Gardening

What are the Benefits of composting?

The times in which we’re currently living require that we do more for our planet. You being here means you already are thinking about the benefits of composting, but perhaps you’re not convinced yet?

The benefits of composting include not only a positive ecological impact but also advantages in the health and economic realms.

Of course, making compost is more than just gathering organic waste. And if it’s not done correctly, it may end up just making a huge mess… a very smelly one indeed! There are different components and methods of composting, and they all offer their own unique benefits. Depending on your space, time, and materials, the technique that suits you may vary. But there’s nothing to worry about! Composting is just easy as pie once you know what you’re doing!

Today, we’re not just focusing on composting techniques, as it is crucial to understand the whole process and its full benefits for the soil, yourself, and the environment.

What’s more ecological than turning your garbage into a natural fertilizer? I can only think of a few things. Soon you’ll see why everybody should compost!

Before we begin, and in case you need it, here you can find some basics on composting at home by the EPA.

So, let’s get into the matter and check out the benefits of composting.

5 benefits of composting for your plants

Let’s take a look at how composting will change the game for your crops:

Increases the nutrient quality of soils

Composting promotes humus formation, which sticks soil together and keeps the nutrient materials right where they should be: where they’re munchies for your plants! Plus, the material you use to compost is organic, which means it produces nutrients from itself… Nutrients that otherwise would end up in the trash can… wasted. But that’s not all, it also makes it easier for the ground to hold on to those nutrients.

Retains water

Have you ever seen how you water your plants and crops, and the water just passes through it or runs down from the top of your pot? That happens because the soil is unbalanced. Whether it’s too tight or too loose, it’s not agglutinated enough, and it won’t be able to retain either water or nutrients. The lack of absorption capacity will make the water run off laterally from the top of the soil. As a result, it will take nutrients away with it, eroding your soil without you noticing.

Composting material is filled with sticky humus that results from the decomposition of organic matter. This gluey texture helps keep the soil agglutinated and balanced – tightens it or loses it up, helping it retain the nutrients, so plants can benefit from them. The same happens when it comes to water; the proper balance and agglutination of the soil help retain the liquid, so it doesn’t erode the soil.

Healthier plants

There’s no better cure for your plants than the one that comes from natural sources. I guess you already understand that compost generates natural nutrients and helps soil keep them in place. Additionally, compost helps keep alkalinity and acidity levels in the soil. Meaning it balances the pH. Most plants need a specific level of pH, which is hard to balance synthetically. Compost will do the job for you most of the time. This means that your plants will be nurtured naturally, reducing the possible side effects of using chemicals and naturally taking away pests.

Promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms

The decomposition of organic material helps to encourage the growth of all kinds of microorganisms, from bacteria to fungi, to insects… These organisms break down the particles in organic waste, generating the valuable hummus we’ve been talking about. Not only do they provide the stickiness soil needs to retain water, but they also generate nutrients and help plants absorb them.

Makes plants more resistant to pests & limits weed growth

While you still need to be careful about the health of your plants, keeping a balanced soil will also keep their “immune system” strong. In the same way that we are less prone to get sick when our vitamin and mineral levels are balanced, plants get more resistant to most pests and diseases when their soil has good nutrition.

Additionally, the temperatures generated by decomposing materials usually discourage or deactivate certain weeds that otherwise could parasitise your plant. Weeds generally like to grow on imbalanced soil like low potassium soil. When you keep their ground healthy, your plants will grow healthily too!

As you can see, your plants will highly appreciate the benefits of composting. But if you think that’s all you get when you adopt this practice, let me tell you there’s more!

Let’s take a look at the health and economic benefits you’ll get from composting.

Benefits of composting to human health

Believe it or not, composting can directly impact your health if you plant edible greens. When you consume fruits and veggies that grow on composted soil, you’ll benefit from:

Fewer chemicals into your body

As you probably can imagine, plants absorb what there’s on their ground. Sadly, all kinds of heavy metals and chemicals can be found in the water, soil, pesticides, and fertilizers. All these toxic compounds will enter our system when we consume that plant. Composting reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers almost to zero, leaving those chemicals out of your body. And further more… with compost, the metals and contaminants already in the ground will bind together instead of binding to the plant. Therefore, they won’t get the chance to get to your system through food.

Healthier vegetables and fruits

This is basic stuff, and I don’t think there’s much to explain. When you have soil richest in minerals and nutrients, that’s what your crops will consume too. And if you eat plants that grew on highly nutritious soil, those plants will deliver more nutrients to you. On the other hand, if the soil is eroded or has just enough nutrients for them to grow, your plants won’t have much to deliver to you when eaten.

