Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Snow has a Benefit for the Herb Garden

I know I have been whining about the snow in the herb garden since around Thanksgiving, but it does help the plants survive. It is going to get a lot colder this week. There is now a layer of snow on the ground and that has a benefit in the herb garden and in the garden as a whole. The snow is acting as an insulator. As long as the herbs you planted have good drainage meaning the soil has been tested (you can get a soil test kit from your county extension office or local nurseries have soil test probes for sale) and amended for the particular herbs you have planted. The best amendment is your own compost or the bagged kind works as well. We have clay soil in the western Pennsylvania, so amending the soil is a given. If the soil is amended properly, and the plants do not hold water around the crowns or roots of the plants, the perennial herbs such as lavenders, sages and thymes will survive the winter. Hope you are staying warm wherever you may be!

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