OVERVIEW
There are few things in life as good as your own herb, grown by yourself at home out in thegarden and indoors in pots... Oregano, Dill, Basil, Sage and other herbs are all easy to grow.Mint will take over the whole yard if you let it. Fresh mint and cilantro are incredible insalads and oriental dishes. But it all comes down to a truly motivational herb that is your friend and mine, a great healer and teacher to those that know it well.Most people think of gardens as a seasonal, yearly project, but it's actually less timeconsuming and more rewarding to keep the garden going year round. If one were to attempt togrow year round, indoor gardening techniques will be needed at least during winter to keepthe garden producing. You will have herb fresh at all times, there is no worry of mass storagethrough the winter and spring, it requires less space, and once established, requires onlyminimal attention every week to keep it producing at optimal levels.The best part of being a gardener is it connects you to the earth. It connects you with nature,and is spiritually enriching. Try giving your plants energy by beaming good thoughts andenergy at them every time you visit them. I find this helps me as much as it helps them; my plants seem to respond to it favorably.
GENETICS AND THE PLANT
It's very important to start with good genetics. You should attempt to find seeds from localgardeners that are acclimated and bred for local climate and best floral characteristics.Potency, aroma, fast growth, early maturation, resistance to fungus and pests. All of thesefactors are considered by the seasoned gardener and you will benefit enormously by finding afriend to get you started on the journey that never ends...Attempt to find an Indica/Sativa hybrid if possible, as this will have the best high and goodcharacteristics for indoor growth as well. Indica plants have a heavy, stony high that istiresome, and sativas' are hard to grow indoors due to high light requirements, and lateflowering traits, so a hybrid can be bread that will have the energetic, cerebral high of thesativa and the early maturation tendencies of the Indica plant.The Indica plant is easily recognized by its extremely broad leaves that are very rounded onthe sides. The Sativa has very narrow, finger-like leaves. A hybrid will have qualities of bothand have leaves that are a cross of these two types, thinner than an Indica, but much broader than a Sativa. It is possible to recognize a good hybrid by the leaves once you know what tolook for.Look for seeds that are dark brown or light grey. Some may have dark lines inset into thesecolors, like tiger stripes. White, small seeds are immature and should not be planted.
INDOORS & OUTDOORS - CONSTANT HARVEST STRATEGY
One of the best solutions to energy verses output for most home gardeners is to use outdoor light for flowering and use continuous light indoors for germination and vegetative growth.This will take advantage of the natural light/dark cycle and cut your energy use in half compared to the same operation indoors. A small greenhouse can be built of Filon fiberglassor PVC sheets that is innocuous and looks much like a storage shed or tool shed so it's notlikely to raise suspicions.In fact, a large shed of metal or plywood can be modified with a luminous roof of PVC, glass,fiberglass or plastic sheet, and some strains that do not require a great deal of light will growwell. Such a shed will discourage fly-by sightings and keep your business your own! It alsoallows you to keep out rats and gophers, keeps out the neighbor kids, and can be easily lockedup. It will also give you an opportunity to actually plant in the ground if you desire, and this isthe best way to avoid root-bound plants (if your not using hydroponics), and get bigger harvests.In winter, indoor space is used to start new seedlings or cuttings to be placed outside in thespring, using natural sunlight to ripen the plants. This routine will provide at least 3outdoor/greenhouse harvests per year. If more space is available to constantly be starting
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