Spring Is Popping Up All Over Here At Ham Towne Spicery As Growing Season Has Started And Our Flavorful Herbs Are Being Born.
Hundreds of herb plants are coming to life in our nursery. Grown all organic under our red and blue lights configured perfectly for maximum photosynthesis of the new tender foliage. Only purified mineral rich and PH balanced water is used, never toxic city or well water. This early attention gives them a head start on developing healthy stalks and flavorful foliage. We our growing several different varieties from our large leaf Italian, perfect for garnishing fresh tomato sandwiches to our delicious Classic that will give your pesto and sauce that heavenly authentic Tuscany flavor. And of course we could not forget our spicy little leaf "Minette" that will delightfully ad a zesty zing to your salads and antipasto. Along with several other specialty Basil specially hybridized for kitchen, patio and back yard herb gardens.
Many of our customers throughout the market year ask us how we get our herbs so healthy and full of flavor as compared to the big Nursery offerings. It is our passion every year to obtain only the best organic seeds available from all parts of the world for all of our annual herbal offerings. Selections are made for flavor, vigor and culinary superiority no mater the seed cost, and many of our seeds are the latest hybrids and all are organic and non GMO. Most commercial nursery's use the cheapest seeds they can get their hands on for commercial production many of which are field cross pollinated and untrue to their intended botanical genetics.
ROMANCING THE CLONES
At Ham Towne Spicery we also nurture our highest flavored best performing perennials mother herbs through the fall and winter months to produce identical clones from only our finest healthiest and best flavored herbs that we grew in the prior season. Many of you have noticed the deep flavorful smell of our herbs as compared to mass produced seedlings of the most common offerings, like our Spear Rosemary (pictured) far Superior in flavor then the harsh pine smell and taste of commercially available plants. Every year the flavors only get better and better as we hand select from our botanically true plants. This is a huge advantage for small nursery's like Ham Towne Spicery over the huge commercial nursery whom grow and clone for strength in handling and transport and often end up with herbs that are more suited for decorative plantings then culinary use. Much like the same the tasteless tomatoes you find in grocery store produce compared to the delicious vine ripened tomatoes bred for flavor like you come to the farmers market to get.
THERE IS DIRT, AND THEN THERE IS EARTH!
We also ensure that our propagated clones are well established and fully rooted in their go to market pots not just shoved in and rushed to market before it has a chance to reestablish it's roots. Or seeded in small inefficient stamped out root bound trays that have the plants stressed early in their life cycle which effects their entire growing cycles. We plant in only the best sterile organic whole earth soils not chemically balanced dirt. No expense is speared with only the highest quality organic soils like Fox Farm and Espoma. Always reliably free from disease and pests and high in organic nutrients and beneficial organisms. Proper PH is obtained by organic not chemical means and balanced to sustain and grow the best tasting and highest essential oil laden herbs. We could not be more delighted when at the end of the season our customers come to us and report that they have grown the best herbs in their gardens ever!
What Other Nursery Can Promise You The Moon And Deliver It?
Yes, you may call me a lunatic if you please, but one season of our herbs in your home garden and you will not be able to deny that our plants grow like no others you have seen. All planting, transplanting, fertilizing watering and general care is performed using the natural lunar /earth cycles of each different herb we grow. The ancient science is simple, plants that have been germinated under the proper push and pulls of the lunar gravitational cycles stay on cycle their entire life growing stronger and true to it's genetic schedule. Why is that important you may ask? Well in it's simplest form the moon has enough influence on the earth to pull the ocean from one side of the earth to the other in a never ending perfectly timed cycle. It does the same to the water in the ground. A plant grows in cycles growing roots deep when the water is low in the surface soil and when the moon is dark (new) they have extra energy to do so since there is no light available to photosynthesize foliage. When the ground water is high in the earth and the moon is bright a plant will take nutrients into the roots and take energy from the moonlight to grow it's foliage. Each plant has a genetic growing cycle which is related to what part of the plant produces it's seed. When germination is intentionally matched to the Lunar cycles the plants are happy and in sync. It's that simple.
See those Basil seedlings in the top photo, they came up within 38 hours after planting the seeds. Five plus full days ahead of the normal 7 - 10 days germination expectancy. The picture was taken on January 9th and they are already showing their second set of leaves, The seeds were sown on January third. The picture shows growth only 6 days from seeds. I Kid You Not! They are certainly in their natural groove sort of speak,
Thanks For Reading!
