I could not help it – this title. Jeanne Grunert, who blogs from her farm in Virginia, just posted “How to Grow Stevia” and I simply had to take advantage of it.
Nothing wrong with Stevia, mind you. I just planted mine all wrong.
A friend had given me a lovely Salvia last May (about a foot tall and very skinny) and it did not grow much at first. So, when I brought a tiny Stevia home a month later, I put it about 15 inches from the Salvia and expected the two would happily coexist. Well, not quite!
That Stevia took off and hasn’t stopped yet. Today, after a week of rain, it is flopping all over the place and I finally put a few stakes near it, hoping not so much that it will survive (it will!), but that the poor Salvia will still have a chance.
So, my advice, in addition to what Jeanne teaches you, is this: if you are going to plant Stevia, give it plenty of space!
Nothing wrong with Stevia, mind you. I just planted mine all wrong.
A friend had given me a lovely Salvia last May (about a foot tall and very skinny) and it did not grow much at first. So, when I brought a tiny Stevia home a month later, I put it about 15 inches from the Salvia and expected the two would happily coexist. Well, not quite!
That Stevia took off and hasn’t stopped yet. Today, after a week of rain, it is flopping all over the place and I finally put a few stakes near it, hoping not so much that it will survive (it will!), but that the poor Salvia will still have a chance.
So, my advice, in addition to what Jeanne teaches you, is this: if you are going to plant Stevia, give it plenty of space!
5 comments:
Do you just use your stevia in drinks? Do you buy any stevia for baking or cooking? If so, what brand? I like SweetLeaf stevia. Have you ever tried just picking a leaf and sucking on the sweetness like a piece of hard candy?
Thanks for your questions; I wish I had answers . . . :-).
This is the first year I am growing Stevia, and only one plant. When I saw it in a nursery, curiosity about it made me buy it. No plans to do anything with it other than enjoy looking at it in the garden and trying to figure out how to get it through the winter. Maybe cuttings?
I lost mine this year because of the rain mine made it through the winters just not the rains.
Congrats on your nomination from Blotanical. I posted your link this morning on my blog. have a wonderful weekend hugs, Cherry
Had you and I not been nominated for Best Georgia Blogger on Blotanical, I might never have seen your blog. I'm glad I found you.
I live in the 'other Georgia' south of the gnat line. The Georgia Native Plant society even gave us over to Florida, because our native plants are not like north Georgia.
Happy gardening and congratulations on being recognized at Blotanical.
Nell -- Seedscatterer
Thank you, Cherry and Nell!
Isn't gardening fun?
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