Did you make a nutritional resolution this year? If it includes more home-cooked meals, consider planting herbs to help boost flavor and reduce the amount of salt. Herbs are easy to grow and can be ornamental, too. From pesto to persillade, you can use herbs from your garden to make your meals more flavorful and enjoyable.
Why Grow Herbs?
Flavor and Variety- Gardeners have more herbs to choose from than what is available in the grocery store, especially when growing from seed. Basil flavors, for example, are far more varied, and include cinnamon, lemon, Thai, and lime. You could also try growing different varieties of the same herb to see if you can taste the difference. I did this with sage and was pleased with the results. Taste-testing with family and friends can be fun! Keep a notebook with tasting notes and keep track of the varieties you prefer for different meals.
Convenience- Most herbs are easy to grow, given ample sunlight and good drainage. Pop a few plants into a container on the patio or add them to an existing vegetable garden, and you’ll have fresh, aromatic herbs to flavor to your meals. The convenience of harvesting herbs from your own garden may make it easier to make a healthy meal and skip the salt.
Cost savings- Growing your own herbs can also be more economical than buying bunches at the grocery, especially when they are grown from seed.
Which Herbs Should I Plant?
Think about your available space and whether you will grow herbs in a pot on the patio or in the garden. Also consider what herbs you use most often in cooking, and how much time you have to devote to your garden. A pot of herbs on a patio is an easy option for beginners and can be a lovely conversation item for guests. The most common herbs generally need full sun and good drainage, and growing herbs in a container makes it easy to provide this.
What herbs do you use most often when cooking? Do you want to stick with ones you know, or would you be excited to discover new options and flavors? Do you tend to cook a particular cuisine? For example, if you cook a lot of Italian dishes, you might want to include basil, oregano, and marjoram. If you grill a lot of fish, consider planting dill.
Seeds or Transplants?
Herbs can be annuals, biennials, or perennials. Depending on the herb and your date of last frost, some are best started indoors in a sunny spot. Others should be directly sown in the garden, and still others are grown only from transplants or cuttings. Check your area’s last frost date, as you may need to start seeds soon to act upon that New Year’s resolution.
So which herbs are easily grown from seeds? Here are some beginner-friendly herbs you can try this year. There are many more options to explore as you gain experience.
Herbs to grow from seed
Basil
Sage
Chives
Marjoram
Parsley
Dill
Borage
Cilantro
Fennel
Follow the directions on your seed packet for depth of planting and timing. Many herb seeds are very small, and you will need to be sure they are not planted too deeply.
Transplants can also be found at most garden centers during the growing season. If you have limited time or space for growing seedlings, this may be the best option.
Using Herbs
When using fresh herbs in the kitchen, you may want to add delicate, leafy herbs like parsley at the end of cooking to preserve the color, flavor, and vitamins. In general, you may need to use as much as three times the amount of fresh herbs as you would dried, so be sure to plant enough of your favorites.
Other Benefits
Growing herbs can be very rewarding. After a long day, walking out into the garden to choose aromatic herbs for a home-cooked meal can be a very pleasing ritual. And you’ll enjoy the boost of flavor for your meals that fresh herbs can provide. Many herbs attract pollinators, too, so you may be rewarded with seeing butterflies and bumblebees in the garden. Your New Year’s resolution may be more fun than you anticipated!
Camille Werther is the newsletter editor for GardenSMART. She has a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from LSU and is an award-winning garden writer. She also teaches botanical art and nature drawing. She is a member of GardenComm (Garden Communicators International) and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. She was formerly Production Editor of the Journal of Natural Science Illustration and was the recipient of a GNSI Special Projects Award for this work. Visit her at camillewerther.com
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Natalie Carmolli, Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs
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