Garden Medley

When you grow an herb garden, your cooking can reap the rewards. Dried herbs really can’t compare to fresh in most uses.

The challenge can be keeping your herb plants producing. If you don’t treat them right, they die.

It’s not too hard to keep herbs producing once you know how to treat the plants. This includes watering, pruning and harvesting.

Be aware of the amount of water your herbs need. If the leaves are drooping, the plants need water now! How often you water will depend on the time of year, whether you keep them indoors or out and the overall climate.

When your herbs flower it is generally a good idea to prune the flowers. Flower production means the plant is going to quit producing leaves. You can generally extend the leaf production of your herbs by pruning the flowers.

Harvesting your herbs correctly can also improve production. This varies by type of plant. Cilantro, for example, can be cut fairly low along the stem. Just grow enough that each plant can regrow. Basil, on the other hand, you can hand pick the individual leaves you need. Sweet basil is actually a favorite snack of my children.

Sage, thyme and rosemary remain green year round and need annual pruning because of it. Compare that with plants that die back in winter, such as oregano and mint, that you can chop right down in winter and have fresh plants in the spring.

Cilantro and basil are annuals, and so if you don’t let them flower and generate their own seed you will need to get more every year. These are personal favorites, so I consider them worth it.

While you may want to grow your herbs in your kitchen, this may not be the best spot unless you have a lot of sunlight there. Most herbs love the sun, and you just won’t get a good harvest without giving your herbs the light they need.

Herbs taste great and are a healthy way to flavor your cooking. They’re also pretty easy to grow almost no matter how little room you have for a garden. Plant some for yourself and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: herbs, herb gardening, kitchen garden, basil, cilantro