Fall Greetings everyone!!! The Equinox has passed and Fall Fever for planting herbs has set in. Read about some of my Favorite Fall Herbs and learn more about growing and using these herbs in your own backyard pharmacy. Please check out the Herbal Studies page and sign up for an Individual Class and/or a small group, hands on, Saturday practicum to learn more about herbs.
The sun is starting to set and I cannot see as clearly as Id like to. I still need to water my transplants in. Id better stop gardening, clean up, water and get inside to write this article and fix dinner. I can hardly tear myself away from Fall Gardening. No matter how many times you hear it, its TRUE, the best time to garden in Austin, Texas is in the fall. The mornings are cool, the whole day can be spent outside without sweating and the plants love this time of year. You can plant small transplants, seeds, shrubs and trees and just about anything green can be planted now. Of course there are exceptions and as you garden more you will
If you think ahead you can have fresh herbs and vegetables just about all throughout the winter. Of course, if we have some hard freezes you will have to protect some of your plantings. I use a thin white row cover, cut to the size of my vegetable bed. Everything else tender in the garden is cut back and mulched and will hopefully survive any freezes. Fall is the best time to plant Parsley, Petroselinum sativum, either curly or the flat Italian kind. For the last two years Ive had curly so now Ill plant the flat. I hear flat Parsley tastes better, well see. Parsley lasts for two years, then it bolts (goes to flower) and its done. Plants such as Parsley are called Biennials. I keep one Parsley plant right outside on my deck in a planter box, so while Im cooking I can just step outside and snip what I need. The other plants are in my garden. I do the same with Basil in the summertime. Parsley seeds can be difficult to germinate (they take quite a long time), so I recommend buying a four inch transplant and planting it in part sun/part shade. Although I planted an entire border in one bed with seeds and they all came up. I use Parsley for soups, stews, tabouli, salads, etc. Fresh Parsley is not only delicious but quite healthy and medicinal as well. Parsley is high in Vitamin C, the leaves and root are used for urinary tract infections and all parts of the plant are good for digestive weakness.
Another favorite fall herb of mine is Borage, Borago officinalis. Borage seeds can be planted now in full sun and will thrive through the cool months. Borage leaves can be used as an acute treatment for lung congestion, the flowers eaten as an anti-depressant and the oil in the seeds are high in gamma linolenic acid, which like Evening Primrose Oil, is helpful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The leaves and seeds of Borage are also helpful in increasing the milk supply of nursing mothers.
Two other herbs best planted in the fall are Dill, Anethum graveolens, and Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare. Dill grows well from seed,
So if you have a Texas hankerin to have any particular plant join your garden, now is the best time to get them in the ground. We still have some time before a first frost, so if you get your planting done now the root system has a chance to establish itself and get ready to hold on for the winter. Besides our beloved herbs, now is the time to scatter our wildflower seeds, water them in, and sit back and enjoy a springtime full of luscious, native Texas wildflowers full of color and magic and delights for our wildlife. Have a great season of fall planting and before you know it well be preparing our garden beds for spring.
See you in the Garden!!!
Ellen Zimmermann, M.A., is the director of the Austin School of Herbal Studies, a Certified Herbalist, and a teacher and speaker on the uses of herbs. She can be reached at 512-301-5838, www.ezherbs.net or ellen@ezherbs.net