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By Marc Hess, Editor, Milberger’s Gardening South Texas
Herbs are great for filling out the gaps in your garden and are a nice bonus for your kitchen. Annual herbs can be colorful and low maintenance. We’ve all got them—those bare spots in the garden. Sometimes you can’t decide what to plant or you are not ready to splurge on mature plants. Maybe you’ve put in a new garden and it’s incomplete. Herb and annual seed packets are your solution.
But herbs are not just for your garden beds. Herbs also do very well in containers. There are many benefits to growing herbs in containers not the least of which is access. You can have fresh herbs growing in pots just outside your kitchen door. That way, when you’re in the middle of making dinner and need a handful of basil or parsley, it’s only a few steps away.
Different herbs have different watering requirements and growing them in separate pots is an easy way to control soil moisture. Of course, growing herbs in containers will also keep aggressive spreaders, like mint and lemon balm, under control and away from your garden beds.
Having fresh herbs on hand from your own garden or patio brings more flavor to your food and is more economical than buying fresh herbs at the store. Here are some tips for harvesting and using herbs in the kitchen:
➢ To harvest, cut off the herb branches that you want to use, without removing the entire plant. This way, the herb will continue to grow and produce.
➢ Store cilantro and parsley in a container with water in the fridge, with a loose-fitting plastic bag over the container. It will last for at least a week stored this way.
➢ Sage, oregano and thyme are all woody plants, and therefore their branches are not edible; be careful to remove all of their leaves when using them. If you are using a sprig of any of these herbs, say to flavor a soup or a stew, you can remove the sprig (and branch) once the food is cooked.
➢ Cilantro and parsley are not typically woody, and their stems can be eaten and taste the same as the leaves.
➢ Dried herbs are more potent than fresh. Use 3 times as much of a fresh herb as a dried herb.
➢ Dried herbs should be added at the beginning of the cooking process, whereas fresh herbs should be added at the end.
“When you first start out trying to grow fresh herbs, I recommend you begin by trying to grow from seedling or transplants rather than planting your own seeds. These great little starter plants are widely available for the same price as a packet of fresh herbs from the produce section” ~Skinnygourmet.blopspot.com
“Herbs are easy to grow and can have a large impact on your cooking with a minimal amount of space for the plants.”
~ Dr. Calvin Finch, retired Director of Water Conservation at Texas A&M
Perhaps the easiest herb to grow is mint and it is highly recommended for the beginning gardener. Other than regular water, it requires little care and is not particular about soil. It grows well in containers and window boxes. Outside mint can escape the bed and start growing like a weed throughout the garden.
The most popular summer herb is basil. The plant is attractive, and it is available in many flavors. Sweet basil is the most popular selection, but lemon basil, Italian basil, Thai basil, purple basils, and other variations are available. All the many basils have unique taste, fragrances, and appearance.
If you make your own salsa or cook Mexican dishes and have an herb garden, you probably grow cilantro. Cilantro is a cool weather herb that resembles parsley. The word “cilantro” is the Spanish name for coriander leaves. The dried seeds of the plant are called coriander.
