skip to main content

I need help harvesting 6' catnip.

12 years ago

I've dried herbs before, just never on this scale. I am daunted by these two huge bunches. I usually use paper bags to dry things, but I'd need a mountain of them. I have found that my cat is one who is indifferent to the stuff, so I guess I'll be giving it away, or selling if possible. And I don't want it next year. I'm thinking clip to the ground and hang the long bunches from the limbs of a heavy-shade tree...? There are other cats around, and they haven't bothered it in the garden. Maybe it's no good...? Here's a pic of one bunch:

Here is a link that might be useful: More photos

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

fatamorgana2121
12 years ago
Catnip makes a nice tea as well as having quite an effect on cats.

As long as it is warm and dry enough, catnip left on large stems even dries well. I personally to not hang any herbs I harvest. I dry them on screens. I cover the screens with paper toweling so that I can use the same screens for various herbs without having herbs cross-containment one another since I do harvest many medicinal herbs and not all are very friendly. If screens are not an option, perhaps a single layer on something dry and porous like clean cardboard would work. I have dried the little odd bits on paper towels set on the counter top and plant presses use paper blotters so I would imagine cardboard should function well as a drying surface.

My outdoor and quite feral cat only bothers the dry or mostly dry bits of catnip I drop from harvesting. The fresh green plants hold little interest for her.

FataMorgana
fatamorgana2121
12 years ago
English is my first language, really. I meant to say "cross-contaminate" not cross-containment. "Cross containment" sounds like something you would do to a triffid not an herb!

FataMorgana
Related Discussions
I'm killing my catnip - help!
Q
Comments (2)
A lot of gardening is learning by experience. I guess you've got some experience the hard way. As a rule, many herbs don't need any fertilizer. Catnip grows wild at my place. It often chooses very lean soil places to grow. I would take cuttings and leave that bed alone until weeds and other plants that choose to grow there tell you that plot is better. Others may have other suggestions. FataMorgana
...See More
First harvest - now I need help with a chow bag
Q
Comments (1)
use a small-mesh produce bag, fill w/ stuff they particularly like, say chopped up melon - tuck it along one side of the bin - works w/ just cooled material from a hot compost bin too another way is to lay some fiberglas fly screen on the surface and put a bit of wet shredded paper on top along with fresh food ... they'll wiggle up thru the screen to get the feed and you can just lift the screen off after a while easiest way to get the critters out is to heap up a mound and let it sit 5 min - start raking off the surface and you'll find the worms go toward the bottom center ... when you see many worms wait a few more minutes then rake off some more - eventually you end up with a small mound that's pretty much all worms ... easy to pick'em out if you're harvesting the worms, or just use that pile to restart the bed if you're taking off the castings worms won't move out of material that you don't see as providing food because they can continue to 're-process' the castings for quite awhile before they look for greener pastures, you hafta remember they're actually eating the decomposer bacteria, not the veggies Bill
...See More
Help! Do I need spacers for American Olean 3x6 subway tiles?
Q
Comments (9)
We used the same tile for our kitchen backsplash. Please use the spacers (check to see what is recommended grout line and get spacers that size). if you want a uniform look, then choose a grout color that best blends with the tiles. Our contractor does alot of tile work and as good as he is, he said that even the slightest variance in a linear placement can affect the straight line. He always uses them, even with 30 years experience of doing tile work.
...See More
Are My Catnip Plants Ready For Seed Harvesting?
Q
Comments (1)
I checked over on the Seed Saving forum here to see if there was a FAQ posted on catnip (they have how-to FAQs for most plants) but didn't find one. However most of them make it very clear that the seed heads and flowers need to be completely dried, brown, Check out the basic when-are-seeds-ready-to-be-harvested FAQ. I think it will answer your question for you. Dave
...See More
noinwi
12 years ago
I will cut several long branches, use a rubber band to secure the end of the bunch and hang them as high up as possible out of the reach of my furry brats(they like it fresh or dried) where there is good air circulation. When it is crispy dry I strip the leaves into a jar and toss the stems on the ground or floor for the cats to play with.
If you really don't want to grow it anymore, pull the whole plant up, shake off the soil and hang it upside down in a shed or garage. You'll want to do this before it flowers and goes to seed if possible to cut down on volunteers in subsequent seasons. When it's dry, harvest the leaves and make catnip toys for your friends' cats and keep some in a jar for tea. I always take a little baggie of it when we visit the grandkids. They love watching their cat get silly on the stuff(and their cat loves us for it,lol).
smkymtn1drer
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you, FataMorgana and noinwi, for sharing your knowledge! I haven't the horizontal space nor materials for your advanced method, FataMorgana, so I'll be hanging them. I'm delighted there's still a chance my cat will enjoy it! Now, if it just would quit drizzling long enough in the mornings....

I wish I could enjoy tea, catnip or otherwise. I feel that tea drinkers are somehow superior. ;) I have tried.

Best of all, thanks for the introduction to the triffid, FataMorgana!
fatamorgana2121
12 years ago
We just got a good rain after a dry June and I swear I have triffids instead of normal old weeds out there today. Bunch of big 'ol things that look like they could take over the world! Maybe I should get my battle axe out before going and pulling some weeds.... :)

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: Google Images - Triffids
smkymtn1drer
Original Author
12 years ago
Strange season here, too. It was drought-dry April and May --June has brought daily hard rains. I keep checking myself for mold. Yes, your battle axe, by all means, but don't forget the salt water!

Related Stories

PETS 6 Ways to Help Your Dog and Landscape Play Nicely Together

By Marianne Lipanovich

Keep your prized plantings intact and your dog happy too, with this wisdom from an expert gardener and dog guardian

GREEN BUILDING How to Harvest Rainwater for Your Garden

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Conserve a vital resource and save money by collecting stormwater for irrigation in a barrel or tank

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING World of Design: 10 Home Gardeners Show Us Their Sweet Summer Harvests

From New York to Tokyo, these gardeners have turned their yards, terraces and rooftops into places of bounty

GARDENING GUIDES 12 Tips to Help You Start an Edible Garden

By Abundant City

Get on your way to growing your own vegetables with a raised bed or a few containers on the patio

DECORATING GUIDES Slow Design: Today's 'Wabi-Sabi' Helps Us Savor the Moment

By Robyn Lawrence

Learn about the design movement that's aiming to satisfy our real needs, leaving materialism in the past

MOST POPULAR 7 Ways to Design Your Kitchen to Help You Lose Weight

By Mitchell Parker

In his new book, Slim by Design, eating-behavior expert Brian Wansink shows us how to get our kitchens working better

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 10 Tricks to Help Your Bathroom Sell Your House

By Mink Home Staging

As with the kitchen, the bathroom is always a high priority for home buyers. Here’s how to showcase your bathroom so it looks its best

MOST POPULAR 7 Ways Cats Help You Decorate

By Molly Brandenburg

Furry felines add to our decor in so many ways. These just scratch the surface

DECLUTTERING Downsizing Help: How to Get Rid of Your Extra Stuff

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Sell, consign, donate? We walk you through the options so you can sail through scaling down

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Help Monarchs and Other Butterflies by Planting Common Milkweed

By Pollination Press LLC

Summer-blooming Asclepias syriaca is an important larval host plant for the monarch butterfly and attracts a number of pollinating insects

Sponsored

More Discussions

list the problems with my pineapple sage

6

Mystery herb / plant

14

Cistus Incanus and Hormones

0

Herb Marigold 'Dropshot', a nice texture in the landscape.

21

Perennial Rosemary in zone 7a?

10