Culinary herb garden

How to Create a Culinary Herb Garden

Herb Garden

There is something amazing about the astounding tastes and aromas that herbs offer to the kitchen. Each one has a different flavor and adds just a little added spice that can turn a dish into something that tastes straight out of a gourmet magazine.

The best part is that these herbs can be grown right in your own backyard, or even in your window sill inside. Creating a culinary herb garden is easy and fun. It can add to the decor in your home. The health benefits are just another reason that having a herb garden is a must have.

Can you just imagine cooking and then realizing that you would like to add of tad of free oregano to your pasta sauce, or some cilantro to your tacos and being able to grab them fresh? Here are 12 must have herbs for your culinary herb garden, tips to grow, and some special recipes to use them in.

12 Must Have Herbs for Your Culinary Herb Garden

OreganoOregano

Oregano might be one of the easiest herbs to grow. It is a perennial that offers a zesty and strong taste that is perfect to any Italian dish. Oregano is hardy and can even be used as ground cover in your yard.

When growing your oregano seeds, make sure to add them to your vegetable garden as it is a nice companion to vegetables. They need lots of sun, and plant them 8 – 10 inches apart. You can use the leaves fresh, freeze them or dry them for the winter time.

Dill plantDill

Dill is a great addition to soups, stews, and even added for home pickling. Dill is an easy to grow annual that is self-seeding plant with feathery green leaves. Dill does a great job of attracting the right kind of insects to your garden to help it grow – like wasps and other predatory inspects.

When growing dill, make sure to start from seed as dill does not do as well from transplants. Sow seeds every few weeks to help to expand the growing season.

Parsley herbParsley

Parsley boasts bight green feather-like leaves. It is great in soups, sauces, and salads, and also makes for a pretty decorative garnish. Parsley is a great source of iron and vitamins A and C.

When growing parsley start indoors from seeds 10 – 12 weeks before the last spring frost. Parsley is a slow starter, but not to worry because it can handle cold weather. So plant your seedlings 3-4 weeks before the first frost in the ground. When you are first planting the parsley seeds, water often to make sure they do not dry out.

Chervil

Chervil herbThis not so common herb here in the United States, but in France, Chervil is known as one of the four “fine herbs” and is used for medicinal and culinary purposes. Chervil is an annual plant that prefer cool seasons. The plant will grow 12 – 24 inches and look similar to parsley.

When growing Chervil, sow in spring and fall as they prefer the cooler weather. The seedlings tend to be fragile, so when planting, make sure to plant them in their permanent spot. They can thrive in both a garden or a container.

Thyme herbThyme

While there are over fifty varieties of thyme, it is the English Thyme that is used most often for culinary purposes. Thyme is a small perennial shrub that has a bold fragrance and a spicy flavor.

When growing thyme, it might be best to choose to use a friend’s cuttings to start off. While you can choose to start from seed, they grow slowly and their germination tends to be uneven. You can plant them 6-10 weeks indoors before the last spring frost. This herb makes a great companion plant with cabbage.

Sage herbSage

This hardy perennial is a great added culinary herb. One classic way that people use sage is in stuffing. The leaves are a grayish green and it has flowers that range from purple, pink, blue, and white.

When growing sage, make sure to start from seeds, the best way is to use a cutting from an established plant. Plant your sage next to rosemary, cabbage, and carrots. However, avoid placing them by cucumbers. The leaves of sage can be frozen or dried, but they are best fresh.

Chives herbChives

Like it’s family member the onions, chives are cool -tolerate perennials that do great planted in early spring. This invasive plant can take over your garden, but it’s benefits are worth it all.

When planting chives, they need constant watering throughout the growing season if you want to get the most out of your yield. Chives need to be divided after a few years to make sure for the most productive yields.

Tarragon herbTarragon

Tarragon has a light green leaves and tiny greenish or yellow flowers. The best variety for cooking purposes is a fresh tarragon.

When growing tarragon, you can’t grow them from seeds sadly. You will have to buy them from a store or take a cutting from an established plant. Plant in well-drained soil about 2-3 feet apart. Expect your tarragon plant to grow about 2- 3 feet in height. The tarragon plant should be divided every 3-4 years.

Basil herbBasil

Basil is the perfect addition to a culinary herb garden. Basil is a warm loving summer plant. It is great for Italian dishes such as making into a pesto sauce. There are a few different varieties that can be used for cooking. The most common is sweet basil. However, there are other types like purple basil, lemon basil, and their basil with has a licorice flavor.

When planting basil, start indoors 6 weeks before spring’s last frost. Seedlings should be planted about 10-12 inch and should be expected to grow about 12 – 24 inches in height. The key when you are growing basil is that the more to sow the more they will grow. In addition, you need to pinch off the flowers that grow at the top so that the leaves continue to grow.

Cilantro herbCilantro

Cilantro has a bold flavor and can turn any meal into something that tastes purely gourmet. Add cilantro to any Mexican dish such as rice, salsa, or even a quinoa dish.

Growing cilantro is easy to do in both a garden or a container. Cilantro can handle light shade. Cilantro are a self-sowing plant, so don’t be surprised to see little cilantro plants pop up where you might not have planted them.

Rosemary herbRosemary

Rosemary offers a sweet and resinous flower. Rosemary is a great addition to poultry, lamb, stew, and soups. This evergreen shrub with blue flowers are a great addition to your culinary herb garden.

When growing Rosemary, plant them 8 – 10 weeks before the last spring frost. You can start your plants from seeds to use cuttings from an established plant. Rosemary will need some room to grow as it will grow to about 4 feet and can spread to about 4 feet wide.

Mint herbMint

This perennial plant will blow you away with its powerful fragrance and is a great addition to teas, drinks. The vigorous nature of mint makes is a great addition to grow in a container, unless you are okay with it spreading all over.

The best part about mint is that when growing, it needs minimal care. You can lightly mulch to help keep the soil moist and the leave clean. If you are choosing to grow the indoors, make sure they are getting watered regularly.

Take Away

You will not be disappointed if you choose to grow a culinary herb garden. These 12 herbs are great additions to help you cook like a pro.

 

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