Useful Backyard/Indoor Plants – Easy to Grow

So many people underestimate the positive effects that growing your own plants can have on your life. Whether their vibrant colours brighten your day, their scents calm you down, or coming home to something that relies on you keeps your mind balanced. I hope to share with you 2 easy to grow plants that are also practical and useful, not just there to look pretty.

By growing their own options at home instead of going to the shops for everything, people can gain confidence in themselves and their ability to make more environmentally friendly decisions. This article provides a beginners guide to growing Mint and Aloe Vera, both of which have many uses and benefits. I’ve also shared some personal tips that I’ve picked up over the years of having a herb garden. It’s a lot easier than you think to get started, and these resilient plants work at maintaining themselves (they just need a little help).

Aloe Vera

Most commonly known for it’s healing gel, Aloe Vera is a highly useful and low maintenance houseplant. To help heal and provide pain relief for small cuts and burns, simply cut one of the lower leaves of the Aloe Vera plant off at the thickest part. Use the gel from inside the leaf directly on the cut or burn to soothe it. Feel free to do more extensive research on this plant if you plan on storing the gel for longer periods of time.

Tips on How to Grow

• If in a pot, make sure the pot is wider than it is deep; this gives the plant the room it needs to grow.

• Make sure to use a well draining soil, ask for options at your local nursery/hardware store

• Plant in warmer months (Aloe Vera is mainly composed of water, and doesn't like frost bite!)

How to Care for Aloe Vera

• Because Aloe plants are succulents, their requirement for watering is few and far between. Water more sparingly in winter (every 1-2 weeks), as the excess won’t evaporate as quickly. Aloe Vera plants dislike cold and wet conditions. Water deeply in summer, but let the soil dry between watering.

• They like warm weather conditions and lots of sunlight. Place outside in direct sun or slight shade. If kept inside, put near a sunny window.

• If planted in a pot, make sure there is easy drainage for the Aloe, (they don’t like swimming).

Things to Look Out for

• Freezing during colder months: As succulents are mainly composed of water, they can turn frosty if not given enough sunlight and warmth during winter.

• Drainage: though this may seem obvious, pots need to have a hole in the base for drainage of water. Some of the more decorative pots won’t have these, so check before you buy. Self watering pots may not be the best option, given that Aloe Vera dislikes being kept in wet conditions.

• Though healing for humans, DO NOT use Aloe Vera on your pets! If you have an exceptionally curious cat that likes to chew on everything it finds, then this may not be the plant for you. If a cat ingests Aloe Vera it can cause serious health problems for them. The same can be true for dogs and other pets. However, if they are an indoor pet, or not one to eat random plants, then growing Aloe Vera outside or in a place your pet wont reach should be safe. (I have 2 dogs and they've never taken a bite out of the giant Aloe Vera plant in our yard whilst running around.)

Mint

Fresh, home grown Mint is great for cooking with, smelling, and has many health benefits. It’s well known that chewing mint leaves can relieve stomachaches, and is also very effective when made into a calming 3-ingredient mint tea. Mint is a fast and abundant grower, and will soon take over a whole herb garden if left alone. For this reason it can be good to have a separate pot in which to grow mint, but make it big to really get your money’s worth.

Tips on How to Grow

• Use a fertile soil, ask for recommendations at your local nursery/hardware store

• It’s easiest to grow mint from an established sapling. Though it is possible to grow mint from seeds, it is much more difficult.

• If planted outside, try and choose a spot that isn’t constantly in direct sunlight. Though mint needs sunlight, too much heat from the Aussie sun can harm it. Light shade/morning sun is good.

How to Use and Store Extra Mint

• Cut off sprigs of mint when the leaves are big, then break off the leaves and rinse well. Don’t eat the stalks.

• You can eat the mint as is or use it in cooking.

• To store all year round: Compact the clean leaves into an ice cube tray, Top up with water, Freeze. The frozen mint cubes would be perfect for flavoring water, blending into a smoothie, or simply defrosting to use in cooking. From personal experience the mint lasts about 6 months (or even longer) like this.

• To make mint tea simply add the washed mint leaves (chopping them is optional) into a tea strainer. Add a sprinkle or two of cinnamon then let brew in boiling water. Drink it hot ☺ Great for settling a stomachache or relaxing before bed.

Things to Know

• During the warmer months Mint grows richly, if left unchecked it will gladly take up all the space you’d dedicated to your other herbs. If this thought bothers you, planting it in a separate pot would work well to stop it taking all of the attention.

• Another good reason to plant in a pot is that during storms, mint can get absolutely flattened. If it’s in a pot you can simply move it somewhere safer when the storms pick up.

• Though Mint isn’t a sturdy plant, it is very resilient. It’ll start to grow back of its own accord after being flattened by a storm (1-3 weeks). Clear away the dead parts of the plant to give the new Mint some space to grow.

• Mint dies off during winter, but don't think you have to replant it every year! The roots left in the soil will pick up and start sprouting as soon as spring and summer start up again.

• Make sure you water mint regularly and, if it’s in a pot, use one with good drainage.

• Self-watering pots are useful, but often I’ve found that when they’re kept outside a toad ends up living in them! If your plant starts to die or turn yellow mysteriously, there may be a toad in the base poisoning the water. (If this happens, don't eat the mint.) If you do use a self watering pot you could always tape some mesh over the opening at the base and fill it through the mesh (this way no toads get in).

#Environment #Motivation