book i ordered

[Kygal]

or will order, all i have to do is buy the money order and send it in to richters! the book i am getting is the edible container garden. it is 19.00 dollars. i thought it would be a good thing for me to have since i am not allowed to dig up the yard., lol chooseing ONE book out of many (many that look like awsome books) is very dificult. does anyone else have this book? is it good? acctually that last one is a dumb question, it isnt a BAD book...lol i will definately learn something by reading it. lol

 

oh well, i am just rambling now. i was going to post this in the kitchen, then here then there...i am growing herbs to eat and cook with and veggies, it fits both places.

 

i have chosen to grow passion flower, royal chantonay carrots, brandywine tomatos, cal wonder peppers, napoletano basil, chives(just regular chives, no fancy name. lol), santo cilantro, and kaliteri oregano. the only problem i have is with the oregano, it is availible in plant form only, not seeds, so i have to pay more. richters has a minimum 6 plant order when buying potted plants. so, i am faced with having to choose more plants. i am thinking that i would like to choose some are medicinal in nature. i cant decide what, so maybe you all can help me decide? i would like to get plants that may help with AF and symptoms. or any that are there for more than just to look pretty...so many herbs, what does one choose! lol

 

 

 

[Guest Guest]

The first one that comes to mind is echinacea, then astragalus, and elderberry. Get a few container blueberry bushes. The deeper the color of the fruit or veggie, the better it is for you, and blueberries are a super food.

 

Stevia- a natural sweetener, would be good. Chamomile, lavender... all good choices.

 

I would definitely get the echinacea & elderberry, though. It's like having a mini-pharmacy in your yard!

 

 

[Kygal]

ok...what variety of echinacea would you recommend? they have magnus echinacea, fagrant angelechinacea, primadonna echinacea, ruby giant echinacea, white swan echinacea, narrow leaf echinacea, pale purple echinacea, and yellow echinacea. they also have just plain "echinacea"; they call it the standard variety.

 

i will have to go read the catalog again, some of these are not availible in plant form, seeeds only. although it would be cheaper, i need to buy plants.

[Guest Guest]

Well, I only found 2 in my herb book, echinacea angustifolia & echinacea purpurea. They didn't say that one was preferred so I imagine they all have the same properties.

 

Also, the type of elderberry that will work best for you is the sambucas ebulus. It only grows to about 3 ft. The rest of them will get over 10 ft, some as high as 30 to 50 ft.

 

Until the discovery of the uses of insulin from pigs (I think it was pigs!) diabetics didn't live long. Being diagnosed with diabetes was a death sentence.

 

Thyroid problems- hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism were probably just as deadly, but honestly, I don't have any information on it.

 

That is something worthy of research, though...

[Guest Guest]

Get the echinacea angustifolia...

 

Resembling a black-eyed Susan, echinacea or purple coneflower is a North American perennial that is indigenous to the central plains where it grows on road banks, prairies, fields and in dry, open woods. It is also called snake root because it grows from a thick black root that Indians used to treat snake bites.

 

Herbalists consider Echinacea one of the best blood purifiers and an effective antibiotic. It activates the body's immune system increasing the chances of fighting off any disease. This popular herb has been used to help ward off the common cold and to relieve the symptoms of hay fever.

 

The Plains Indians used various species of echinacea to treat poisonous insect and snake bites, toothaches, sore throat, wounds, as well as mumps, smallpox, and measles. The settlers quickly adopted the therapeutic use of the plant, and since that time it has become one of the top selling herbs in the United States. Since the early 1900's hundreds of scientific articles have been written about echinacea. Most of the research during the past 10 years has focused on the immunostimulant properties of the plant.

 

The constituents of echinacea include essential oil, polysaccharides, polyacetylenes, betain, glycoside, sesquiterpenes and caryophylene. It also contains copper, iron, tannins, protein, fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and E. The most important immune-stimulating components are the large polysaccharides, such as inulin, that increase the production of T-cells and increase other natural killer cell activity. Fat-soluble alkylamides and a caffeic acid glycoside called echinacoside also contribute to the herb's immune empowering effects.

 

It has been shown in animal and human studies to improve the migration of white blood cells to attack foreign microorganisms and toxins in the bloodstream. Research suggests that echinacea's activity in the blood may have value in the defense of tumor cells.

 

Echinacea properties may offer benefit for nearly all infectious conditions. Studies show echinacea prevents the formation of an enzyme which destroys a natural barrier between healthy tissue and damaging organisms. Echinacea is considered an effective therapeutic agent in many infectious conditions including upper respiratory infections, the common cold and sinusitis. The herb is a mild antibiotic that is effective against staph and strep infections.

 

Echinacea aids in the production of interferon has increases antiviral activity against, influenza (flu), herpes, an inflammation of the skin and mouth. It may reduce the severity of symptoms such as runny nose and sore throat and reduce the duration of illness.

 

Echinacea's antibacterial properties can stimulate wound healing and are of benefit to skin conditions such as burns, insect bites, ulcers, psoriasis, acne and eczema. It's anti-inflammatory properties may relieve arthritis and lymphatic swelling.

 

It has also been used in homeopathy treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome, indigestion, gastroenteritis, and weight loss.

 

Part Used: Root, dried; also liquid extract and juice. Often used in combination with goldenseal or vitamin C.

 

Common Use: Echinacea products are used as a general nonspecific stimulant to the immune system, supporting and stabilizing cellular immunity and cleansing the blood, for the prevention and treatment of infections. There are no known side effects associated with it's use.

 

Care: Full sun or light shade in hotter climates. Can grow in fairly poor and dry soil.

[Kygal]

wow! thanks!

