Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast My Raggedy Herbs

One of the things that makes Oklahomans uniquely different is our life experience with tornadoes. For those who live outside of “Tornado Alley,” they can be an unfamiliar and frightening weather phenomenon, but to those of us who have grown up with them and experienced their devastation, we understand firsthand that tornadoes are no joking […]

People have a deep affection for Mediterranean herbs. In fact, they LOVE them! There is an intense desire to grow them, handle them, cook and live with them and even bathe in them. If you ask a random person off the street to name a few herbs, lavender, rosemary or thyme are sure to be […]

Gardening is my unexplainable passion. The wonder, the progress, the miracle, the frustrations, the mystery, the weather, the diversity, the food, the work, the simplicity. It speaks to me on many levels and challenges me to always continue learning and improving. Herb gardening is especially fascinating. There are hundreds of herbs and I’m sure that […]

“What soil should I use to fill my containers and raised beds?” This is a question that I am asked almost daily during gardening season. But before addressing that, let’s discuss the beds and containers themselves. You may be thinking, “I’m not sure that I know what the difference is between the two.” The simple […]

March 20, 2021 is the spring equinox—the first day of spring. What a glorious time! My grandma used to say, “My favorite season is fall, but it’s closely followed by spring because I love it when the trees begin to put on their lacey, new leaves.” My grandma and I would often talk about the […]

Theme gardens are very popular. They are a tangible expression of someone’s passion or interest and are usually quite fascinating. While many people are motivated to create inviting hummingbird or butterfly gardens, others enjoy peaceful water gardens or playful children’s gardens. The options are endless. With some skill and determination, one can design an enjoyable […]

Whether you have a lot of space for gardening or are very limited, one way of improving your growing area is to go vertical. There are many reasons why vertical gardening is beneficial and why it is a great strategy to incorporate into your overall plan. Although you can use just about anything that is […]

Gardening can be quite overwhelming for beginners. For that matter, starting anything new can be intimidating. For each of us, there is a learning curve, and the best approach to take is to be an eager student. I know I can relate to what it’s like when a new task is set before me. It’s […]

Pandemics are tragic and bring with them much trial and grief. However, one of the good things that resulted from 2020 was the nationwide increase in people who are now cooking at home (Family meals shared around a dining room table feed much more than just our stomachs). In short order, food availability and security […]

Kids love gardening! It’s true. Anytime that I’ve had a child around while I’m doing anything garden-related, they cannot resist. Sitting on their knees with outstretched hands, they insist on “helping.” Their eyes light up, and everything is a wonder. Gardening is such a wholesome activity. There are so many teachable moments. All of the […]

Many years ago, my grandma planted several daffodil bulbs in her front yard. Each year in the spring, they are the very first pop of color that we see and are a welcome reminder of her. Even though she has been gone for a long time, our family gets an annual reminder of what she […]

This year for Christmas, my husband gave me the gift of time. He got me a pea sheller! I’m not talking about some little gadget that sits on your tabletop and you run a handful of peas through it, hoping that they come out without being smashed. When it was delivered, we were both surprised […]

Once I discovered my passion for herbs and gardening, I have never looked back!  For the past 23 years, I have been actively learning, practicing and living with a book (or computer screen) in one hand and a tool in the other. I am never bored or searching for something to do. If anything, I […]

A week ago, in our garden, we were pulling carrots. They are always a fun vegetable to harvest! We plant a lot of different crops and many of them are somewhat uneventful to bring in . . . but not carrots. They come with an element of surprise because you never know when you grasp […]

As our gardens lay under snowy blankets, much life still exists above in the trees. Deciduous trees have lost their leaves, but the rich colors of evergreens use this time to show off and stand stark against gray winter backdrops. December is the perfect time to provide for, protect and enjoy Oklahoma’s winter, wild birds. […]

The Thanksgiving meal is behind us, and Christmas is just a few short weeks before us. As the long stretch of winter is setting in, I like to use this time to begin planning my garden for the upcoming year. I’m sure that most of you have heard the old saying, “Failing to plan is […]

