South Coast Botanic Garden’s Cocktail Class Recap By Writer and Contributor Emily McGinn
This month, the South Coast Botanic Garden hosted a class for growing a cocktail-inspired garden. If you missed it, don’t worry — we have compiled a list of the most helpful tips and tricks (and some recipes) for those looking to make their own garden’s flourish.
On the Peninsula, we live in a Mediterranean climate, meaning that many plants can grow year-round. However, depending on where you live on the Hill and how you are growing plants, you will want to treat them in different ways.
Soil and Watering
First, it is important to note the type of soil you are working with and how it will impact plant care. Soil types fall into three categories: clay, sand and garden loam. Clay retains water more, while sand has a better filtration system. This will influence your watering schedule.
It is also important to adjust your watering schedule for plants you are growing in raised beds or pots since different pots can provide different levels of filtration. For example, if you tend to overwater, it is best to use terracotta because it is a porous container that allows for better filtration. If you tend to under-water your plants, a nonporous plastic container is probably a better fit.
Pro Tip: If you realize your plants are degrading even though you continue to water them on the same schedule, you might need to adjust your watering schedule. Plants have different needs as they mature, so you will want to update your watering schedule as the plants grow.
Fertilizers
Once you are successfully keeping your plants alive, you move onto a new challenge: How do you keep them healthy? This is where fertilizers and insecticides come in.
Pro Tip: When looking into what to add to the soil to keep plants happy, Miracle-Gro is not always the best answer. Miracle-Gro is peat moss-based, which often boosts plant growth at first but does not always last in the long-term. Wood-based soil options often help in a more sustainable way.
Fertilizers and insecticides both can be grouped into organic and non-organic options. Non-organic options are made in labs, while organic options are sourced in nature.
Made of animal and plant matter, organic fertilizers are often better for plants in the long-term, though they might take longer to work because they break down slowly. While non-organic fertilizers provide basic nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, they lack important micronutrients found in organic fertilizers that help with long-term plant health.
Organic fertilizers also are less potent, so it is not as problematic if you use too much. Non-organic fertilizers, on the other hand, can harm plants if you apply too much at one time.
However, if you need your plants to look stellar in a short period of time, non-organic fertilizers will likely do the trick.
Insecticides
When it comes to protecting your garden from insects and disease, insecticides and herbicides should be a last resort. Providing best care for plants to keep them healthy and physical removal of pests and disease are the best options for managing these challenges. However, if that does not work, there are a couple options for insecticides.
Again, there are both organic and non-organic options. You should tread carefully when using non-organic options, especially if you plan to ingest parts of the plant, as they can sometimes be toxic to humans and wildlife. Organic options are safer, though they do not always have long-lasting results. It is best to try different combinations of approaches to pest management to see what works for your garden.
Making Cocktails
Once your garden starts producing, it is time to move on to the fun part: making cocktails!
Depending on what you grow in your garden, you can include herbs, fruits and flowers in creative new cocktail options. One of the best ways to do this is through infusion. To infuse properly, first choose the alcohol you want as your base. Next, select the herb(s), flower(s) or fruit(s) you would like to include in your concoction. Items can range from plums to rosehips. Take the items you want to include and steep them in the alcohol of your choice.
Depending on the item and the strength of flavor you are looking to achieve, infusion can take hours, days or weeks.
While you are welcome to experiment with your own cocktail combinations, here are a few from the class to get you started:
Hot Buttered Rum - Infuse apples and cinnamon in rum. Add hot water, brown sugar and a nub of butter. Serve warm.
Vanilla Plum Infused Vodka - Take about 1 L vodka and add plum simple syrup and vanilla beans.
Bio:
Emily McGinn is a journalist based in the Los Angeles area. She enjoys reporting on and writing about a variety of topics from lifestyle to news, especially in her areas of specialty, environmental science and political science.
