If you decide to grow your own catnip for your cat, it’s best to do so indoors in a window with plenty of sunshine. You can grow it outdoors as well but it can quickly draw the attention of every cat in your neighborhood to your garden. Catnip also spreads and can easily take over your garden if you don’t keep it well pruned.
Catnip seeds can be purchased at garden centers , online and at many discount stores. Instructions on how to plant and grow it will be included on the package. Be sure never to let the plant flower as this will ensure that the catnip is at its highest potency. When it comes time to harvest and dry the catnip, first cut the branches and tie them in bunches, then hang them upside down in a dry and dark place. Once the leaves have dried then it’s time to carefully sort the leaves into an airtight container and throw out all the stems. Be careful not to crush or crumble the catnip until it is time to use as you’ll release its potent oil.
Catnip is quite easy to grow. In South Dakota, it grows wild everywhere, and people there think it’s the worst weed. When I first moved up there years ago, I tried growing catnip plants to sell. I couldn’t figure out why nobody would buy it!
It’s funny how cats respond to catnip. Some of them love it, and others could care less. I had a kitty who wouldn’t touch anything except the dried stems! She didn’t like it fresh and wasn’t interested in the dried leaves, either. She went for the dried stems every time.
But my normally sweet kitty was a mean catnip drunk. She would bite and scratch me viciously when she was under the influence, so no more catnip for her!