Reduces methane and other contaminant emissions

Reducing gas emissions is crucial for both our health and the one of our planet. Composted soil reduces not only the number of emissions we would need to process organic waste in landfills… it also promotes the decrease of these gasses already existing in the atmosphere. Plants that grow on composted soils tend to develop faster and grow more. Meaning not only would you produce more and healthier food in less time. But you also reduce the emission of these gases from local landfills.

Cleaner and less polluted air is naturally healthier for everybody! So, indirectly, composting promotes healthier airspace and the health benefits your community can get from it.

Revitalized natural water sources

We know that consuming polluted water is one of the first causes of diseases nowadays. As we mentioned, compost promotes the absorption and filtration of waters into the deepest layers of the earth. During this drainage, which passes through different ground layers, the water seeps and settles to the bottom. There it feeds and becomes part of natural water sources such as springs. These are the same water sources that will, then, provide water directly to the community. This water, filtered through soil drainage, is cleaner and healthier for human consumption, significantly reducing the diseases that come from the vital liquid.

Economic benefits of composting

Whether it’s for you or your community, composting also brings economic benefits that, many times, go unseen.

Reduces expenses at home

If you’re planting edible vegetables, using compost to fuel their soil will promote faster growth as well as healthier plants. But not only that, but it will also reduce the amount of garbage you need to dispose of. The very fact that you are not buying those veggies that you’re planting means you’re spending less. But in addition you won’t spend on fertilizers and pesticides, so you’re doubling the savings!

Plus, you won’t have to purchase as many trash bags or spend on garbage services. And you will also save the time it would take you to manage the trash… You know they say time is money!

Finally, when you consume your own organic crop fed with compost, you could reduce your risk of many diseases. This, in the long term, could result in fewer medical expenses.

Increased job offer for your community

According to the ILSR, communities with compost practices generate twice as many jobs as any other disposing facility.

Making waste a valuable resource

The RTS statistics on food waste shows America alone throws out more than 40 million tons of food per year, which translates into $160 billion worth of food that’s just being wasted! Composting can change this number. And not only reduce it but also turn it into profit and valuable resources.

Stronger food system

Community composting tend to benefit from all the advantages we’ve reviewed during this article, resulting in a generally lower budget. This happens due to the improvement and promotion of farmers’ produce, the reduction of expenses in chemical products, and the improvement in the health quality of the food. When considered separately, these benefits already save a lot of money. But when part of a community food system, the impact on the budget becomes quite significant.

Is composting eco-friendly?

So, until now, many of the benefits we’ve mentioned for economics and health also directly impact our ecosystem. So, there’s no doubt about it; composting is eco-friendly as it represents the reduction and leverage from what otherwise would be garbage. Plus, it promotes the regeneration of soil which is urgent as we’ve lost almost 30% of the farmable ground in the US alone.

We also saw that it promotes sanitation of potable water and cleanses the air through absorption of CO2 and reduction of gas emissions. Those are already enough benefits to consider compost as an eco-friendly practice. But what if I tell you there’re even more benefits that compost may bring to our environment?

YES!

Composting, whether at home or as a local practice, involves many other positive consequences for the environment.

What impact does compost have on the environment?

Less polluted oceans

The impact of cleaner waters in a community that composts will, in time, grow to a larger scale as water from any source always ends up in the sea. When we cleanse our water sources from a local point of view, it results in more clean water delivered into the ocean. And, this also causes fewer pollutants and contaminants arrive into our precious water mass.

Regeneration of the atmosphere

One of the first causes of gas emission in the U.S. is the organic matter deposited in landfills. There, that material will simply rot, sending all those gases into the atmosphere. By adopting composting practices, we not only reduce the amount of organic matter in those landfills that won’t rot and emit gasses. We also generate the proper conditions for soil and plants to help us combat the damage in the ozone layer. According to U.S PIRG, if we had composted all the materials that went to landfills in 2015, it would have represented the same emission reductions as if we had taken 3 million cars off the roads that same year!

Composting reduces the use of plastic bags and saturated landfills.

Whether you notice it or not, half of the materials you throw away are compostable. When you throw that material away in a plastic trash bag, it adds up to a considerable amount of plastic that will be used to dispose of it. Then, more pollution is created in the landfills to process that waste and plastic. We could reduce all that plastic use, carbon emissions, and saturation of landfills by just composting the organic materials our community has at home instead of throwing them in landfill.