 

i was going through the books i had on my shelf for a completely unrelated thread in "within these pages" and can you believe i found just the sort of book i have been wanting! it contains info that neither i, nor erica have been able to find online. i just called DH at work to say"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD THIS BOOK?!" lol he bought it as a reference on DRAWING plants!

 

anyway, the book i found is called "plants of coastal british columbia including washington oregon and alaska"

http://www.lonepinepublishing.com/cat/1-55105-042-0

 

 

[Mother]

Echinacea angustifolia (actually sometimes seen as augustifolia) or E. purpurea are the ones most used as medicinals. Seeds of either variety grow fairly well. Iknow they will grow in containers as I have mine in a large half barrel and they've been there several years and doing fine.

 

 

I would look into the elderberry very carefully as they are shrubs or bushes and do not always do as well in containers unless you can get a real dwarf one and even those can be six foot tall. They also take a while to get established but are really a good herb to have.

 

I would suggest comfrey also. It comes as a root or plant normally as the seed does not germinate well. It will grow in a container but gets huge so you would want to have it some place it can spread it's leaves way out. It's useful for all sorts of wounds, swelling, broken bones, bruises and etc etc. You can use the root or the leaf.

 

Another good common one is mint. It might escape over the side and get in the yard but it smells good and is medicinally useful also for more than just flavoring. Chamomile is a good one but it takes a lot of plants to pick enough flowers for use as medicinal teas. The flowers are pretty small and even smaller when dried.

 

My suggestion is to try to figure out what you might need an herb for. Think of any conditions or problems you have. Do you have allergies or sinus? Do you have frequent colds or rashes? Diarrhea or stomach problems? What medicines do you buy now that you might want to replace with herbs? Once you get an idea of what you want the herb for then you can match an herb to the malady. Then match the herb to your growing conditions and there you have it.

 

Stevia is a very good sweetener for people with sugar intolerances. I use a small leaf in my tea and ground dried leaf in baked goods and other things. It is VERY sweet and too much is actually bitter tasting. One tiny leaf about the size of your thumb nail is enough to sweeten a cup of tea. Stevia has other health properties also besides just being sweet. Stevia grows quite nicely in a big container but the problem is that it also can get fairly large and it is definitely not frost tolerant. It needs to be brought inside at the first sign of cold weather.

 

Berries can be grown in tubs. Straberries do well and can give a few berries the first year but more the second. Blackberries and Raspberries also do well but they produce fruit on the second year canes so you will have to wait for them. You can, however, harvest the leaves to use as medicinals the first year on all those. Dried, they all make great teas just to drink. Sort of tasting like regular black tea without the caffein. (Think of this Jo!) Strawberry leaf is great as a skin or hair rinse and is great for a lot medical problems. Blackberry leaf is wonderful for diarrhea and again, other malodies. Raspberry is strengthening for female problems and also used for other things as well as diarrhea.

 

There was not as much diabetes, or not as much known about it, years back as there is now and people, if they knew they had it, corrected it with diet normally. Diet was not nearly as refined years ago as it is now and people worked harder. Their adrenals and pancreas were healthier I believe.

 

Thyroid problems were known but mostly with goiters and that was treated with seaweed at some point in history. There again, there was not the thyroid problems that we see now. According to what I've learned about it, the goiters were only found in areas that the soil was defecient in iodine which is why the government eventually declared that salt be iodized. Most salt was sea or earth derived and not nearly as refined as itis now so it naturally contained minerals. Actually, I use only sea or earth salt now.

 

Hmmm is this more than you wanted to know??? I never claimed to be brief

[Roseofsharon]

Also if you want to check out what people think about the book- I usually check for reviews on Amazon.

[Kygal]

i never asked for brief

[cartoongirl]

LOL! Pixie, aint that the truth!!

 

Remember to check what growing zone you are in, where I live alot of things I cannot start from seed unless I have a heated greenhouse, like oregano is only one of the many. In my early gardening years I learned the hard way.

 

I'm not going to order from Ritchers this year, just going to buy some plants from the local green house and some veg. seeds. I'm planting potatoes, lots of carrots and peas, onions, spinach, and herbs. Sure veg's easy to grow. I have tons of rhubarb, raspberries and strawberries so I may add another variety of raspberries this year.

 

I love growing Lavendar and drying it, smells soooo good and relaxes over tired mammas!!

 

How I long for Spring to emerge!!!!

[Guest Guest]

Lucky you erica! You get to grow Lavendar! I think I have zone envy (though I may be able to challenge it...if Feb is warm, we'll have the warmest winter ever on record).

~Jo

[Kygal]

no snow as opposed to snow up to your eyebrows 9 months of the year!

[Mother]

Great Info Nana. Modern medicine is good for some things. My sister is diabetic and I am grateful that she didn't die young from the disease.

 

 

[gardnmom]

There is a great deal of information on Type 2 diabeties here.... http://www.healingmatters.com/

[Guest Guest]

If you haven't sent off your money yet.. why not have a look around the net first.

 

hum.. let me go get you a link.... wait right here.....

 

 

[Guest Guest]

ok, I am back...

 

here is the main page

http://www.gardenweb.com/

 

here is all the garden forums

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/

 

here is container gardening

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain/

 

gardening in Canada

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/canada/

 

Canadian garden exchange

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/excan/

 

But these I found by going to the first link, finding the wee link among all the visual noise garden forums (second link) and then looking at the list of threads to get into.

 

There is over 100 different topics on gardening. Gardening by region, canas, orchids, vegetables, canning is located in 'the kitchen garden' and then "harvest" and so on.

 

enjoy! and save your money!

 

an herb that is wonderful for children and soothing an upset tummy.. peppermint.