Good suggestions.. I'll try those. I already dealt with the drainage problem and will look into the nutrients. The cat problem was a real poser... I had a rue plant at the time, plus the two bushy lemon balms in a pair of 10" pots, and other smelly herbs besides... no good. Cat spray repellant, no good. Sonic repeller, no good. Water bombing when we saw her, no good. When she finally started leaving piles right on the deck for me to clean up, I was forced to bring all the plants in, because most of them are edible and I sure did not want to be eating *that* ! What finally solved it was a combination of neighbors moving (they had been feeding the feral kitty a few doors down) and me designing a cat-resistant barrier to put up at night. The deck only has one access point, even for an athletic cat, so it was much easier to protect than an open yard. Thankfully she never seems to stop by in the daytime, and with the neighborly food source gone, she has taken her feral kitty business elsewhere. Notice I said cat-resistant... don't believe that anything is truly cat *proof* =)

Kat....I'm not sure what fire blight is, lol. I'll betcha heathen1, daisyduckworth or ksrogers would know for sure. They are truly seasoned veterans of the garden I've come to realize from being on this forum. The first year I grew lemon balm, it got red spots on it, and did poorly. It died out over the winter, I left it in its pot. When the weather turned warm, I noticed new growth. So I took it out of the pot, and sliced the top three inches off of it, in a disc-like. I planted that and it grew into the monster that it is today. I couldn't believe it. I will be looking for tons of uses for it besides making tea. I think I'm lucky because I've heard that they can start to lose their flavor once they become as big as mine is, but so far so good. The leaves are nice and lemony and they taste good. I have pruned it just once, about a month ago, and that's when it really took off!

Culinary Uses: Use fresh leaves in salads and as a garnish for fish and other dishes. When candied, the leaves make attractive cake decorations. Chopped leaves can be added to egg, fish and chicken dishes and sprinkled over fresh vegetables. Goes well with corn, broccoli, asparagus, lamb, shellfish, ground black pepper, olives and beans. Add the leaves to cooked dishes in the last few minutes. They can also be added to summer drinks and fruit salads, soups, sauces and ice cream, and make a good substitute for lemon peel in recipes. An ingredient of Benedictine and Chartreuse. The flower tips and young leaves are floated in wine or fruit cups as a flavouring and garnish. Substitute for lemon rind in jam making and add to marmalades. Makes a delicious tea, alone or added to ordinary tea. Medicinal Uses: It helps relieve anxiety attacks, palpitations with nausea, mild insomnia and phobias and when used as a sedative it is good for children. It combines well with peppermint to stimulate circulation and can also be used for colds and flu and is most effective in the early stages of a cold. The tea is used to treat headaches and tiredness, mild depression, eczema, laryngitis, colic and dizziness and is reputed to enhance the memory. It calms a nervous stomach, controls high blood pressure, relieves menstrual cramps, promotes menstruation and treats insomnia. Useful for liver, spleen, kidney, bladder and bowel troubles. Helps if suffering from tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Fresh juice is used to treat goitre and GraveÂs Disease. It is especially suitable for children and makes a good substitute for chamomile. A crushed fresh leaf applied to insect bites eases discomfort. As a poultice, it treats sores and tumours. In ointment, it is good for cold sores. Other Uses: Attracts bees to the garden. Potpourri. An infusion of leaves makes a refreshing skin toner and can be used in rinse water for clothes. A stronger infusion makes a good rinse for oily hair. Use as a facial steam for dry skin and to treat acne. Use in furniture polishes. The leaves rubbed onto wooden furniture make a fine furniture polish. Rub on a fresh leaf to soothe insect bites. Use in sleep pillows and add to soaps. Used to bathe discharging eyes in puppies. Used to bring down retained afterbirth in farm animals. Also used for farm animals for eye ailments, nervous and brain disorders, heart abnormalities, uterine disorders, to increase milk yield and to prevent miscarriage. Warning: Avoid medicinal doses when pregnant or if suffering from night sweats. People with either Grave's disease or thyroid-related illness should not use this herb except under medical supervision. Prolonged contact with balm plants or leaves may cause contact dermatitis (itching, sting, burning, reddened or blistered skin) or it may sensitise you to other allergens.

Wife made it once but we weren't impressed as I recall. It is a VERY mild jelly and needs a very strong infusion of the LB. She says she used 2x the amount of leaves called for in the recipe and steeped it for much longer too. It still didn't have much flavor. And it needs food coloring added or it looks just like jelled water. This is the recipe she started with: Lemon Balm Jelly 1 c. lemon balm 3 c. water 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 6 1/2 c. sugar 1 bottle liquid pectin Drops of yellow food coloring Steep lemon balm in boiled water 10-20 minutes. Strain. Bring infusion and sugar to a rolling boil, add pectin and cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add coloring, jar and seal. Dave