Final thoughts

As you can see, composting is not only beneficial for you, but it’s also highly beneficial for our planet. If you’re looking for the best way to save money, increase your health, and be more sustainable, composting is a game-changer.

So, don’t hesitate and take action!

Composting is convenient and, in time, it actually becomes easy. Trust me, once you begin leveraging on the benefits of composting and know that you’re also helping the planet, you won’t want to change back to old habits.

If you’re interested in composting in the U.S, here you can find some practical resources according to your location.

Good luck, and a good harvest to you!

If you enjoyed this article you might like our pieces on how to grow peppers indoors and growing lavender from seed.

If you have any questions or comments about this article please contact us here.

Growing peppers indoors – Do you want to grow your peppers at home and don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. It’s easier than you might think.

More and more people decide to grow their own greens, herbs and vegetables. A lot of celebs like Jenifer Aniston, Shakira, and Julia Roberts have organic gardens in their homes. Even Michelle Obama created an organic garden at the White House when she arrived in 2009!

Peppers are one of the most common crops in indoor gardens and one of the easiest to grow. So, if you are starting your garden, this plant is an excellent option for you to try.

Stop looking for tutorials, and let’s get started! We will tell you everything you need to know about growing peppers indoors… with the top tips for success!

Basics you should know about plant peppers:

• This plant is native to Central and South America. Specifically, from Peru and Bolivia. It has 6000 years of cultivation history!
• Peppers have essential nutrients for the functioning of our bodies, such as thiamine and manganese, vitamins C and B6.
• They are relatives of tomatoes and eggplant (aubergines).
• It is an herbaceous plant; it’s not a tree or a bush. This makes it easier to have indoors, especially if you only have a pot for planting.
• This plant grows between 30 – 40 inches tall, and you’ll be surprised by the length of its roots!
• Did you know that the pepper plant has beautiful flowers? Yes! The flowers are white, and the leaves are whole with pointed ends.
• These flowers have between about 5 or 7 petals. The flowers open, wither, and when the flower should fall, the fruit (pepper) begins to grow.
• The main stem grows straight, and from a certain height, it produces 2 or 3 branches.
• Each branch produces one or two leaves and ends in a flower.
• In general, the number of days for fruit production ranges from 70 to 85 days from the moment you plant it on the soil. So you can have peppers pretty fast!

Types of peppers

Peppers can be sweet or hot. This characteristic does not depend on its color but the amount of capsaicin, a substance found inside. If they have little capsaicin, the peppers will be sweet. If they have a lot of capsaicin, they will be hot.

Did you know that there are more than 20 species of peppers? Each one with its varieties. What are the variances of peppers? Peppers can be of various colors, sizes, and shapes. Colors can be red, green, yellow, black, or orange. Most grow to 2 or 4 inches, but there are also small bell peppers of that are only 1 inch in size!

Easiest Peppers to Grow Indoors

Bell pepper is the most common of the sweet type, it is also the easiest pepper to grow. The Chile pepper is the most common of the spicy peppers. Discover how to start growing these specific peppers indoors here.

Some other peppers varieties that we suggest growing indoors are:

• Jalapeño
• Habaneros
• Thai peppers
• Orange Blaze Mini Pepper

Cayenne Peppers are also easy to grow, they are the best grown in cold climates.

Are you intrigued by the many different types of peppers out there? You can learn more about this topic by visiting this link.

Growing Peppers Indoors Year Round

The pepper adapts to many types of soil, but it should be well-draining. The temperatures should be between 68-75 ° F during the day and 60 to 64 F at night. Below 59 F, its growth is affected.

As long as you can maintain these conditions, it is possible to grow pepper indoors all year round.

Growing Peppers from Seed

One of the advantages of starting your garden with pepper plants is that you can grow your peppers using the seed inside any pepper in your kitchen! It is a cheap and practical way to grow peppers at home!

Just let the seeds dry in the sun for a few days, and they will be ready to plant.

What soil should I use?

Make sure your soil has good drainage. You can place stones at the bottom of the pot, so the water will not stagnate in the soil. For better growth, fill the pot about 80% with mixed soil that is rich in organic matter – you can add manure, compost, or enrich it with worm castings.

Plant the seeds in a small pot or tub and lightly cover with soil rich in organic matter. Only cover them a little bit, you don’t need to plant them deep.

