Herbs and Vegetables to Grow for your Pooch

Gardens are much more than play places for your pooch. With some careful planning, you can grow a range of herbs and vegetables that may enhance your dog’s health, and make bath time extra special.

A Quick Word of Caution

Note: dogs vary according to size, age, breed, and health, so before offering your dog any of the foods or treatments mentioned below, consult your veterinarian to ensure they feel these recommended edibles are safe for your particular pet. Some herbs and veggies can irritate sensitive stomachs or interact with medications, especially for dogs with kidney, thyroid, or skin conditions. Always start small, introduce new foods gradually.

Bath time pamper

Rosemary (prostrate or upright) is a hardy (frost-resistant) easy-to-grow herb that will turn poochy’s bath time into a pamper, and contribute to a soft, shiny coat. Plant rosemary in well-drained spots that receive full sun (the prostrate form is excellent as a dry bank ground cover), or pop it into a pot and sit it on the deck. To mix up the bath time treat, strip the leaves from a stem of rosemary until you have a tablespoon of greenery. Soak it in 3 cups of boiling water for an hour. After the liquid has cooled completely, strain off the leaves and add the fragrant concoction to the rinsing water at the end of your dog’s bath.

Vitamin boost

Iron rich parsley is associated with vitamins A, D, and K. It’s an antioxidant and a breath freshener, too. All of which, in moderation, Fido will appreciate. Sprinkle, or mix through, 1/2 a teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley per 4.5kg of doggy body weight and Fido is unlikely to notice it as he scoffs down his dinner. To grow parsley well, think ‘head in the sun, feet in the (damp) shade’ and you can’t go wrong. Once this co-operative herb is ready to go to seed, let it! It will produce ample plants for the coming season.

Naturally calming

Some dogs love to travel and to have visitors to the house while others find these experiences stressful. One herb that is said to help with canine anxiety is lemon balm. This easy to grow member of the mint family enjoys damp soil and dappled light. It can be invasive, so growing it in a pot placed on a solid surface will prevent roots accessing the ground. Gather the leaves of your lemon balm over summer, and place them on kitchen towels to dry in the sun, or pop them into a dehydrator set on its coolest setting Crush up the resulting dry leaves and place them in an airtight jar with a food-grade silicon pouch to absorb moisture. Mix the herb into your dog’s food in the following rates: Lemon balm – small dogs (under 10kg) 50-100mg twice daily, medium dogs (10-25kg) 100-200mg twice daily, and large dogs (over 25kg) 200-300 mg twice daily.

Eat your veggies!

Dogs enjoy a range of vegetables in their meals but also as healthy snack foods. As anyone who’s ever had to help their pooch loose a little weight knows, the addition of vegetables to the bowl is the way to go! Vegetables are filling, full of fibre, and help your pet feel full without having to consume so much calorie-rich, fibre-deficient meat. Many of the vegetables best for dogs can be grown in your own garden. They include pumpkin (helpful for controlling both diarrhoea and constipation), broccoli (served in moderation as it can irritate the lining of the oesophagus and stomach if eaten in excess). Broccoli is a wonderful source of vitamin C, and it can be served raw, in small, bit-sized pieces, or cooked. Carrots are full of potassium and vitamin B6, as well as vitamin A which helps with the immune system as well as night vision. Low in calories, cooked carrot can be mashed through meat meals and also fed in bite sized raw form as snacks (avoid feeding raw carrots to dogs as it can be a chocking hazard).

Pumpkin and broccoli enjoy humus-rich soils augmented with a general fertilizer. Carrot should be grown from seed in ground that has been fertilised for a crop grown in the previous season. Don’t be tempted to add more fertilizer to the bed as it will cause your carrots to fork.

Providing your pooch with home-grown, health-promoting edibles is one of the joys of owning a pet – and so easy to do!