DNX Garden, a Dynamic Nexus publication
Food, soil and seasons, and what a garden teaches about feedback.
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Dispatches
17 posts from Garden
Growing Marjoram: The Sweeter Cousin of Oregano
Sweet marjoram's milder oil sets it apart from oregano, and one field trial suggests flowering changes that oil more than it spoils it.
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Growing French Tarragon: Why the Seed Packet Gives You the Wrong Plant
Tarragon seed almost always grows the milder Russian type. French tarragon comes from cuttings or division, and wet roots are its main threat.
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St John's Wort: Why a Pretty Garden Herb Became a Regulated Weed
It poisons grazing stock, its seeds stay alive for years, and it's regulated from Tasmania to Alberta. In California, imported beetles brought it under control.
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Grow Lights for Herbs: How Much Light, How Close and What It Costs
Even a sunny window in winter can give herbs only about half the daily light they need, and a small white LED fills the gap cheaply.
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Growing Oregano: Greek Plants, Good Drying and Why Flavour Varies
Dried oregano holds up well, and the plant you start from shapes what's in the oil far more than drying does.
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Growing Sage: Spring Pruning, Dry Winter Roots and When to Replace It
Garden sage turns woody with age. Prune lightly in spring, keep winter roots dry, and root cuttings for the next plant.
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Growing Dill: Why It Bolts, When to Resow and Who Eats It
Dill flowers as days lengthen, so sow again every couple of weeks for steady leaf. In North America, the striped caterpillars on it are often future swallowtails.
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Preserving Herbs: Freezing, Drying, Oil and Vinegar
Herbs in oil are safe frozen, or chilled for no more than four days. Sturdy herbs dry well, soft ones freeze well, and refrigerated herb vinegar should be used within three months.
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Growing Chives Outdoors: Cutting Back, Dividing Clumps and Garlic Chives
A chive clump keeps making new plants all season, so cut it hard, divide it every few years, and take the seed heads off garlic chives.
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Growing Parsley: Slow Seed, Short Soaks and a Two-Year Life
Parsley seed is slow by nature. A day in water was the best plain-water soak in one trial, and another trial found no gain from soaking.
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Growing Thyme: Dry Soil, Stronger Oil and Plants That Stay Young
A dry bed gives thyme with more oil per gram, wet winters are the real risk, and old plants are easiest to replace from cuttings.
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Growing Mint Without Losing the Garden: Containment, Varieties and Rust
Seed often won't give you the flavour you wanted, and a sunken pot with its rim above the soil keeps the runners where you put them.
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Thai, Lemon, Holy and Purple Basil: What Actually Changes Between Varieties
Each basil's flavour comes down largely to one or two aroma compounds, and against downy mildew, breeding counts for more than the name on the label.
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Growing Rosemary for Years: Drainage, Winter Cold and Cuttings
Overwatering is the usual way rosemary is lost. How to pot, water and overwinter it, how much cold it takes, and how to root cuttings for the next plant.
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A Tea Garden in Three Plants: Chamomile, Lemon Balm and Peppermint
Chamomile for the flowers, lemon balm and peppermint for the leaves: how to grow, pick, dry and brew each, and why morning is the time to pick.
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Chives, Mint and Basil on a Windowsill: Fresh Herbs Indoors All Year
Light is the real limit indoors, wet soil is the common mistake, and the three classic herbs are far from equally easy.
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The Market Under Your Feet
Mycelium has run the oldest network on Earth for 400 million years. What it knows about trade, resilience and hype.
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