Once they’ve germinated, you must wait around 40 to 60 days from sowing to until transplanting it into a larger pot. Transplant the pepper to a bigger pot when the seedlings have developed at least 4 or 5 leaves (4 to 5 inches high) before the roots begin to surround the pot’s interior. We recommend that the pot be at least 11 inches (4 gallons). When you place the plant, set it in the middle of the pot and cover it with soil right to the to the base of the stem.

When the plants are around 8 inches tall, use sticks for support and guidance. Tie sticks to the stems that are fruiting. It will help the plant to carry its weight.

After the plant has its 4th branching, you can harvest red or yellow peppers in around 4 months, or in 3 months you can harvest green peppers.

How to water pepper plants?

Keep the soil moist, especially once the fruits are showing. There is no need to leave the soil soggy. Just moisten it and let it dry out before watering it again.

The ideal is a drip irrigation system, this ensures that the plant does not lack for water but prevents flooding it.

For optimal humidity, water your pepper with a frequency of every 1 or 2 days.

Indoor temperature for growing peppers?

This plant likes to live in a temperature between 68 and 77 F, so if you expose it to extreme temperatures, too hot or too cold will destroy your plant.

Protect it by sheltering it where high or low temperatures do not damage it. You may have to prepare an indoor greenhouse type area, but only until the frosts pass.

Growing Peppers Indoor – Light Cycle

Good lighting makes a big difference when growing plants. Adequate lighting is essential for growing peppers.

You have to place them where they get direct sunlight, at least six to eight hours a day.  If you are planning to use indoor grow lights, it is perfectly possible. Leave them on for about 12 hrs each day, and your peppers will grow just fine. If you want to know more about how plants are affected by light Click here.

Growing Peppers Indoors – Pollination

If you notice that the plant has flowers but still no fruit, give the plant a light shake. Luckily this plant is self-pollinating, so a few simple touches are enough to activate the pollination process.

When is the best time to grow peppers?

Peppers are very sensitive to cold, so the best time to plant peppers is in spring. The essential thing you should know is that for optimal success you should plant them after the winter and early spring frosts have passed. In the northern hemisphere, the most recommended time is in March.

If you have no other option than to grow them in winter, don’t think it’s impossible, just adjust your strategy! Simple as that. Make sure you set up a warm area with plenty of light to start off the seeds during the wintertime.

How long will a pepper plant produce, indoors?

When properly maintained, a pepper plant can live up to five years! But some of them, like the Chili pepper can live between 1.5-3 years.

The top tips for success when growing peppers indoors.

Tips to make them germinate faster.

Do you want your pepper plants to germinate quickly? You planted your pepper several days ago, and not even a hint of green has appeared? Try these techniques:

• Soak the seeds before sowing them. It will make the seed softer, and it will open more easily. You would be helping nature to do its thing with less effort.
• Another way to get them to germinate quickly is by using a paper towel or coffee filter to wrap them in. Once you got them covered with the paper, spray it with water, make sure to moisten it well, and place it in a Ziploc bag. Place the bag in a warm place that is between 77 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, you must spray your seed a little every day. You have to be consistent for it to work!
• You can also try to freeze them! Place the seed in the freezer for no more than two days. When you take it out, put them inside a small folded and well-moistened towel and cover the towel with a dark container and follow the same technique described above.

Tips for best crops and storing

If you want green peppers, you should cut them when they reach their full size, shape, and firmness.

If you want the yellow or red, leave them on the stems for as long as possible, about three to five weeks.

When harvesting, use a sharp knife or scissors to cut the pepper. Cut leaving an inch of the stalk so that other peppers can grow back. It will encourage the plant to produce more and more fruit!

To store peppers properly, refrigerate them in plastic bags. They usually last up to 10 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them, which is the most practical way to store them.

You can also dry the peppers for storage: You only need to wash them, core, and steam for ten minutes. Dry them in the oven at 140 ° F or the lowest possible temperature, and done! You can keep them dry in air-tight jars.

If you want more tips to store the peppers, we recommend that you enter this link. You will find a lot of information that you will surely like and will be very helpful.

Tips for maintenance of peppers

The secret to keeping pepper plants healthy is to prune them regularly. When the pepper has grown it is the correct time for pruning. You should prune the tiny shoots that appear between the stem and the leaves.

Check your plant weekly for sprouts or dry parts, which you should also remove. Watering is also a big part of pepper maintenance. You want to make sure that the soil gets entirely moistened each time you water it.

So there you have it, growing peppers is the one of the best ways to start creating your indoor vegetable garden. This plant has the advantage of requiring little maintenance. In addition to being varied and practical, they are also delicious! They have vital nutrients for our health, and you can cook them in so many different ways.

