Blowing Sprouts

I normally grow Brussels Sprouts. Because I like them and are very much into winter veg.

In my view nothing like  a row of Brussels Sprouts in my Winter garden.

This year they looked happy and were growing strong until about a month ago when the ‘buds’ started to appear. 

Not tight little round balls ready for harvest but mini-cabbages glued to the side of the stalk.

This is called ‘blowing out’. Instead of staying compacted the sprouts open up like, well like ermm.. 

 This is not what I expected to see. So why did this happen? 

Is my soil not right? Did I plant them too close together? Should I have fertilised them? What?

There could be a few reasons.

Soil too Loose

I suspect the main reason is that I didn’t firm them in hard enough.

 Brussels, like Cauliflowers like to be snug so the soil needs to be firmed before planting and pushed in (with your foot) all around the plant.

I confess I didn’t do that. Brussels Sprouts get quite tall and when they rock in the wind their roots can snap resulting in ‘blowing out’.

Soil Too Acidic

Brussels Sprouts (like many Brassicas) will fail if the soil is too acidic. I am aiming for a pH of 6.5-7.5 so lime the soil to correct it. 

So… you live and you learn. That’s what I love about vegetable growing. And, armed with this kind of knowledge, there’s always next year!

Johnson

I hope that after a rather nasty election campaign, on all sides, and years of parliamentary deadlock, we can all start to heal wounds and get back to some kind of normality. Whatever that is!

Yes, I would say that whichever party had won.

Politics, both here and abroad, has become vicious.

 So it is my hope that a calmer, more consensual form of politics can emerge now.

I call for more cross-party discussions and less cross-burning demonisation.

Bolting in Vegetables

Bolting in vegetables 

Bolting is the term applied to vegetable crops when they prematurely run to seed, usually making them unusable. A cold spell or changes in day length initiates this behaviour. It can affect a wide range of vegetables including lettuce, spinach and fennel.

Quick facts

Common name Bolting

Plants affected Annual vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and biennial vegetables that as onions, leeks, carrots, fennel and some of the cabbage family

Main causes Cold spells, changes in day length, prolonged dry periods

Timing Usually seen on crops which are approaching maturity 

Cause

Bolting is triggered either by cold spells or by the changes in day length through the seasons. Although bolting is only seen on crops approaching maturity, it is initiated much earlier.

Annual crops will flower naturally in the first year, whereas biennials do not usually flower until the second. In annual crops, bolting occurs before they are ready to gather and, in biennials, when an over-wintering organ (carrot roots for example) flowers before the winter.

Annual crops

Annual crops sensitive to photoperiod (how many hours of daylight received) include lettuce, some radish cultivars and spinach. They are long-day plants, which initiate flowers when day length increases. It is a natural progression for spring-sown annuals to run to seed as summer progresses, but this can happen prematurely under the influence of stress or day-length.

Biennial crops

Some biennial crops (which grow in the first year, flower in the second) such as onions, leeks, carrot and beetroot can initiate flowers in the first year. This is due to unsettled weather conditions early in the season and usually occurs after a prolonged cold spell, often during the propagation phase. Cold nights, hot days and late frosts may also contribute to premature initiation of flowering.

Control

Sowing times

With cold-sensitive plants, sowings can be delayed until temperatures are more stable. This strategy is advisable for endive and Swiss chard 

Alternatively, for early crops of vegetables such as onions, beetroot and kohl rabi, plants can be raised in modules in a greenhouse and planted out when temperatures are warmer, or they can be directly sown under cloches or horticultural fleece to provide additional warmth 

Spring cabbages, which are always quick to bolt in spring, should be sown around 20 July (one week earlier in the north and one week later in the south). Although such crops will still run to seed in spring, they will bolt later than crops sown earlier, while later-sown crops may be too small to survive winter 

Successional sowings will also help to achieve a constant harvestable supply if the season is changeable 

To prevent bolting in Chinese cabbage and other oriental brassicas, these crops should be sown from July onwards 

Vegetables such as radicchio, Florence fennel, and oriental greens bolt when the nights become warm – on average above 10-13°C (50-55°F)

