Herbs are easy to grow, even if you don't have a yard, and they add wonderful flavor to all sorts of dishes. This article provides information on choosing containers, choosing herbs, how to plant and what to do with them once they're grown.
Herbs are a wonderful addition to almost any meal, and they are easy to grow at home, whether you have a huge back yard or just a sunny windowsill.
In fact, container gardening is great for herbs because you can keep containers close to or in the kitchen so you will use them more, they contain the herbs so you don’t end up with a garden full of mint, and they provide a lovely decoration for your back porch, sun room or kitchen window.
Choosing containers
The sky is the limit when choosing containers for your herb garden. You can plant each herb in a separate terra cotta pot or plant a collection in a long window box.
Your only limitation when it comes to choosing pots for herbs is that you need to use containers that are food safe. Some glossy or brightly colored pots are made with lead or other materials you don’t want in your food.
Plastic pots are always safe, and most plain terra cotta is safe. Containers that are not safe for food will usually have a warning label, so it should be easy to find something decorative that will not be harmful to your family.
Most herbs will do well in small pots or with three or four plants in one long window box. Large plants, such as an old rosemary bush, can be planted separately in larger containers.
Seeds or plants?
Most people like the instant gratification of plants in the garden, particularly when it comes to herbs. You can start using the herbs almost immediately if you start with plants, while you will have to wait a month or more to use herbs grown from seed.
But some plants grow quickly and easily from seed, so it makes sense to have a combination of plants and seeds as the foundation of your herb garden. Buy plants of the larger, woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano and marjoram. For instant gratification you can also buy plants like basil and sage.
Start your more grassy herbs, like parsley, chives, cilantro and mint, from seed. They grow quickly and the tender plants do not like to be transplanted, so you’re more likely to get a good harvest if you plant the seeds in whatever pot you’d like them to grow in.
What should I grow?
It makes sense to grow herbs that you would like to use frequently, but if you’re not a big cook you might not know what those are. Start with the basics: rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano. Parsley is also very easy to grow. If you like Mexican food, add cilantro and epazote. If your food tends to an Asian flare, keep the cilantro and try lemongrass if you have a yard (it doesn’t do as well in containers) or thai basil. Chives are another great, quick-growing herb you can use on potatoes, in salads or with pasta.
These herbs all like a lot of sun and well-watered soil. If you notice that the herbs start wilting (basil especially will let you know when it’s unhappy), move the plants out of direct sunlight for at least part of the day.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to keep your herbs over the winter or you may have to replace some each year. Basil, thyme and sage tend to die after a frost. Rosemary is somewhat more hardy but will die after a hard frost. The tender grassy herbs will die back in cold weather, but if you allow some of the plants to go to seed (the herb will flower and make seeds, which will eventually fall to the soil) you might be surprised to find the plants come back on their own each year.
If your rosemary, thyme or oregano plants freeze, you can still use the herbs. They basically freeze dry and are still fine to use even though they will have lost their color. If you want to preserve other herbs at the end of the season, cut long stems of the herb and hang them upside down in a cool dry place for a couple of weeks until they are dry, then harvest the leaves and store them in an airtight container.
How can I use herbs?
If you haven’t cooked a lot with fresh herbs in the past, they do take a little getting used to. Fresh herbs are not as strong as dried, so if you are substituting fresh herbs in a recipe that calls for dried, you will need about three times as much of the fresh herb. A recipe that calls for one teaspoon of dried rosemary would require a tablespoon (three teaspoons) of fresh.
Fresh herbs are also more sensitive to heat than dried herbs. If they are left on heat too long they often become bitter. Add your fresh herbs as close to the end of cooking as possible or simply sprinkle them on after the dish has been removed from the heat. The warmth of the food will still allow the flavor of the herbs to penetrate, but they will not become overpowering.
Here are some ideas for how you can use different herbs in your cooking:
Rosemary
lamb, chicken, pork, roasted vegetables, Italian dishes, it’s great with lemon and olive oil
Basil
tomato sauce, pizza, pasta, pesto, lamb, makes a great garnish on salads (stack the leaves on top of each other, roll into a cigar shape and thinly slice), good with roasted garlic in mashed potatoes
Thyme
A wonderful addition to any meat, especially chicken and lamb, good with pasta or vegetables, it’s quite mild flavored
Sage
Well known for its affinity with poultry, sage is good on roasted meats, in stuffings and makes a lovely garnish
Oregano
A great choice for any Italian dish, it’s also delicious on meats
Mint
Add to a lamb spice rub for a taste of the Mediterranean, use it for tea or mint juleps
Cilantro
A great spicy addition to both Mexican and Asian dishes, try it in salsa, burritos, rice and other dishes, people either love or hate its bold flavor
Parsley
Though not usually regarded as a flavorful spice, parsley is good for brightening the flavors of dishes and as a palate cleanser, use it on anything
Epazote
Known as the bean herb in Mexican cooking, it is said to reduce gas from eating beans, so add some to your next pot of chili
Lavender
Yes, you can actually eat lavender, it’s good on mildly spiced foods, like chicken with lemon and lavender, or in a soothing tea
Expanding your herb education
Once you get started growing and using fresh herbs you will probably want to start growing even more and cooking more with them. Consider the foods you make most often and what spices would be useful for you to have.
If you make tea often, you could have a whole container of tea herbs including different “flavors” of mint, lemon balm, lavender and chamomile. Visit your local garden supply store in the spring to see all the possibilities and perhaps find something new to try.
Gardening and cooking are both creative, experimental efforts. Have fun with your herbs and your food and you will learn a great deal about both.