I hope you’ve have learned more about how to grow peppers indoors, and you end up creating a beautiful garden of your own. Remember, you don’t have to depend on having large spaces for creating and preparing a healthy life. You can always easily grow many foods yourself at home.

If you have any comments or suggestions then please reach out here. If you enjoyed reading this article you may also like to learn about how to grow your own lavender plants as detailed in one of our previous posts.

Thanks for visiting my blog! In this article, I will outline top tips for growing lavender from seed successfully. On this page, I have included links to products that can help you to get set up for growing, if you choose to purchase through a link from this page, I may make a small affiliate commission that will contribute towards the maintenance costs of my site.

Where does Lavender originate from?

Lavender is a genus of around 47 species related to the mint family, it is native to temperate regions in the Mediterranean and from Northern and Eastern Africa to Southwest Asia according to Wikipedia

Lavenders are versatile low-maintenance shrubby perennial plants that can be planted in pots, garden beds or be used as hedges. The plants thrive in hot summer climates with shady afternoons and low-moderately fertile, slightly alkaline soils. Lavender has many uses, to name just a few; it’s great for attracting insect life to your back yard, can be used as a culinary herb, for its relaxing calming fragrance, and for its beauty in floral displays.

Growing lavender plants from seed can be a worthwhile and fun way to incorporate this delightful herb into your back garden. Lavender seeds are not quick to sprout, and crops grown from them wouldn’t normally flower in the initial year of growth, but if you’re dedicated and willing to invest the time, you can create beautiful fragrant plants from seed, which is so fulfilling!

Do I need to refrigerate lavender seeds?

Cold stratification is necessary for some seeds. The idea is that when sowing these seeds, a cool period followed by a warmer period is needed to break their dormancy and invite germination. Sometimes gardeners will advise sowing lavender seeds into dampened soil then placing in a cold greenhouse or refrigerator for a few weeks before then placing them onto heat mats. This is generally not necessary as with fresh seeds, germination is fairly easy, it just takes a bit of time. However if you are struggling you may want to consider utilizing this method of cold stratification to see if you can achieve greater success in germinating your seeds.

Where to Germinate Lavender Seeds

The initial step is choosing a good variety of lavender. It is important to know that not all types will be easy for growing lavender from seed. Sometimes cuttings are a quicker and easier way to produce new plants. A good variety to start off with is Munstead, this can take up to 90 days to germinate, so be patient. You can start them off in late winter and you should get good-sized seedlings by the beginning of the summer. Germinate the seeds indoors, they require warm temperatures between 65-70 degrees Farenheight (18-21C). If your home isn’t warm and you don’t have the use of a hothouse or greenhouse it may be necessary to use a heat mat and/or grow lights to maintain the warmth necessary for your seeds.

Sowing Lavender seeds

Sprinkle the seeds into shallow trays of moistened earth around 0.5-1 inch apart and apply just enough soil on top to lightly cover them. A vermiculite soil or a sterilized seed starting mix are good blends to keep the seeds just moist enough but not too waterlogged. If you can, cover the tray with a clear domed lid with ventilation holes in it (you can re-use an old fruit or veggie tray for this purpose or a large clear plastic bag with holes in). Be sure to allow circulation of air a couple of times a day by removing the lid and then replacing it.

To water, you can either mist the soil regularly to keep it slightly damp or sit the tray into a shallow dish of water, avoid pouring water directly over the seeds. Once your seeds have germinated keep the soil moderately damp but not soaking wet.

Place your seed tray in a sunny spot, or alternatively, you can choose to hang grow lights above them, adjust the height to keep the light to around an inch above the seedlings at all times as they grow.

Watch this amazing video which shows growing lavender from seed (time lapse)

Transplanting lavender seedlings

Your seedlings will need to be carefully transplanted to their own pots once each plant has several sets of leaves on it (usually after around 6 weeks). To do this, fill a pot ¾ full with a light potting mix soil and poke a hole in it that is just large enough to accommodate the roots. Once placed gently into the hole, lightly pack extra soil all around the transplanted lavender plant stem to hold it in position. You will need to continue to keep these transplanted lavenders indoors until they are bigger (at least 3 inches), this can take 1-3 months.

Hardening off lavender plants

Once the last day of frost has passed in your area, this is the right time to move your seedlings outdoors to harden them off. In order to reduce shock and acclimatize them to the outdoor setting, take your plants outside in their pots for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the length of time they’re outdoors. After around a week, your lavender should be ready to be planted out into the garden.

