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How To Grow Lovage In The Garden
How To Grow Lovage In The Garden

Video: How To Grow Lovage In The Garden

Video: How To Grow Lovage In The Garden
Video: Lovage: Growing, Harvest and Use - Millcreek Herbs 2024, April
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Lovage is a love medicine and not only

Lovage
Lovage

This plant is not yet widespread enough in our garden plots and in the gardens of villagers, although now it, having started its journey from its native places in Afghanistan and Iran, has migrated to vegetable gardens in many countries of the world. It is usually grown by experienced gardeners who are familiar with the beneficial properties of roots, leaves, seeds. It's about lovage.

Lovage is a perennial herb with a high stem, branched at the top and reaching a height of up to two meters in favorable conditions.

The leaves of lovage are shiny, feathery. In the upper part of the stem there are umbellate inflorescences, the flowers in them are small, yellowish. The plant blooms from June to August, seeds ripen in September.

Science knows only one species of lovage - lovage (Levisticum officinale). He received many other names among the people. In different localities, the plant was called love, love-grass, beloved, libistic, dawn, love potion and others.

The use of the root "love" in its name is due to the fact that since ancient times it has been recognized that this plant has the property of bewitching loved ones. Traditional healers now recommend the use of lovage to strengthen male strength.

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A characteristic feature of the plant is the aroma it emits. It is slightly similar to the aroma of celery, but still has a more subtle aroma and taste. And in appearance, lovage is quite similar to this vegetable plant. The smell spread by it is due to the presence of essential oil in all parts - roots, stems, leaves and even seeds.

The slightly pungent and spicy taste of lovage leaves found this plant used in cooking - in various salads, sauces, soups, as well as in the preparation of pickles and marinades for the winter. Experienced housewives always add fresh or dried lovage leaves when cooking kharcho and borscht soup. And from the very first spoonful one can feel its unique note in the aroma of the finished dish.

Lovage is also widely used in folk medicine.

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Growing lovage

Lovage
Lovage

All this should motivate gardeners and summer residents to grow it on their site. Moreover, the plant grows over time so that a real bush of lush greenery is formed, which is quite enough for all the needs of the family, and in one place it can grow for more than ten years.

It seems that on any site you can find a corner for lovage. It is not very difficult to grow it: provide it with a loose fertile neutral soil - and all the conditions. In addition, it can withstand cold snaps and frosty winters well.

Lovage propagates by seeds, and if your neighbors have a large old bush, then it is quite possible to separate several stems from it together with roots and plant them on your site.

You can sow lovage seeds in early spring, or you can also use winter sowing. Like all umbrella plants, the seeds of this plant contain essential oils, and therefore, before sowing in spring, they need to be kept in warm water for at least a day, changing it several times a day, then lovage will rise faster. You can also grow it through seedlings, then you can plant it in open ground earlier and get greens.

Seeds are sown into prepared grooves in rows every 50 cm, and 20 cm are left between the plants. In the first year, lovage drives out a juicy rosette of leaves, and in the next season it blooms. But since gardeners usually do not need seeds, but greens, they cut it two or three times per season, and then feed and water the cut plants. And they grow back again. Over time, when the plantings begin to grow, it will be possible to leave one or two lovage bushes from the entire planting, and there will be enough greenery for the needs of the family.

Caring for lovage is the same as for all vegetable and spicy crops - removing weeds, loosening the soil, feeding and watering. Also, for regular production of greenery, you need to remove the peduncles.

Read part 2. The healing properties of lovage →

Anatoly Petrov

Photo by Olga Rubtsova

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