Lemongrass!

  I hate mosquitoes! Louisiana is overrun by these horrible little monsters. While we are blessed with lots of water, we have to endure the torture of being bit by these creatures all summer long. Summer in Louisiana can start sometimes in February. I was recently told by a friend that if you plant lemongrass all along your porch, you won't have the pesky mosquitoes attacking on a warm summer night. Armed with this new information, I decided to start my lemongrass seeds. I hopefully will have an army of lemongrass to wage war this summer.

"Lemongrass is used for treating digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, achy joints (rheumatism), fever, thecommon cold, and exhaustion. It is also used to kill germs and as a mild astringent.Some people apply lemongrass and its essential oil directly to the skin for headache, stomachache, abdominal pain, and muscle pain.
By inhalation, the essential oil of lemongrass is used as aromatherapy for muscle pain.In food and beverages, lemongrass is used as a flavoring. For example, lemongrass leaves are commonly used as “lemon” flavoring in herbal teas.In manufacturing, lemongrass is used as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics. Lemongrass is also used in making vitamin A and natural citral"- WebMD

   Lemongrass is used in natural insect repellents which contain citronella oil. Lemongrass can grow up to six feet tall, so keep that in mind if you plant in the ground. It has a strong and wonderful fragrance so plant lemongrass along walkways and close to areas where you sit outside. If you have a big plant, do your neighbors a favor and start some in a pot and give them as a gift. Send the mosquito swarms to someone else's neighborhood.