Catnip

Catnip is the easiest plant to cultivate.  All you need is dirt and patience.  I planted some catnip seeds in a container outside last Fall, and the catnip survived the winter.  What it did not survive was August and its 114°F temperatures.  It started dying in July and when the heat wave struck in August, I just pulled the whole plant out and tossed it in the compost.

I was really surprised in October when the catnip started growing again.  There are weeds growing in the same container, but I am not going to remove them because they are pretty.  The only weed I go out of my way to destroy is dandelion, but mostly because the leaves are very prickly.  I really can't stand thorns and anything else that will stab me.  The only exception is roses because they are very pretty and get more pretty when they are trimmed a lot.

I was able to harvest the catnip by cutting off a stem at the base and hanging it inside to dry.  I tied a string to the stem base and tied the other end of the string to a hanging lamp.  When all the leaves where dried, I pulled them off and put them in a jar.  The smell of fresh catnip is very different from the smell of dried catnip.  My cat was very excited to try some.  I let her play with the stem for a few days after taking the leaves off.  She loves it.

Catnip is in the mint family and it smells delightful.  I have not yet tried it in tea, but I will be doing so soon.