Soil conditions

Annuals will inevitably flower but good growing conditions will encourage rapid growth and formation of a usable portion (lettuce hearts, for example) and so an adequate crop should develop before flower production  

Dry soil can also encourage bolting, particularly with cauliflower, rocket and spinach. Careful watering can avoid this 

For over-wintered onions, bolting can be suppressed by topdressing with 70-100g per sq m (2-3oz per sq yd) of nitrogen rich fertiliser in January

‘Bolt-resistant’ cultivars

Gardeners can grow specially-bred cultivars that are resistant to bolting, such as ‘Boltardy’ beetroot. These are useful for early sowings of annuals, such as spinach, and for sowings of biennials such as onions, carrots and turnips in autumn or early spring 

Red onions seem to be more prone to bolting than white or brown types, so home trials are worthwhile. If bolting in onions is a recurring problem, plant heat-treated sets in early spring (exposure to high temperatures suppresses flower-bud formation) 

Florence fennel is particularly prone to bolting so try AGM winners such as ‘Amigo’, ‘Victorio’ and ‘Pronto’ F1 and sow in mid-summer

In other words:

The only thing under your control in the garden is not the weather, or the soil, or the pest, it is how hard you work.

In other words, if you really buckle down today and do your intelligence, the planing , and the execution a hundred per cent then you are bound to prevail.

Now is the time to really tidy up after last season and get ready for tomorrow.

The winter time is also a good time to get rid of rats. The are hungry and will easily take bait on a trap. I caught four yesterday, making a total of 78 caught since 1/1/'19.  

best allotment in Oxford.

I have won the cup for the best allotment in Oxford...........a lot of hard work

Go Garden

Feel stressed out....go  garden

How to be the best

Successful growers  are continual learners.

Garlic

I have spent quite a lot of my time watering since July. Plants a made of water and if they not get enough they will not thrive.

Here we are at the end of September and all my plants are doing well and I up full up without a bare patch of land. I expect to be able to eat food from my plot till next March and beyond.

All due to watering when there is no rain.

Now is the time to be putting your garlic in. Do make sure that your bury the bulb at least three inches in the soil.

Rat traps

The Bain of my life down on the alottment is rats. So far this year I have caught 47, however last year I bought 53, which is just one one per week.

It makes you wonder how many of the best that there are around! I use traps batted with peanut butter.

I have five traps that I set every night. I have sometimes caught two in one night...never three, which bugs me...One night maybe.

We had a frost last night here in the UK...Bit early I think.

Kale

Kale. Often is the forgotten crop, however not by me. Kale is one that is increasing in popularity this is because of its nutritional properties.

 Kale( which is also known as borecole) can stand very cold  weather much better than most other brassicas.

Kale  is also  relatively free of pests and diseases, however it should be netted against birds because Kale is around when there is very little else and they really go fo it.

It is not too late to put this in.....I found some in my local garden centre, bout them and put them in yesterday.

Winter veg

Time to plant out your winter veg.

Kale......cabbage.......chard......spinage

Kale

TLC your tomatoes

 Time to clean up your strawberries patch

Keep weeding and watch for bugs

Kale should be in your garden all the year round  Kale is very easy to grow for for harvest for all the year round, even in the winter. 

Sow winter kale in August. I sow them in pots and then put them in my polly tunnel after my tomatoes come out.

Sow from March onwards, for you summer crop. 

As the seeds are small, I always sow into a seed tray first, then prick out into cell trays or pots ready for planting out.

This will give you an assurance of a good strong plant. 

Plant them  deep into fertile soil and firming in well will give the plants a good anchor. This will helps them from rocking in the wind.

Once mature, kale is one of the hardiest of all the veg. It will tolerate temperatures down to -10º.

One of the main things that I like about Kale is that it is rarely trouble by slugs or caterpillars.

However, like all plants, during the early stages of its life Kale will need some protection with horticultural fleece to get it off to a good start.

Kale grows well in the under cover over winter as well, this will give  a much more tender and sweet crop than that grown outside. 