Most people think that their Grandma is the best, and I am no different! My Grandma was born in 1919, and spent her entire life caring for others. We were blessed to have her until she went home to Jesus at the blessed age of 98. She went to great lengths to ensure that our […]

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, one thing that we must recognize and voice thanks for is abundance. No doubt, 2020 has had its challenges, but so have other years throughout history.  As Americans, we have been tremendously blessed with abundance. My husband and I were talking the other day, and we both think […]

Did you know that Persimmon seeds are known for being able to predict the weather? Persimmon trees are unique and are native to Oklahoma. They are considered useful to those who wish to reduce water runoff in areas (they have a long taproot), provide shelter and food for wildlife, attract and support pollinators or diversify […]

Did you know that since 1992, April is recognized as Stress Awareness Month? “Stress” is one of those words like “tired” and “depressed” that are common descriptors but serious conditions and should be not be taken lightly. These are conditions that can be difficult to resolve since they are broad, and many times they are […]

I actually saw the sun peek out a little today. It was great! It was a warm reminder that gardening season is upon us, and it’s time to finalize our seed purchasing and make sure that we’re on track with everything that we have growing on our seed starting shelf. Over the winter, I purchased […]

Each time that I hear people make this statement I smile just a little: “I want to garden because growing my own food would be so much cheaper.” That can be a true statement, but in many cases you could have saved a boat-load of money by just buying it at the store. It seems […]

I love chickens! As a child growing up, my family didn’t raise them, so I was never exposed to them. However, in 1998, my husband and I decided to raise a few and as they say, the rest is history. Today, having a few token “yard birds” seems to be the trend, and from looking […]

One of the best things about fall is the heaping piles of fresh squash and pumpkins. In my younger days when I was a new wife and homemaker I wasn’t exactly sure how to cook either so I would turn to the canned versions. They were good but I always felt like the fresh ones […]

Fall is such a beautiful time of the year. Vibrant colors are everywhere and pumpkins abound! For those of us who have the privilege of living in a rural setting, it’s like God paints a masterpiece each day on the canvas of nature stretched out before us.  It’s unfortunate, but many people do not have […]

As anyone who works in a garden knows, it is very difficult to keep things well maintained without some good tools. When you’re facing a big job, you want and need good tools. There are so many options available today, and it seems like they literally have a gadget or tool for every job that […]

Fall is a great time to enjoy making garden projects that are on your wish list. Both functional and whimsical projects have their place, and making them can be fun family activities. It’s difficult for me to complete these type of projects during the spring and summer months because I am so busy harvesting, drying […]

Flowers are a special gift that God has given us. In Luke 12:27 we read, “ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.” The beauty of flowers bring a garden to life and offer color, fragrance […]

One of the challenges in edible gardening is dealing with shade. Finding just the right spot for your garden can be difficult. On the back of many seed packets there’s information that will tell you what the growing requirements are for that particular seed. Almost always, it indicates the required sun exposure. To clarify, sun […]

Have you ever known a really good storyteller? If so, you’ll never forget them! They speak words in a way that bring color into all of the black, white and gray images in our heads. Stories themselves are fundamental to human understanding and communication. They are how we engage with each other and how we […]

Several years ago, when I was working for the Department of Agriculture, I was visiting with the owner of a nursery who had a large greenhouse and grew plants to sell to the public. I asked him why he didn’t grow and sell cilantro since it seemed to be such a popular herb with Oklahomans. […]

It’s hard to explain how perfect something is when it’s ripe—not only in flavor but also in medicinal and nutritional value. Of these three elements we tend to focus the most on flavor and fail to consider all the benefits of fully ripen produce. Science shows that antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fats vary based upon […]

Summer mornings are a special time in the garden. I like to get out there a little before the sun is completely up and walk around before it gets too hot. Plants look different when they are not as hot. There’s dew on the ground and oftentimes on many of the plants. It always makes […]