To plant out, choose an area that receives direct sunlight and has a well-draining soil type (if needed you can mix a bit of gravel into the soil to improve drainage). Lavender can grow in other poorer soil types but do benefit from having a little added organic matter.

During the first year your new lavender plants will be growing roots and establishing, they will need more regular watering but only if the soil has completely dried out. Once established they are much more resistant to droughts.

Cutting off any stems that start flowering in the first year will encourage more vegetation growth so you will have a bigger flowering plant the following year.

During the winter place a mulch or gravel around the base of the plant (but not too close to the stem), to keep the soil warmer.

Maintaining lavender plants

Each spring cut plants back just as their new growth starts but only on the green parts, (don’t trim back to the woody part of the stems). This will encourage a spurt of growth and bloom. Trim them back again in the autumn after the flowers are gone for best results the following year.

After a few years lavender plants can become quite woody, growing new young plants can give you an economical way of re-invigorating your garden displays by transplanting young plants next to old. The bees and butterflies will thank you!

Harvesting Lavender

In the first year the plant will concentrate on root structure and establishment, but in the second year you should have a much bigger lavender plant that begins to bloom.

Lavender is best harvested when it has formed buds but not yet opened to flowers, this allows the fragrance and color to stay for much longer once dried. Make sure to leave at least two sets of leaves either side of where you harvest on the green growth of the plant, don’t cut into the woody stem as it will not regrow from here once pruned.

Drying Lavender

The easiest way to dry lavender is to gather small handfuls together with twine or elastic band and hang upside down somewhere warm with good airflow. This method can take weeks to months depending on the climate.

Alternatively, you can try to speed things up by drying out the sprigs using a dehydrator, make sure you use a low setting of around 100F and spread in only a single layer. It can take 1-2 days to fully dry out.

When ready, the main lavender stem should snap rather than bend and the buds should feel dry and crumbly and break up easily. For maximum longevity store in air-tight containers in a cool dark and dry area.

Growing lavender from cuttings

If you wish to try to grow new plants from cuttings here are a few tips:

• Make sure you have permission from the plant/garden owner first!
• Choose to take cuttings from large well-established plants with a strong fragrance
• Avoid plants that have just recently flowered
• Choose a plant with long stalks with a good amount of green leaves at the top and some brown leaves at the bottom.

Take approximately a 3 inch long cutting from the lower stems of the plant. Remove all but a few green leaves at the top of the stem. To speed up the process you can first dip the bottom of the stem into rooting hormone powder (optional), before planting into a pot of moistened compost. Place the pot in a warm area but away from direct sun and mist every few days when the soil is dry. In around 3-6 weeks you should see new leaves growing which means your cuttings have rooted!

Then, follow the same steps as the plants grown from seeds for transplantation and hardening off.

Where can I find lavender seeds for sale?

To try growing lavender from seed, you can buy seeds at garden centers or online (even from Amazon!). A good option for success is to find a local retailer who collects their seeds from plants that have been used to growing in your climate. Choose a non-GMO organic seed source for the healthiest option.

Quick and Easy ways to use Dried Lavender

• Infuse with neutral oil or vinegar to use in cooking or dressings ->> check out this infused oil and vinegar recipe here
• Sprinkle a small amount of chopped buds into lemon flavoured cake batter and cookie dough before baking for a lovely added dimension of fragrant flavor. ->> check out this recipe for pound cake here
• Create your own Herb de Provence mixture by combining other dried herbs. ->> here’s a recipe I found
• Put inside homemade buckwheat pillows and eye masks to help aid sleep and relaxation
• Tie inside a net/mesh bag and place into drawers and wardrobes to help freshen clothes and ward off bugs.
• Add a small handful to your bath with some Epsom salts/sea salt for a relaxing spa treatment ->> take a look at this luxurious recipe

Summary

Lavender can take quite a while to grow from seed, if you’re finding it hard, you may need a heat mat and grow lights or try using cold stratification techniques. Alternatively, you can try rooting cuttings or buy an established plant from your local garden center.

This beautiful fragrant plant is great for attracting bees and butterflies and other lovely insects into your garden and can be utilized in so many ways.No matter how you acquire your lavender plants you’re sure to be hooked on their hardy versatility which will leave you wanting to grow more and try out the other amazing varieties available!

Let me know if you found this Growing Lavender from Seed post helpful, or if you have any ideas for future topics by contacting me here.