The kale grown outside in the winter, albeit slowly through the depths, but as soon as the soil starts to warm in spring it will start growing on, filling the hungry gap with delicious, nutrient packed leaves. 

I would suggest a cut-and-come-again picking technique as this will prolong the production of each plant. I just remove the lowest leaves allowing the new growth to grow on.

Try Westland Winter for a solid winter crop. Red Russian for the greenhouse and summer cropping and Dazzling Blue for its colourful beauty.

Kale is versatile in the kitchen - I make smoothers  adding spices like ginger or mint to give it taste. 

JANUARY 9, 2019

Cucumbers in pots

Cucumbers in pots

Cucumbers growing in pots speedily fill the soil with roots, and when this happens, the plants stop being prolific. Now is the time to give them a new lease of life by giving them a top dressing . Thin out the leaves a bit and cut off dead ones.

Grape Vines and Peach prefer a one a week soak rather than a daily dip watering. They like to dry out from time to time.

Keep hoeing and loosing the soil.

Tomatoes in pots

Tomatoes in pots

Twenty-seventh Week: July

If your tomatoes plants are grown in a glasshouse in pots, frequent watering has the effect of exposing the topmost roots. The best way of covering them again is now to give them a top dressing of loamy soil and manure.. Make sure that the top soil is moist when this is done.

Your early potatoes should now be ready for harvesting. If you want to save seeds for next year; then pick out the best from the heaviest yielding plant.

The growth of runner beans, peas and newly planted fruit trees will be immensely encouraged if the rooting surface is lightly covered with strawy litter now. Doing so will break the rays of the sun and stop the soil drying out.

Winter Greens:

Winter Greens: 

Continue to plant out Winter Greens, always affording Brussels sprouts and Winter Broccoli separate sites and at least thirty inches apart each way between plants. On the other hand, Kales and Sprouting Broccoli may well be accommodated between rows of second early Potatoes.

 If your Fruit trees are troubled by ants. Paint a think line of Stock-Home tar round the lower trunk to prevent them climbing into the tree.   

  

If it is damp in your area and snails are a problem, here is what you can do: Snails are particularly fond of bran ; if a little 

is spread on the ground, and covered over with a few cabbage leaves or tiles, they will gather under them in great numbers, and by looking at your trap every morning, and destroying them, the numbers will be greatly reduced.

Stop cutting Asparagus.

Stop cutting Asparagus.

Those who continue to cut Asparagus after this date will be seriously weakening the crowns, and will not help next years crop. Weed the bed thoroughly, and if you have light soil give a top dressing of feed to help the grow strong again.

Although it is too early to practice ordinary summer pruning, it will help to shorten side growths of Sweet Cherries growing on walls to within five leaves of their bases. By doing this many aphis are removed, and sun and air can get among the ripening fruit.

Tomatoes plants must be restricted to one main shoot by the removal of all side shoots. This should be done every week to stop the side shoots growing to big and taking over the main plant.

American Blight:

Strawberry Plants.

If it is your intended to work up a stock of Strawberry plants for forcing purpose, it is not too early to start layering the runners. To receive the layers, fill small pots with good soil and arrange them in colonies around the selected plants. Do not layer more than three runners from any one plant, to encourage quick rooting, also do not forget to water them from time to time.

We can assume risk of frost has passed, and so you  can plant out tender vegetables like courgettes , squash and sweet corn.

Keep looking after your Tomatoes. Now is the  time to plant tomatoes outside if you have not done that already.To get them ready to maximise their fruit you must pinch out  new side shoots to help direct the plants energy into fruit growing on the main stem and  do tie up your plants onto canes as your plants will grow to about six foot and can get very heavy with fruit.

American Blight:

American Blight, know as Woolly Aphis, because of it’s snowy covering—- is easily distinguished on young fruit trees this time of year, and if a little patience is exercised many of the pest can be got rid of. By just lightly painting them with a brush that has been dipped in methylated spirits, their demise can be brought about.

