Gardening Note 1: Organic Fertilizer

A balanced supply of nutrients are critical for healthy herbs and vegetables. Plants grow strong, more resistant to fungal diseases, more able to handle environmental stress as well as being more tasty and high in essential oils. The most important benefit is that you get more beneficial plant based nutrients absorbed into your body to promote better physical health.

Organic fertilizer is slow-releasing and available to the plant for an extended period. Add a balanced organic fertilizer such as a “6:3:4” (N:P:K) that will ensure sufficient growth of roots (“P” - phosphates) and foliage (N – nitrogen) as well as flowers and fruits (K – potassium). Potassium (K) also plays an important role in making the plant more resistant to fungal diseases.

The joy about organic fertilizer is that you also add micro-nutrients at the same time. The plant requires less of these nutrients for optimal growth, but they are still essential.

Add fertilizer when planting and then at least once every 2 months, especially during the active growing season in spring and summer.
Herbs and vegetables in containers need fertilizer at least once a month according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Gardening Note 2: More Thyme

Thyme  is a fragrant, small-leafed, woody-stemmed culinary herb that is used frequently in Mediterranean, Italian and Provençal French cuisines. It pairs well with lamb and tomatoes, and is often used in soups, stews, stocks and sauces.

Lemon thyme is highly aromatic and the lemon flavour goes well with chicken and fish dishes.

Whole sprigs of fresh thyme may be used when roasting meats and poultry or vegetables, but because of their tough, woody stems, the sprigs should be removed before serving.

The tiny leaves are easily removed from the stems by pulling the stems through your fingers from top to bottom, against the direction of the stems. Six average sprigs will yield about a tablespoon of leaves.

If just the leaves are used, they can be given a quick chop or simply added to the recipe whole. The leaves may also be lightly crushed before adding them, which releases the volatile, flavorful oils.

Other herbs with which thyme can be successfully combined include rosemary, marjoram, parsley, oregano and bay leaf.

Gardening Note 3: Life lessons in the garden

Gardening teaches people the art of being patient. Unlike other activities, gardening does not produce instantaneous results. As such, a person who takes up gardening must wait for their rewards.

The garden should be planned to a certain degree.

Once a basic plan has been developed, the soil needs to be prepared.

Next, the gardener will plant the seeds or plants.

But that's not all. In order to achieve a healthy, bountiful supply of plants, the garden needs constant monitoring. Weeds must be pulled and insect activity must be curtailed. Then, one day, they'll appear - the fruits of your labour.

Cut the flowers and vegetables, bring them inside and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that is gained from the benefit-rich activity called gardening!

Therefore, next time when life gets a bit too much, consult your garden for a bit of wisdom.

Gardening Note 4: Vietnamese Coriander

Vietnamese coriander is one of those numerous herbs that give Vietnamese cuisine its unique touch. The herb is, though, also used outside of Vietnam. It appears in Malaysian recipes and is quite typical of the Singa­porean cuisine.

A typical South Vietnamese noodle soup is based on broth (often from chicken, pork or fish, or a combination) with a variety of different ingredients, which usually include small meat pieces, boiled and raw vegetables, fish balls, young onion greens and fried garlic slices. The soup is served with a large amount of additional flavourings, which are left to the diner to finalize his soup: lime wedges, mustard paste, fish sauce, fresh red chilli slices and a host of herbs which are dipped into the soup using chopsticks and eaten together with a spoonful of soup.

Similarly, stir-fried meat and vegetables are never seen without generous amounts of chopped herbs, and the same holds for the tasty Vietnamese sandwiches, a colonial heritage. Since Vietnamese cooking is far less spicy than, for example, Thai cooking, the herbs are indispensable for the true taste of Vietnam.