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Answers to your gardening questions |
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Complimentary Copy of "Keys to the Garden Gate" Five-part article series on flower-drying starts here Eight-part article series on vegetable gardening starts here Asian
Lily Beetles Japanese
Beetles An
effective Deer Fence! |
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A tonic for your cat—and you!
*Note
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Welcome through Fred’s Garden Gate! Is your feline friend bored to tears? Does she lay around all day, soaking up sun and sleep, rarely stirring except to check the food dish? Is he so fat from lack of exercise and overeating that he has trouble negotiating a couple of stairs? Welcome to the club! All is not lost. You can instill some excitement into your cat’s life, and grow a healthful herb for yourself in the bargain. Catnip (Nepeta cataria), a member of the mint family, is an aromatic hardy annual and has been grown in urban and rural gardens for a long time and been popular with cats just as long. Originally from the European continent, catnip didn’t take long to naturalize itself all across the United States. During the early days of America, the pleasant fragrance of catnip tea brewing on a kitchen range was a familiar one. Kept handy and warm for emergencies, catnip tea had long been a traditional remedy for nightmares, nervousness, hysteria and headaches. In keeping with the American entrepreneurial spirit, it wasn’t long before enterprising merchants began packaging dried and pulverized catnip for sale to the pet trade. Upper leaves and flowering tops are preferred for both human and feline purposes but, because cats aren’t too fussy, any part of the above-ground plant suits them just fine. Harvesting is done as flowers begin to open and the material is allowed to dry in the shade where it will retain the green color. Dried green leaves are much more fragrant than dried brown. Catnip will grow just about anywhere, providing it gets plenty of light, moisture and drainage. Drainage is the “key” to success with almost all herbs. Heavy clay soils tend to produce a less fragrant product. Adding ample organic matter and coarse sand to lighten clays will yield a much more useful crop. Never use straight sand to lighten clay soils because you’ll end up with something roughly akin to concrete. Normally grown from seed in the spring, catnip will actually produce a heavier and more even stand when sown as temperatures moderate in early fall. After adequate soil preparation, seed is thinly sown and lightly covered. You might consider fencing to keep both yours—and your neighbor’s—cats from wreaking frequent and catastrophic havoc in your catnip patch. The young rapidly-developing plants are quite tough and can tolerate a considerable amount of frost. While some plants may survive a milder northern-tier winter, most will fail as a result of ice and the deep freeze. Seeds will survive to germinate the following spring, however. We’ve always encouraged random volunteer stands of Nepeta cataria in out-of-the-way corners of our gardens, and derive great pleasure in witnessing its three- to four-foot tall tops lurching about (and eventually tumbling down) at the hands (paws, actually) of an apparently inebriated cat. Trouble is, shortly after she’s thoroughly doped-out on catnip, she’s apt to relieve any of her many frustrations on the other of our resident cat family...usually followed by a giant, blurred “discussion.” Great fun! A little noisy, but great fun! I wonder if the cats would agree?
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Find your State and County Cooperative Extension Office | Which Maine Hardiness Zone Do I Live In? (.pdf) | |||
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© 10/2007 Hill Gardens of Maine; 107 Route 3, Palermo, Maine 04354. All Rights Reserved. Updated: 06/23/08 |
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