All About Growing the Stevia Plant
If growing your own calorie-free, natural sweetener sounds too good to be true, it’s time to get to know stevia. Native to Paraguay and other tropical areas of the Americas, the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) produces leaves packed with super-sweet compounds that remain stable even after the leaves have been dried. Stevia leaves have been used to sweeten teas and beverages throughout South America for centuries. More recently, diabetics and dieters alike have turned to stevia to reduce their sugar intake because, unlike honey, maple syrup, agave or molasses, this natural sweetener has zero calories and is not metabolized by the body. Stevia is especially well-suited to sweetening drinks, fruits, salad dressings, yogurt and most creamy desserts. Stevia can substitute for some, but not all, of the sugar used when baking, because it does not provide all of the multiple functions that sugar does.
The Whole-Leaf Stevia Difference
Many commercial drink mixes and packaged sugar substitutes are sweetened with a derivative of stevia. This sweetening compound is called Rebaudioside A and is listed on labels as either Reb A or Rebiana. These are highly processed products developed by large food corporations. Most of the raw stevia used to produce these products is grown in China. These “natural sweeteners” have been stripped of many of the plant’s healthful properties. Teas, extracts and tinctures made from high-quality, whole-leaf stevia, on the other hand, contain up to seven sweet compounds (glycosides) and an array of antioxidants.Growing Stevia Plants
Growing stevia is easy in well-drained beds or large containers, and the leaves can be dried for winter use like any other herb. Stevia grows best in warm conditions similar to those preferred by basil. Plants grown in warm climates will grow to 24 inches tall and wide. Where summers are cool, expect stevia plants to grow up to 16 inches. Grow three to five plants for a year’s supply of dried stevia leaves.
Stevia can be started from seed indoors in late winter, but it’s best to grow it from rooted cuttings. Germination of stevia seeds tends to be spotty, so keep seed-sown plants under bright lights until the weather warms in spring. Look for stevia plants in the herbs section at garden centers, or locate mail-order suppliers using our Seed and Plant Finder.
Planting lavender in well drained soil with a Loamy mix of sand, clay soil & compost.
Well drained soil consist of a Loamy mix of sand,
clay soil (south central Ohio) and composted horse manure or organic
matter from a old wood lots will be beneficial.Add 2 hand fulls of
limestone (a little dolomite lime if using rock instead of limestone)
and a good base Nitrogen starter fertilizer during planting. Container
planting will not require any weed protection. It's recommended to use a
weed guard material such as polypropylene or other natural woven weed
quard. Oyster shell mulch will also help reduce weeding. This summer of
2014 we added a new method to commercial lavender production
by utilizing wood chips as a mulched bed weed cover, similar to
conventional home gardening methods. New small lavender gardens need a
dose of Nitrogen the first 2 years of growth. Then let
the plant thrive on its own adding just a little lime every year to keep
the PH up high, preferably 6.9 to 7.5. Using natural mulch materials
like wood chips which break down will reduce the need to fertilize year
after year. The biggest challenge is choosing a good Angustifolia
planting variety that can withstand cold wet winters. The most hardy Angustafolia lavender variety plant would be Munstead or English which makes for a great addition to the garden with an elegant aroma pretty much year round, even in the rain!
When to plant lavender?
Peaceful Acres has played
around with multiple seasons of planting. We have planted in middle of
May, June, July, August, and September. Although spring planting has
proved to establish a much hardier plant than the fall months all
seasonal planting have survival comparable survival rates. The only
downfall we have found is the reduced size, yield and second year growth
from a lavender plant planted in the ladder part of the growing season.
Smaller fall plantings experienced more soil wash around the plants
base which resulted in uplifting of the root system.
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