Aloe

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One of my favorite movies is a Clint Eastwood flick called “The Outlaw Josie Wales”. I won’t go into great detail about the movie but if you haven’t seen it and are an Eastwood fan like myself you should definitely put it on your Netflix queue.

During a part of the movie, Eastwood’s character, Josie Wales, meets up with a salesman that is selling a potion of sorts that he, the salesman claims can heal anything, is a wonder ailment and good for tackling just about everything. At that moment, the tobacco chewing Josie Wales expectorates onto the salesman’s nice white suit in which Wales then asks the salesman if it removes stains.

Well, I can’t tell you if Aloe vera (Aloe for short) will remove stains, like this salesman’s super potion from the movie, but it seems we use Aloe for just about everything from burns to bug bites and anything in between. The bigger question is, can you grow Aloe in your home vegetable garden to have access this “wonder” plant?

The answer is, it depends on where you live. According the USDA, Aloe is hardy in zones eight through eleven. It is able to survive in areas with low natural rainfall and is intolerant of heavy frost or snow.

If the plant gets infected with Spider mites and aphids it will cause the health of the plant to deteriorate and if you plant Aloe in pots (Terracotta pots preferred) make sure the pot has plenty of drainage and the soil is a bit more sandy.

Aloe, like most plants loves full sun, unless you live in a very hot and humid climate where they should be protected from the sun because they can burn. In areas of the country where cold, frost and snow sets in, it is best to bring your aloe plants indoors for protection.

Your best bet is to purchase an already established Aloe plant as it will make growing and caring much easier. Once full grown I can not guarantee that the aloe will remove the stain from your carpet, but it does help sooth sunburn (at least in my opinion).

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the administrator for the largest Vegetable Gardening page on Facebook. Join in the vegetable gardening conversation today with your Facebook account and find out how you can get 2 packs of seeds absolutely free.