MaryJanesFarm | Simply MJ

January 24, 2003

 

Grow parsley outside year-round.

QUESTION: I have a problem with my indoor herb garden. I love to have fresh herbs year-round for cooking, so when fall frosts come, I bring my thyme, parsley and basil indoors and pot them in a long planter and put them in a sunny window shelf. After a month (or less), my parsley becomes covered with dark, miniscule bugs (or some kind of disease) that drop all over the shelf. What is this scurvy, how is it affecting my plants and how can I get rid of it without using some kind of toxic pesticide? – Susan Hamilton (via e-mail)

MARYJANE: Understanding the natural life cycles of your herbs is the first step to successfully growing them. Parsley and thyme are perennials and do just fine outside year-round. To maintain an outside crop of winter parsley, it's best to start a new batch in late July or August. When winter arrives and if there is snow, sweep it off and clip what you need as you need it. Parsley is a biennial, related to carrots. It spends the first year sending down a deep taproot and making lots of leaves, which can be harvested for cooking. The second year, it focuses its energy on reproducing, making flowers and seeds. The best way to keep parsley indoors from year to year is to re-seed it each year. Because it has taproots, it needs a fairly deep pot with rich, well-worked soil. Basil is an annual, and grows very well in containers indoors. To avoid bolting, pinch back the flowers as they start to form.

Consider starting from scratch, planting seeds to start your indoor herb garden, using a large clay pot (porous, with a drainage hole, and with adequate growing room), placing it on the porch or in your garden for the summer, bringing it indoors for the winter. Washing pots, new or used, with hot, soapy water before planting, is essential. Basil, chives, mint, rosemary and thyme are all good choices for an indoor herb garden. Parsley does best outdoors.

If you dig up some of your favorite herbs from your garden outdoors, with the intention of planting them indoors for the winter, first inspect them carefully, to avoid transferring pests (spider mites, whiteflies, etc.) Consider using an organic potting soil to house your plant, rather than your garden soil. Find a suitable location in your house that gives your plants plenty of sunlight (like your sunny window shelf) and good air circulation (which helps keep bugs away from plants).

For an infected plant, the first thing to do is to isolate it from other indoor plants and physically wash the plant. Begin by giving your infected plant a shower, placing it on your shower floor, in your bathtub or sink, and thoroughly washing it. It's especially helpful to use a hand-held attachment, so the stream of water stays close to the leaves. If your plant has large leaves, you can also sponge off any pests, as well as general house dust, with lukewarm water and a clean sponge. If the pests seem persistent, try spraying the plant lightly with soapy water; Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap, available at most health food stores, is a good one to try. For stubborn spots or areas that are difficult to reach, use a small toothbrush to remove the pests. When moistening plant leaves, do so in a shaded location, to avoid scalding the leaves in direct sunlight.

Some pests, such as mealy bugs (which are white and furry-looking), respond to treatment with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. After swabbing the plant's infected areas, spray it with warm water the next day. Or use a 50-50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water, spraying it on your diseased plant.

Cooking dinner is infinitely more satisfying when you can add some fresh rosemary from your indoor herb garden. Healthy plants require close attention, but they are worth the effort.

QUESTION: What can you tell me about stevia? – Linda Walters (via e-mail)

MARYJANE: The stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) comes to us from Paraguay. For centuries its green leaves were used to sweeten many foods and some drinks. The leaves were dried and ground into a powder. The active sweetening agents in stevia, called glycosides, are now extracted and sold as a white powder or clear liquid. It is intensely sweet — 10 times sweeter than sugar. In any form, stevia has no calories and will not raise your blood sugar level. Learn more about stevia on the web at www.stevia.com.

Send your questions to MaryJane Butters, c/o MaryJanesFarm, 1000 Wild Iris Lane, Moscow, Idaho, 83843. Questions may also be e-mailed to maryjane@maryjanesfarm.org. Please include your name and daytime telephone number. For more information, visit www.maryjanesfarm.org


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