CRANFORD, NJ — Crane-Philips House Museum recently hosted a gardening presentation and museum tour.
Caren White, a master gardener with Middlesex County, is a popular speaker on herbs at garden clubs, libraries and other groups around the state. She gave a presentation on starting an herb garden and answered questions.
Beginning, she explained the difference between an herb and a spice. Herbs use leaves or flowers. A spice uses any other part of the plant. With dill, both leaves and seeds are used.
“When buying, bear in mind how tall they will be when full-grown,” she said, explaining that rosemary can grow between 4 to 6 feet.
White gave tips on laying out the garden, such as making the bed as wide as you can comfortably reach to weed, prune and harvest your herbs.
Growing your own herbs is nutritionally better, White explained. She also pointed out that herbs are deer resistant, as deer do not like strongly scented plants, though they may eat echinacea. “Basil, thyme, sage, lavender; they don’t like the smell,” said White. “But if there is nothing else to eat, they will eat.”
White recommends replacing sage every three to four years. And that if you over-water lavender, it will die.
“Think of an herb garden as a vegetable garden,” she said. “Most herbs want full sun, all-day sun. Water according to plants’ needs. Basil needs a lot of water. Others want to be dry.”
Another handy tip White offered was keeping flavored mint plants in separate containers.
She also said, “Do not over-fertilize. The best fertilizer is compost.”
When deciding what to plant in your herb garden, White advises thinking about what you’re going to use your herbs for. “Go through (your) favorite recipes,” she said. “Look at (the) herbs in favorite teas. Find out how big plants are going to get. Look at (the) space allocated. Is it big enough for all plants?”
White recommends growing herbs in hanging baskets for those with knee, hip or back problems.
After White’s presentation, attendees were invited on a tour of the museum. Scott Fazzini, Cranford Historical Society program chairperson, and Maureen Wakeman, recording secretary, gave the tours, illustrating what life was like in the 1870s. Items included a school desk with an inkwell, school notebooks, Jello molds, a sleigh, an iron, a rug beater, a bathtub, a dollhouse and a children’s desk – to name a few.
Barbara Weinstock, of Cranford, said she loved the gardening program and seeing all the items from the past.
Refreshments were served, including sugar cookies, savory shortbread cookies with olives and rosemary, and cheddar and dill scones.
This event was presented by Cranford Historical Society. To learn more about Cranford Historical Society, visit: https://cranfordhistoricalsociety.org/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta