Add a little cool flavor to your drinks, meals and desserts with home-grown cinnamon this summer. Try using peppermint leaves in fruit cocktails and ice cream. Add spice to your tea or use lamb and jelly to taste the leaves. Or try chocolate mint to get a unique, sweet and refreshing taste in desserts and drinks.
Mint is easy to grow and suitable for container gardens. In fact, growing in a pot helps keep this plant strong. Or place a cinnamon container in the garden or in a plant where the walkways and walls are controlled. Keep an eye out and avoid unwanted plants when they are visible.
Grow sunny foliage in partial shade with moist, well-drained soil. Trim the soil to keep it moist. Although they are strong in zones 3 to 11, you need to provide some winter protection when growing containers in colder regions. Either wash the container in an empty space in the garden, or place the plant in an unheated garage. Water well every time the soil melts and dries.
Gardeners can grow these plants indoors or outdoors in cold winters. Grow mint in a well-drained, well-drained clay mixture. Place under a sunny window or under artificial lighting and keep the soil evenly moist.
Trim small leaves as needed. The leaf is cut only above the healthy leaf or bud, so the wound closes quickly and the rest of the plant looks better. Wash the pieces and remove strong stems and bad leaves before adding them to your favorite drink or bowl.
The plants get a very strong taste when they collect a small tin before flowering. This is a great time to harvest large crops for drying and cooling. Fortunately, you can remove up to 75% of leaves from an established plant. See new, new growth and continue harvesting as needed.
Store any extra small pieces in a pot of water, gently cover them with a plastic bag and refrigerate.
Consider including mint in your porch, porch or porch. Close proximity to the kitchen and outdoor living space makes it easier to harvest and use. In addition, your guests will enjoy slicing a few fresh mint leaves to add to a cup of cold tea, mojito, another favorite summer drink or salad.
This not only enhances the taste of fast-growing plants but also helps with digestion. Add cinnamon garnish to dress the dessert plate and soothe constipation. And use it to increase the levels of manganese, vitamin C and vitamin A in your diet.
Enjoy some fresh flavors as you plant, harvest and harvest directly from the garden.
Melinda Myers Writes more than 20 books on gardening, including the Middle West Gardener’s Handbook and Small Space Gardening. She hosts great courses on the “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the national Melinda Garden TV and Radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributor to the Birds and Flowers magazine. Her website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
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