Pocket Gardens

Pocket Gardens. Create distinctive gardens for the yard, containers or window boxes. Each kit includes a recycled steel case, 5 varieties of seed, seedling stakes, pencil and a detailed booklet with growing information and tips.

Tins are 3" in diameter

Salsa Garden (Santo Cilantro, Plum Tomato, Serrano Chili, Cayenne Chile Pepper, Toma Verde Tomatillo) It’s no wonder that during the last decade of the 20th century, salsa became the best-selling condiment in America, for salsa is high in fiber, low in fat and full of exotic and unique flavors. Easy to prepare, versatile and colorful, salsa can add just the right touch to most any dish, hot or cold. Red salsas are made with either tomatoes or red chilies as the main ingredient; green salsas with either tomatillos or green chilies. Nothing can compare to the taste of fresh salsa made from your own home grown ingredients.

Wine Lovers Culinary Herb Garden (Greek oregano, basil bouquet, English thyme, Italian parsley, summer savory) A collection of culinary herbs carefully chosen to compliment your culinary skills and fine wine selections. These are herbs that can be matched with an endless array of foods. If you are new to the art of pairing wines with dishes seasoned with herbs the accompanying booklet will provide some simple guidelines.

Edible Flower Garden (anise hyssop, signet marigold, Johnny-jump-up, mixed nasturtiums, and garland chrysanthemum) Beautiful yet edible flowers that add a totally new dimension to the art of cooking. The use of flowers in the kitchen is not new but the interest in fresh grown food and unique flavors has sparked a resurgence of interest in this country. Edible flowers range in flavor from mild to piquant and can be used fresh or dried, raw or cooked. Guaranteed to spark interesting conversation at your dinner table!

Gourmet Salad Garden (spicy greens mix, all gourmet lettuce mix, deep purple bunching onions, pencil carrots and bite-sized tomatoes) All the parts necessary to create a delectable gourmet salad: assorted greens, bunch onions, carrots and tomatoes. Home-grown vegetables have a freshness and texture seldom found in commercial produce departments. These five salad vegetables were specifically selected for their superior flavor. Pocket Garden contains seeds, stakes, pencil and a cultivation/recipe booklet.

Herbal Tea Garden (lavender, anise, German chamomile, peppermint, and wild bergamot) A unique selection of the finest herbal teas ready to grow in your garden or window box . Growing herbs in your own garden will ensure that they are chemical-free and weed-free at harvest. Many of these herbs would also grow well indoors. Growing and tea infusion directions included. Pocket Garden also contains seeds, stakes, pencil, and a detailed booklet with growing information and tips.

Pocket Garden contains seeds, stakes, pencil and growing/recipe booklet.

ABOUT HERBS

GROWING HERBS IN A KITCHEN GARDEN:

If you love to cook, you need a kitchen garden with lots of fresh herbs to pick! Have one this summer, situated in a handy place not far from the stove. Nothing beats the flavor of fresh herbs!

Gardens of edible plants were planted and maintained in the earliest days of America. Thomas Jefferson’s gardens at Monticello are notable both for their design and their variety of vegetables and herbs. These types of gardens are often called "kitchen gardens" because of their convenient placement near the Colonial kitchen, which was usually in a separate small outbuilding (in case of a fire).

Your cooking garden, to start with, could contain a few basic herbs and salad greens. One easy way to create such a garden is to build a small raised square, using pressure-treated landscaping ties or the new recycled plastic ties. If you have an old sandbox, use that! Or make a free form or rectangular garden. Draw the shape on paper, and make a list of what you’d like to grow.

You don’t need a lot of herb plants for savory cooking additions -- just a sprig or two of fresh herbs lend a piquant flavor to your recipes. One to three plants of each will be plenty for a small family. If you like, include some bunching onions and lettuce in your Cooking Garden. All are easily grown from seeds! To plant, follow the easy directions provided on the seed packets.

CAN I GROW HERBS INDOORS IN WINTER?

Sure -- any time of year! We suggest especially parsley, chives, basil, sage, oregano and thyme, because the plants stay small. Plant seeds in 4 to 6 inch pots filled with growing medium, and place in a sunny window. Clip off small sprigs as needed. Plants will thrive for a year or more indoors; then replant. You can also grow herbs indoors under fluorescent lights. Herb plants MUST have bright light in order to produce flavorful sprigs.

IS SUMMER TOO LATE TO START AN HERB GARDEN?

No. Annual herbs such as basil and dill grow quickly in warm summer weather. You can also start any perennial herbs in summer, and you’ll still be able to harvest some this year. The next year, the plants will have grown into large clumps for harvesting from spring onwards. May through July is fine for planting annual herbs; June through August is fine for planting perennial herbs.