Bonnie Dehn is a fourth-generation farmer who grows herbs using organic methods. She and her husband started their farm 20 years ago with five acres and have steadily increased the acreage. They now have more than 100 acres and 60,000 square feet of greenhouse space. She grows all her herbs in sterilized soil mix. The soil is baked in an electric oven at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 6 hours. You can sterilize your own soil at home, but the odor is strong and lingering. The sterilization process kills insect larvae and eggs, fungus spores and weed seeds. To make your own potting mix, mix together the following:
3 parts sterilized garden soil
1 part sphagnum moss
1 handful perlite
1 handful vermiculite (perlite and vermiculite improve the soil's drainage and texture)
Beneficial insects are the pest-control method of choice at the Dehn farm. Keeping ladybugs around the greenhouse helps Bonnie avoid using pesticides on her edible crops. Place a piece of a Tootsie Roll candy on the soil in potted plants to keep the ladybugs happy. Using yellow sticky traps is another effective way to control pests indoors. Make your own by coating yellow paper with honey, or use a commercial product called Tanglefoot. Either sticky substance will trap insects that are attracted to the yellow color. Strawberry-jar planters make wonderful containers for an herb collection (figure A). Turn the jar frequently so all the herbs receive an equal amount of light. Here's how to plant one of your own. - Cover the drainage hole of an empty planter with a piece of plastic screen or pottery shards to prevent soil from washing out.
- Place 2" to 3" of soil in the bottom of the jar.
- Slide the plant in the top of the planter, and push the foliage out through one of the side pockets.
- Leave the roots sitting on the soil in the bottom of the container.
- Fill the pot to the next level with soil, and add the next plant, continuing until all of the openings have been planted.
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