Sweeten Your Garden and Meals - Stevia
Grow your own natural sweetener. Use leaves of the Stevia plant to sweeten soups, sauces, or beverages.
Grow it outdoors during warm frost-free weather. It’s a perennial in USDA zones 8 and warmer, so those gardening in colder areas must grow Stevia like an annual.
Check garden centers and mail order catalogues for plants. Place stevia plants 12 inches apart in full sun or light shade with moist well-drained soils. You’ll get the best growth and most leaves during long warm days.
Water thoroughly and whenever the top few inches of soil are crumbly and slightly moist. Be sure to mulch by spreading a layer of evergreen needles, shredded leaves, or other organic matter over the soil surface to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and improve the soil.
Harvest leaves as needed for sweetening your dishes. I often eat a leaf when I am having a sweet craving.
A bit more information: Wait for cool short days at the end of the growing season when the sweetness is most intense to make large harvests for drying. Cut, bundle, and hang stems upside down to dry. Knock leaves off the stem and save dried leaves in an airtight jar. Grind the leaves by hand or use a coffee grinder to crush the leaves and release the sweetness. Dried leaves stored in an airtight jar will last for several years.
Related
Article
Article
Article
Article
Article
Article
Garden How-to
Categories
Upcoming Webinars & Appearances
Feb. 8, 2023
WEBINAR:
Indoor Container Garden Design & Display Ideas
Register now
Feb. 10-12, 2023
PBS Wisconsin
Garden & Landscape EXPO
Madison, Wisconsin
Feb. 15, 2023
WEBINAR:
10 Tips for Growing Better Dahlias!
Register now
Feb. 17-19, 2023
NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show
West Allis, Wisconsin
Feb. 22, 2023
WEBINAR:
Grow Beautiful Water Gardens
Register now
March 1, 2023
WEBINAR:
How and When to Prune Shrubs
Register now
March 4, 2023
Milwaukee Public Libraries
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
March 8, 2023
WEBINAR:
Grow Your Own Flowers for Bouquets
Register Now
March 11, 2023
Home, Lawn & Garden Day
Bloomington, Illinois
Watch Melinda's past webinars ON DEMAND
Learn More