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Home grown Ayurvedic plants

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I want to expand my herbal garden to include ayurvedic plants. Is

anyone here knowledgeable about the horticulture of ayurvedic plants

in a colder climate? (It is zone 3 extended by the use of greenhouse

gardening and cold frames ~ Manitoba has great extremes of

temperature, -35C in the winter and +35C in the summer. The growing

season is on average four months, plenty of sunshine and varying

amounts of rain.) Recommendation of a site would be most useful.

 

Thank you!

Ronalie

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dear Ronalie

 

having lived in calgary and being an avid gardner i can tell you that

it is a challenge to grow tropical and subtropicals, as are the vast

majority of Indian plants used in Ayurveda - at best the perennials

would be annuals in manitoba

green house gardening is a must, or, if you can do it, a heated

in-house atrium - then you can grow almost anything

 

some of the plants you can grow easily are also used in western herbal

medicine, e.g. basil (tulasi), wild celery (ajwain), elecampane

(pushkaramula), fenugreek (methi), garlic (lashuna), barberry (a kind

of daruhardira), cilantro, fennel, dill etc.

 

you might also get kanthakari growing, and other solanaceous herbs too

(henbane is lovely and perennial, but definitely not for non-expert

use!!)

 

licorice (yashtimadhu) is possible - there are even native licorice

species you might prefer (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)

see:

http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/

topics.cgi?earl=plant_profile.cgi&symbol=GLLE3

 

herbs like ashwagandha, brahmi and mandukaparni (gotu kola) are

definitely going to be green house plants - and i would get them as

plugs, rather than trying to sow them as seeds - generally its not

worth it, esp. ashwagandha, because the roots don't get all that big

 

you might contact Richter's herbs (http://www.richters.com/) - the best

source for seeds and live plugs in Canada

 

also, Richo Cech at Horizon herbs (http://www.horizonherbs.com/) has a

booklet on growing tropicals, and also ayurvedic plant seeds

 

you might also contact herbalist Terry Willard (www.wrc.net) in Calgary

- he has a big teaching garden and grows a few Ayurvedic plants, and

has lots of experience growing herbs in the prairies - you might travel

out there for a weekend or two and take a couple classes

 

todd caldecott

 

 

> I want to expand my herbal garden to include ayurvedic plants. Is

> anyone here knowledgeable about the horticulture of ayurvedic plants

> in a colder climate? (It is zone 3 extended by the use of greenhouse

> gardening and cold frames ~ Manitoba has great extremes of

> temperature, -35C in the winter and +35C in the summer. The growing

> season is on average four months, plenty of sunshine and varying

> amounts of rain.) Recommendation of a site would be most useful.

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Dear Ronalie,

You can get good information on cultivation of medicinal plants used

in ayurveda at http://indianmedicine.nic.in/html/plants/mcmain.htm

How much this link will be useful for exact information on

cultivation at your location is doubtful but I am sure it will give

you a good idea. Wishing you the best of luck in your endevour.

 

Cybervaidya

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