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How to Grow
Growing rosemary is actually quite simple. It can be grown indoors in containers or outside in an herb garden. Like many other herbs, it enjoys a lot of sun and heat, neither of which we seem to have a shortage of here in the Piedmont of North Carolina. To have rosemary success, be sure your plant is getting a minimum of five hours of direct sun, more is just fine. In the house, a south or south west-facing window or sunroom is ideal.
Next, be sure your rosemary gets planted in an area that has well drained soil. Often times we find a high amount of clay and sandy soils in our area. Amending the soil with a soil conditioner will add beneficial micronutrients that will help the plant grow and allow water to drain more properly. If you have clay soil, adding a gravel product such as Perma-Til will greatly increase the drainage efficiency of your planted area. Remember, these plants are from a very drought dominated region and do not like wet feet all the time. Having said that, it is important to keep in mind when first planting your rosemary it needs to be well watered for the first several weeks to ensure the roots establish properly.
Harvesting
Once your rosemary is planted and has been established for awhile, you can enjoy the pleasures of harvesting. A sharp knife or shears are sufficient tools for the task at hand. Keep in mind, when trimming rosemary there is really no wrong way to do it. Feel free to harvest from the bottom or the top of the plant. You can cut the stems to whatever length you see fit, but try to not cut more than one fourth of the stems at once. Doing so could stress the plant to the point that it may have difficulty establishing new growth.
Preserving
Now the fun part, preserving. There are a number of ways to preserve rosemary, some of which are basic and simple while others offer a more arts and crafts sort of feel. One easy method is to simply remove the needles from the stem, place them on a napkin, and allow them to air dry on a warm day. Try to pick a day that is not very humid for best results. Once dried, the rosemary can be stored in a jar and is ready to use in almost any holiday dish.
Another fun project is to make a culinary rosemary vinegar that can be both functional and decorative. All you need is a sprig of rosemary, your favorite vinegar and a neat glass container that you can either put a cork or screw on top to seal in the flavors. Wine bottles work great, but there are a vast number of decorative glass containers on the market that vary in size and shape that work fine as well. Simply fill your glass container with vinegar, choose what size rosemary sprig you feel looks appropriate and place it the way you think looks best. Then simply place the cork or screw on top. I’ve given many of these as gifts for the holidays. You can even go one step further and embellish your container with ribbon.
Rosemary is an herb that can be appreciated and enjoyed year round, so this holiday season let Fairview assist you with your rosemary growing experience.
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