It is  time to earth up your main crop potatoes. Before doing this, reduce the soil to a fine tilth by hoeing. A light dressing may also be given on poor soil. I use dried chicken manure fo this job. 

  This is the time of Year when ants might beginning to become a pest. Here are some old man ideas of how to get rid of them:

Lime-water poured freely into the nests and burrows will cause them to move house if it does not kill them outright.

The most effectual remedy is to mix arsenic into a solution of sugar and water, which they will devour greedily, but care must be taken 

that no other animal gets to it. Cover the saucer with a slate, and a stone on the top of it, having a couple of pegs between the saucer and slate, to let the ants in freely.

Boiling water poured on the nests, is another remedy; if the nest be in a pot amongst the roots of a plant, the best way is to immerse the pot and plant in water for five or six hours, in which time the ants will be drowned, and their eggs destroyed. 

Another effect way is, to pour over the nest at night, a strong decoction of elder leaves. 

To trap them, smear the inside of a garden pot with 

honey, invert it over the nest, they will get stuck in the honey and if you use a big enough pot you may well get the whole nest trapped.

Peaches and Nectarines:

Peaches and Nectarines: 

Twenty-fourth week: June

Peaches and Nectarines growing on outside walls will at this time of the year require constant attention. There will be a certain amount of disbudding practised, and it is very important to keep the young growths neatly tied in. Evening spraying with clear water after hot days will keep red spider away.

Make successional of Lettuce and sowing Endive to give you autumn salads.

Tomatoes growing in the open or inside must be restricted to one stem by the constant removal of side shoots.

Runner Beans:

Runner Beans:

Those who followed the advice to make a sowing of Runner Beans under cover may now safely place the resultant seedlings in permanent position now. Choose a deeply dug and well manured site, and protect the plants by staking them immediately. Also make another sowing of Runner Beans to provide later pods.

Hoe your rows  regularly to keep down weeds.  

Pinch out side-shoots on tomatoes. When ever they appear.

New Zealand Spinach

New Zealand Spinach

Twenty third week: June.

New Zealand Spinach is exceptionally useful on light soils where the normal summer type is so prone to run to seed. If you have raised , they may now be planted out at two feet apart each way. The reason for this is that the plant has a trailing habit. Seeds may also be sown in the open now.

Gooseberry bushes are often affected with caterpillars at this time of year, and if the pest are allowed to remain undisturbed, defoliation of the attacked bushes will speedily result. Forceful spraying wit clear water in the early morning will dislodge the pest, and the ground beneath the bushes may then be dusted with lime and old soot.

If it is necessary to thin Onions, do the work very carefully, with a view to avoiding undue disturbance of the seedlings. There is no doubt that carless thinning brings about an attack of Onion-fly. After thinning it is a good idea to run the hoe through the rows.

Indoor Strawberries

Indoor Strawberries

Twenty-Second Week : May June.

Now is the time to bring your strawberry plants that have fruited in pot in your glasshouse, outside.

Melon plants in bloom will require some assistance in the important matter of pollination. You can do this by selecting male flowers, stripping them of petals, and then thrusting the exposed stigmas into the centres of the female flowers. Do this at noon on a sunny day.

If you have a pond, you will find that as the weather gets warmer, algae will grow on the surface. Keep this clear by sieving out. Also remove decaying leaves from water lilies. 

Asparagus Beds

Asparagus Beds

Twenty-Second Week : May June

The Asparagus bed should be free from weeds at all times, and a light dressing of feed would increase harvest. 

Go and hoe your beds because this promotes growth as well as keeping the weeds away.

If you have Tomatoes for growing out doors, now is the time to bring them out of the glasshouse to harden them off.

Vines under glass:

Vines under glass:

Vines growing under glass will require constant attention at this time of year. Tie the shoots down to the supporting wire. When the bunch of Grapes appear, pinch out the point of the shoot carrying it at about two leaves beyond the bunch 

Sow beets, carrots, lettuce, and radishes 

Plant herbs like as thyme, sage, parsley, chives and basil 

Transplants plants can become less stressed if you put them out on a cloudy, calm day. Unfortunately,  many gardeners may need to transplant  only when they have the time, regardless of the weather. Strong sun and wind can be hard on new transplants, so to over come this, set out plants in the late afternoon when the wind comes down and the plants have overnight to acclimate. Giving shade and wind protection with berry baskets, small crates, or screens will help. Mulching helps since it lowers the rate at which water evaporates from the soil and controls the soil temperature. 

