Pest management & Medicines

They attract so many bees and provide important protection for little insectivorous birds – plus they are a great method to help you manage ‘pests’.

They are also a wonderful source of culinary and medicinal herbs. Tulsi tea can be expensive! But if you have one in your garden, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make the tea from the plant itself. Plus, it will save you loads and will help reduce your household waste.

A great method for attracting bees

Watch the video below to learn more about how to grow, harvest and use these wonderful plants. I also talk you through how these perennials promote habitat and diversity in the environment. With these plants spread out in different parts of your garden, you get to create a healthy environment for plants and insects.

You’ll also get to see the types of hardy perennial basil I grow. Plus, find out which plant my daughter liked to call the “bee bush” when she was younger. One of the best bee-magnets you’ll find!

Give it a watch and let me know below if you have any questions. You can find many more videos like this one on my YouTube.

What is permaculture?

To learn more about permaculture check out my 4 part permaculture series and take a look at Our Permaculture Life youtube channel where I have uploaded over 100 films I have made in my permaculture garden and in conversation with others.  Dive deeper into this blog too and you will find over 400 permaculture articles.

Now is such a great time to learn more about permaculture and consider making permaculture your way of life and livelihood too. To help with this, I offer two online permaculture courses:

• Permaculture Educators Program – Permaculture Design & Teaching Certificates
• The Incredible Edible Garden – permaculture gardening course

I also encourage you to support free permaculture education programs for women and youth in the global south through our registered permaculture charity, the Ethos Foundation.

The post 3 Reasons Your Garden Needs Perennial Basil appeared first on Our Permaculture Life.

These are the 5 main ways I use to make new plants from old and 7 very useful tips.

I’m always bringing home snips of plants to add into my garden and over the years my garden has been the source of 10,000s of cuttings – for friends and family, and for people who attend my workshops and tours.

Check out another post I wrote about how to propagate edible plants. It also includes a 10 minute how-to film – 5 easy ways to propagate edible perennial plants.

Next Masterclass:

Masterclass #20: Marine Permaculture with Brian von Herzen, PhD of the Climate Foundation

The post How to propagate edible plants with Morag Gamble appeared first on Our Permaculture Life.

Young mango leaves are a highly valued source of food and natural medicine in many parts of the world. Have you ever used them?

In one of my Daily Live at 5 sessions, I talked about how eat and use mango leaves. Check out the video below!

We are all familiar with the fruit of the deliciously juicy Mango (Mangifera indica) from the subtropical and tropical plant originally from India. It is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines and the national tree of Bangladesh.

Almost half of the world’s production of mango is in India. There the mango leaves are considered auspicious and are commonly used to decorate front doors during festivals.

Everyone I know loves eating mango and looks forward to mango season. I grew up in a cooler climate so have always considered this an exquisite and exotic fruit to be savoured.

I was surprised when I first learned that in some parts of the world, people enjoy eating green mango and even more surprised when I heard about the many uses of mango leaves. I had been unwittingly walking past a huge source of food and medicine for years.

I started to question this potential when one of my mango trees, a dwarf mango, was damaged by frost leaving only the stock which doesn’t fruit. I had contemplated removing it, then decided to look further into the uses for the leaf. The young ones in particular look abundant, soft and healthy

Here are just some of the ways I found people use mango leaves.

Food

• In South East Asia, the young leaves of mango trees are cooked and eaten as a leafy green. They are rich in vitamins C, B and A and contain anti-oxidants.

Bathing

• Bathe in mango leaf water to relax and refresh, reduce anxiety and nervousness

Mouthwash

• Make a strong tea from the old leaves and rinse your mouth for good gum health and to ease mouth ulcers.

Burn relief

• Apply mango leaf ashes to burnt skin to soothe and relieve.

Medicine

• Manage diabetes. Soak young leaves overnight in a cup of water and drink to relieve the symptoms of diabetes
• Help strengthen blood vessels and lower blood pressure
• Improve breathing. Mango leaf decoction helps people with bronchitis and asthma. Add some honey and use a cough mixture.

Note: Some people are sensitive to mango skins, leaves, bark. If you are one of these people, sorry this post is not for you!

What is permaculture?

To learn more about permaculture check out my 4 part permaculture series and take a look at Our Permaculture Life youtube channel where I have uploaded over 100 films I have made in my permaculture garden and in conversation with others.  Dive deeper into this blog too and you will find over 400 permaculture articles.

Now is such a great time to learn more about permaculture and consider making permaculture your way of life and livelihood too. To help with this, I offer two online permaculture courses:

• Permaculture Educators Program – Permaculture Design & Teaching Certificates
• The Incredible Edible Garden – permaculture gardening course

I also encourage you to support free permaculture education programs for women and youth in the global south through our registered permaculture charity, the Ethos Foundation.

The post Eat and Drink Young Mango Leaves appeared first on Our Permaculture Life.