There is one plant that you can eat whenever you want and it's easy to find in the garden. It is usually sprinkled throughout the garden so that anytime a soul needs a quick munching pick-me-up, they can grab a leaf or two. It explodes with freshness, a citrus-undertone that you might not expect from a leaf so green. Have you guessed what our little plant is yet?
Do you know what it is?
That is lemon balm and it really does look that fresh and bright when it is growing.
Once plants flower and start to go to seed, they get a little tired and the green deepens...
But lemon balm will bounce right back and reward you with bunches of brilliant green again if you simply give it a trim.
Those cuttings can be used in teas or dried for later use.
You can chop it up into bits to use in SOAP MAKING, for bath salts or as a substitute for lemon in culinary dishes.
There is not much negative to say about Lemon Balm, save its desire to grow and take over the world. It is a cousin of mint, and it grows in a similar fashion. Though mint grows wild and untamed, lemon balm sticks to more of a bushy habit. Beware though, it can spread. It works well as a hedging plant and as a fragrant deterrent to garden pests in the vegetable garden.
To grow lemon balm, buy just one plant and split it into 2-3 smaller divisions. Allow them to grow all spring and summer, then harvest the leaves before they flower. In fall, split those 2-3 plants into more if you want to multiply your plants. Plant immediately and they will come back next spring in most zones.
To grow lemon balm, buy just one plant and split it into 2-3 smaller divisions. Allow them to grow all spring and summer, then harvest the leaves before they flower. In fall, split those 2-3 plants into more if you want to multiply your plants. Plant immediately and they will come back next spring in most zones.