Vegetable Marrows

Vegetable Marrows

Twenty-First Week:  May.

Continue to earth up your Potatoes as the plants attain a height of four to five inches and bring the soil up to a fine point.

Vegetable Marrows, Ridge Cucumbers and Runner Beans that are raised under glass may now be planted in the open. Plant the the Ridge Cucumbers that been prepared by taking out a trench about eighteen inches deep and placing some rotted manure in the bottom. Stations may be prepared for Vegetable Marrows in a similar manor.

Brussels sprouts are now big enough for planting in their permanent positions. Plant them on firm ground and allow the seedlings two feet apart each way. It is a good idea to sow Radish in the intervening space.

Plant out Celery.

Plant out Celery.

 Twenty-eight week July:

Now is the time to plant out your winter Celery. I will tell you a little secret: give them as much water as possible, they love it.

Do not let your Rhubarb go to seed; make sure you cut off the flowering stem before it happens. The reason is that if the plant goes to seed it will suck all the life out of the plant and it will not give you much fruit next year.

Time to prune your red and white currents. Cut back all the side growth to within five leaves of their bases.

Earthing up Potatoes

Earthing up Potatoes

• Continue earthing up potatoes and make sure they are kept damp 
• Keep a look out for  asparagus spears when they are no more than 18 cm tall.
• Thin out direct-sown vegetables such as spinach, carrot and lettuce seedlings, then water the rows well.
• Harden off outdoor tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins for planting early next month.
• Protect carrots from carrot fly by covering with fleece or some such.

Celery Plants Out

Celery Plants Out

Twentieth Week: May

It is time for early celery plants to be planted out.

Sow main crop of beet now. Sow them in drills fifteen inches asunder and one inch deep. Birds are very fond of beet seeds, so it is best to net them.

Hoe,hoe, hoe. 

Sow your Marrow

Nineteenth week: May

Sow your Marrow seeds now.

Early potatoes are now in varying stages of growth, and sow could do with a light dressing of feed now.

It is now safe to make a sowing of runner beans.

Outdoor Tomatoes

If you have tomatoes for outdoor growing, now is a good time to put them in a cold frame for hardening off.

Spread straw under your strawberries and give them a light dressing of feed.

Always run a how through your beds to keep the weeds down and watch out for bugs and deal with them.

Supply of Lettuce

Supply Of Lettuce

Eighteenth Week: April-May

To maintain a steady supple of lettuce, sow so more now.

• Prick out seedlings into pots or modules for growing on as soon as they have their first true leaves.
• • Start to sow tomatoes indoors this week, ready to plant out after all risk of frost has passed. If you're struggling for growing space buy ready-grown tomatoes plants. 

• • Sow aubergine seeds under glass now for your greenhouse or growing outdoors later on.

Just prior to staking your peas, it is a good idea to earth the plants, because the soil will drawn up to the stems not only acts mulching, but renders the insertion of the stakes easier.

Make another sowing of melons now.

Dogwood

Cutting Back. Dogwood should be cut back every two to three years to encourage vigorous growth...

After being left for about six weeks to regain their energy, spring bulbs can be dead-headed when the leaves starts to turn yellow, removing the stem at the base. It is a good idea to remember in the autumn to extend the display by choosing varieties with different flowering times.

If not already done, now is the time to plant out your sweet peas in a shelter spot.

Runner Beans

Seventeenth Week: April.

This is the week to start making sowings of Runner Beans. Fill fairly deep boxes with good soil and sow the seeds one inch deep, allowing them to germinate in the cool green house or cold frame.

In cold districts the main sowing of Long Beet may be made now, however in the South of England it would be as well to defer sowing until the middle of May, because if seeds are sown too early the resultant roots become large, coarse, of poor colour, and of indifferent flavour.

