seeds to make teas and capsules. All you have to do is dry them and add a few teaspoons of honey or sugar. Mix them together and store them in a container. You can use the tea for cooking and for brewing teas as well. For capsules, just take them apart and put them in your vacuum sealer.
Since artemisia is an evergreen plant, it will keep for a long time if kept in a dry area. However, it is best to keep it indoors during the winter months when temperatures are freezing. If you are not growing a garden, then you can purchase it in stores because it does not grow too well outdoors.
The other nice thing about the herb garden is that there is no need to prune the plant. It grows pretty tall and spreads out very thin. That makes it perfect for use in your herb garden. In fact, you can even use it for other things like making potpourri because the small size of the plant makes it easy to tuck into small spaces. It would be wise, though to trim back any dead branches or flowers to ensure that new growth is happening.
As far as cooking goes, this herb is used to flavor foods, although it is often used raw. The dried herb can be used in soups, salads, sauces and even in place of onions. You can steam it or boil it for a delicious treat. As far as decorations are concerned, the plant is a great flowering plant that produces bright purple flowers in spring.