Grapes are one of the most fun things to grow in a home garden. On a small scale, they are relatively easy to grow and maintain, and they produce fruit that is pleasing to people of all ages. I know our family enjoys watching the grapes form and develop, and they really love picking and […]

Keep good company People often ask me if companion planting is a real thing and does it work. My answer to that is yes and yes. The idea of companion planting is to strategically locate your crops for the purpose of increased pollination, pest management, maximizing space, creating host plants for beneficial insects and to […]

Few garden pests are hated as much as the common tomato hornworm!  These green-in-color caterpillars eventually turn into what is known as a hawk moth or sphinx moth and have white v-shaped markings and a distinct horn-like protrusion on their posterior ends. The adult forms can get very large, and they have the ability to […]

In most regions, vegetable gardening is cyclical and revolves around the changing of the seasons. The most common gardening season that people think of is the warm weather, summer garden. From this growing period comes many of the most popular fruits and vegetables that folks wait all year to enjoy, including vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet watermelons […]

In gardening, trial and error is to be expected. Each year, I try to plant a couple of new things just to see how they grow, what affects them and to taste their deliciousness.  I’ve been gardening most of my life, but I continue to be amazed at how much there is to learn. I […]

As a horticultural and agricultural consultant, I field a variety of questions, and it’s fair to say that many of them I don’t know how to answer. If you have spent any time at all working in your yard or garden then you know that questions upon questions arise. What is that bug? Why is […]

One of the things that I love most about gardening is getting to eat and drink through the seasons. I can almost hear you saying right now, “There is nothing like a homegrown tomato!”  If you compare a vine-ripened tomato to one that you purchase in a supermarket there is no comparison. It wasn’t until […]

My grandma was born in 1919, and was raised in a very rural setting. It’s from her that I learned a lot of what I know about growing food, food preservation, herbs and life. One day, when she was in her late 90s, we were discussing organic gardening. We often discussed gardening, but this turned […]

It’s unfortunate that today, the practice of “herbalism” is more often than not intertwined with ungodliness. Herbalism becomes spiritualism and many times crosses lines that God’s Word tells us not to cross. Like many facets of life, people take something that God made—something He even intended for our good—and they corrupt it with evil. James […]

When I first started gardening, my focus was strictly on the plants that I was growing. I worked very hard to grow healthy plants that were free from pests and diseases and that would produce a good yield. I planted, watered, fertilized, supported, trellised and did everything that I knew to do to make sure […]

As a master gardener, one of the most common gardening mistakes that I see occurs each year in the spring.  People are tired of the cold winter weather and are tired of being cooped up. They’ve started receiving annual seed catalogs in the mail that are filled with beautiful pictures and promising plants and are […]

I grew up hating tea! The only kind that was ever around was Lipton, and nothing about it appealed to me. Even when it was infused with an obscene amount of sugar I thought it tasted terrible. As a young adult I began to hear about all of the health benefits of green tea and […]

I went to college with a friend whose dad would do something every time we went to his house that would forever change my life. Upon hearing us come, he would immediately stop whatever he was doing and walk over and turn off the television. He would then invite us to sit down at the […]

According to a study that was conducted by Microsoft in 2019, the average human now has an attention span of eight seconds. This is a sharp decrease from the average attention span of 12 seconds in the year 2000. WOW! Eight whole seconds! We are a nation of fast-paced sound bites, high-tech videos and personalized marketing. We […]

I grew up in a rural setting where my parents always had a big vegetable garden and our neighbors had an orchard, so it’s surprising to me the number of people that are unaware of where their food comes from. According to the American Farm Bureau, “The average American is now at least three generations […]

Freedom is a precious thing. Have you ever thought about this, “How free are you if you don’t have the ability to provide food for yourself?” We discover very quickly that we are not so free when we’re hungry and can’t provide food for ourselves. We don’t know where our food comes from, and we […]