Planting And Protecting. Garlic, shallots, onions can all be planted.   

Last day for Potatoes

Sixteenth Week: April.

The planting of second-early Potatoes should now be done, and in most districts it will be safe to commit tubers of main-crop varieties to the soil. 

It is now time to make another sowing of Winter Greens, such as Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, Kales and the like. Your hoe is your best tool this time of year, the more you use it the better your crops will grow and the less weeds and bugs you will have to deal with.

Now is the time to start making sowings of Dwarf Beans, and if space is a problem you can sow the beans between rows of tall growing peas.

To have Peas for late July and August use, make sowings now. Deeply dug sow that is well manured suits this crop well.

Make sure that you keep your Asparagus beds are free of weeds because this crop will not tolerate weeds. Give the bed a light dressing of some feed.

Prune your Hybrid Tea

Fifteenth Week: April

Time to prune your Hybrid Tea Rose and fork in some muck around the roots.

Fine time to sow stump-rooted carrots.

Hoe along the rows of everything and sow your last Broad Beans for this season.

Stake all standard and half-standard newly planted fruit trees.

When seedling Onions become visible, encourage quicker growth by running the hoe between rows and removing by hand any weeds which may have shown themselves in the rows among the seedlings. Similar attention must be paid to seedlings of other vegetables, and it must not be forgotten that a dusting of old soot promote healthy and rapid growth.

Asparagus from seed:

If you wish to sow Asparagus from seed: now is the time, however be aware that it is a long process before you can harvest any. Two years at least.

Those who sow dwarf Beans now must be prepared for disappointment in the event of a late frost, but experience proves that it pays to make an experimental sowing during this week.Choose a shelter spot and sow the seeds in drills two feet apart, allowing six inches from seed to seed in the row.

I am cutting my Asparagus now. The earliest I have every done it.

Plant Potatoes

Fourteenth Week:   April

Plant potatoes if your soil is dry enough. On heavy soils it is a good idea to strew a little leaf mould along the bace of the drill.

This is a good time for clipping Box or Hollies along your garden path.

Look to your lawn; time now to give it a good rake and weed and feed.

Onion Seedlings

Onion seedlings resulting from an August sowing in the open should be transferred to their growing patch without further delay.

The grafting of old fruit trees may be done now. Make a two inch slit in the old bark to receive the young scions, which should be from twelve to fifteen inches in length. A the base of each scion make a sloping cut, and place this against the old wood. Tie the scions firmly in, and exclude air by using a mixture of clay and cow manure.

Tidy up the beds and hoe where you can. 

What to do this week on the allotment

Thirteenth week: March    

If you not already done so, now is the time to make a sowing of celery. Sow in a box of fine soil, taking care to spread thinly. Keep in a green house and remember that Celery should never be allowed to dry out.

Among the many vegetables that can be planted this week are: Asparagus, onion sets and it is not too late to plant Rhubarb.

If you have spring cabbage in the ground now, it is a good idea to stimulate their growth by hoeing between the rows when ever the state of the soil will permit.

Twelfth Week : March

Vegetable Marrow seeds can now be sown in mild heat and slowly harden off to put put out when the last frost has gone in early May.

Autumn struck cutting of hardy flowering plant can be put out now in their summer beds.

At this time of year “ big Buds” on Black Currant bushes are easily seen. Pick them off and burn them, you will save your self a lot of trouble later on in the year is done now.

Violets that have been wintered in a cold frame may be lifted and transplanted now.

Peas, that have been raised under glass, may now be planted out in a sheltered boarder. Make sure you have staked out the young plants.

If you grow sweet peas, you should now put them out in a cold frame to get them hardy to plant out in April. 

What to do in the 11th week: March

11th week:  March:

Autumn fruiting raspberries, such as Autumn Bless, should be pruned now. Remember  that this type of plant fruits on the old wood, therefor you must cut down to an inch above the soil and give an feed of muck.

