Friday, December 4, 2009

Organic Herb Seeds

Organic herb seeds are herb seeds that are or were harvested or taken from an organically grown herb plant. When an herb plant is organically grown, it means it is grown naturally or without any commercial chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers used in the growth and cultivation process of the plant. Organically grown herb plants are generally healthier for eating because they have less chemicals than that of other plants that were treated during the growth process. Having less chemicals in your herbs means less chemicals in your food, which is believed to promote good health and lessen medical problems.

Before planting organic herb seeds, you need a general understanding of what a seed is. The seed of any plant is essentially what contains the plant's DNA. Seeds have in them everything needed to start a new plant. Organic seeds are especially important because they contain the blueprint and the legacy of an organic plant, which means that the plant that will grow from the organic seed is going to be just as good as the first plant, possibly better, and will remain organic for as long as the new plant is not treated with any chemicals during its growth process. Organic herb seeds are very easy to plant, and will start their lives either inside or outside depending on the type of herb. After a three to six week germination period, the organic herb seeds will begin to sprout. After another week or so, you may transplant the plant if it was initially grown in a container.

Herb plants grown from organic herb seeds, and are maintained as organic herb plants taste good and are healthier than most commercial herbs. During their growth period, these herbs can be harvested for eating or seasoning food. Once an herb plant begins to flower, however the leaves lose its flavor, and sometimes may have a bitter taste. This is because the plant is focusing its strengths on flowering and creating new seeds. If you want to continue harvesting from your plant, you can nip the flowers at the buds. This will not change the flavor of the herb. Some herbs are used for their flowers though, and this may be what you've been waiting for in order to taste this herb. If that's the case, allow your plant to flower.

Another reason to let the flowers grow is if you want to harvest your very own organic herb seeds. Seeds fertilized in the flower, and once a flower has reached the end of its life, it's petals will fall and the seeds or seed pods will be revealed. Watch out for this closely because sometimes seeds drop or blow away in the wind as a natural form of pollination. To harvest your own organic herb seeds, allow the petals to fall, then carefully nip the branch that contains the flower. Shake this gently over a piece of paper and allow the seeds to fall onto the page. For larger seeds, you may collect them with your fingers, just be sure not to crush them. Dry your organic herb seeds out in the sun. Make sure they are completely dry before storing them away, and readying them for next planting season!

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mitch_Garner

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