Potatoes should be planted on Good Friday, however, since Good Friday is so late this year (21st April) it is  good to perhaps make a start now.Allow two feet between the row and ten inches between in the row.

It is time for half-hardy annuals such as Asters to go in.

Rose pruning is another job for this time of year as well as forking in a good dose of decayed manure.

If you like a Melon seeds may now be sown, along with Cumbers an Tomatoes. They must be kept in a temperature of 60 degrees.

Make a sowing of  Turnips and summer Spinach, also Turnip-rooted Beet for sue in summer salads. Do keep in mind that is not easy to grow good Turnips unless the soil has been worked to a very fine state.

Herbal First Aid Kit

Herbal First Aid Kit

When we consider putting together a first aid kit, most of us will assemble the usual over-the-counter products such as insect repellent, pain relief, stomach upset treatments etc. However, herbs have been used for centuries to treat an enormous variety of ailments and their importance for healing should not be forgotten.

Many herbal remedies have seen a resurgence in recent years as people are looking for natural remedies, especially for minor ailments. Herbs such as Lavender, Chamomile and Peppermint are now frequently used medicinally to treat conditions such as insomnia, indigestion and stress. Many herbs and herbal remedies are easy to source and very effective. So what better place to keep these all natural medicines than in an herbal first aid kit.

Some herbs are best used in essential oil form in a first aid kit. One such oil is Lavender. This oil provides relief from headaches as well as relief from minor burns, scalds and sunburn. It has a long established tradition for healing and comfort, generally regarded as the most versatile herb in healing. Add 2-3 drops to a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil and massage into the temples or nape of the neck for a headache or directly onto the skin that has been affected. It can also be used as an insect repellent as well as on insect bites and stings. It has very effective anti microbial properties and can be used on cuts and grazes.

Tea Tree is another extremely useful herbal oil to keep in a first aid kit. The properties and uses of tea tree have a long history of use by the Aboriginal people of Australia. This oil is unusual in that it is active against all three varieties of infectious organisms: bacteria, fungi and viruses. It can be used to treat cuts and grazes, as well as warts and cold sores. It is also an effective treatment for head lice, acne, dandruff and insect bites. If diluted it can also be used as a mouth wash to combat bad breath.


Witch Hazel is another multi-purpose herbal remedy for a first aid kit. Distilled witch hazel can be used on minor burns and sunburn. Use to staunch the flow of blood from wounds using a soaked swab of cotton wool. For sprains and bruises, keep an ice-cube tray of witch hazel in the freezer, but make sure it is clearly labelled.

As well as keeping ready prepared oils and lotions for your herbal first aid kit, raw ingredients from the kitchen store cupboard such as garlic, ginger, and herbal teas provide some of the most beneficial first aid remedies.

A stock of dried herbs or herbal teas is a useful addition to a first aid kit. Chamomile is well known for it's calming properties and taken just before bed can aid a good night's sleep as well as used for shock and nervous upsets. Peppermint will help to ease indigestion, travel as well as morning sickness and stomach upsets. Ginger is a very natural way to ease nausea as well or prevent travel sickness. This can be kept for some time if you buy crystallized ginger. Garlic is highly antiseptic and if you can stand the odour, rubbed onto acne and other infected spots can be very beneficial. Slices of a fresh onion placed on insect stings can bring rapid relief. It can also be used to relieve nettle rash or hives (urticaria) caused by food allergens.

Common sage is an herb of ancient repute, valued not only for it's culinary flavors but for it's medicinal properties too. It has been used for a variety of disorders including respiratory infections and digestive complaints. It is also believed to strengthen the senses and the memory.  The leaves have a special affinity with the mouth and throat. A weak gargle/mouth wash can be made for sore throats, tonsillitis, mouth ulcers or gum disease.

When making up your herbal first aid kit always ensure you know what the herbs are for and how to use them. While most herbs are harmless, there are some that should not be used by pregnant women or children. Herbs are an extremely useful natural aid to day to day ailments, many of the ingredients you will probably already have in your cupboard or even your garden. Some times this can be faster and more available than over-the counter medicines.