Thursday, March 15, 2012


Herbs Are Oh So Good!!

Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow. Evan if it is only a pot on your front porch. But I love to have them in the flower beds right out side the kitchen.

Especially in the winter there is nothing more satisfying and simple than snipping off just what you need and enjoying the garden fresh flavor without having to run to the grocery.

Here is my Top ten 'Can't Live Without' garden herbs.

1) Rosemary Use it fresh or dried, the flavor is fantastic either way..

Favorite uses: Chopped and sprinkled in pizza dough before I add the liquid, Holiday Gifts in vinegar or Oil.

Plant with: beans and carrots to repel: bean Beatles, carrot files, mosquitoes, & moths

2) Thyme is a low growing plant and is really a ground cover. It is perfect for edging beds or placing in the front of a mixed container planting. The plant is very hardy.

Favorite Uses Chopped and sprinkled in pizza dough before I add the liquid, Holiday Gifts in vinegar or Oil. Home made stews & soups.

Plant with: Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts to repel White Fly

3) Sage Love the smell of sage & I always use it fresh, but you can dry it too. Once you have a herb garden by the kitchen I cut it all year long.

Favorite uses: I like it in vegetable soups, After I open one of my canned soups, & I add
it fresh to the soup.

Plant with: Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts & Carrots to repel: Cabbage White fly, carrot root fly, moths, ants, ticks

4) Parsley Parsley is ones of those super foods that do more good things for a body than seems possible for just a little leafy green plant. Among other things, it contains vitamin C.

Favorite uses: I'll chop about a 1/2 cup and add it to my Potato Salad, It gives it such a fresh taste. You can make lots of things with it, and pretty much chop and sprinkle it on most every dish that comes out of your kitchen.

Plant with: Roses and Carrots. To Repel: Rose Beatles & Carrot flies

5) Basil This is the herb that you must grow. harvest leaves all season. Make sure you keep pinching off the flower heads so that the plant will keep throwing out new leaves all season. I seed this inside in Feb and then transplanting plants late spring

Favorite uses: Everything - Salads, pesto, pizza, sauces, and with summer's treat, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

Plant with: Tomatoes, Peppers & Asparagus. To Repel Horn worm, Aphids & White fly


6) Chives - Another perennial favorite

Favorite uses: I add it to anything that call for onions, It is really great in salads.

Pant with Tomatoes to repel Aphids

7) Mint - I strongly recommend growing this in a container or a contained are because it will fill whatever space you give it. It's a lovely plant to have around, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Favorite uses: In all kinds of juice, and lemonade.

Plant around your garden to repel, ants & mice.

8) Oregano. This plant also acts like a ground cover but it is generally polite and doesn't spread too aggressively..

Favorite uses: Chopped and sprinkled in pizza dough before I add the liquid. add to the pot when making sauce from abundant garden fresh tomatoes.

Plant with: Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts & Carrots to repel: Cabbage W
hite fly,

9) Dill: This a annual plat, so if you want this to season dishes in the winter make sure you dry some.


Favorite uses: Every one knows that it is good with pickels, but I also like to cook with it. It gives a great flavor to casseroles.

Plant with: Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts & Carrots to repell: Cabbage White fly, carrot root fly

10) Cilantro - Cilantro is easy to grow from seed and I start planting it about this time every spring. I find that it bolts easily so I think that it is handy to plant a few seeds now and then a few more every few weeks for the next month or more. This way, you will have a ready supply through out the summer.

Favorite uses: Gary's Salsa. While there are many other ingredients you could add to make a great guacamole, I think that you could actually get away with only two, cilantro and avocado.


3 comments:

  1. Bought some herbs the other day and will start them soon! I decided this year to grow herbs in my deck rail planters instead of flowers. I love to use fresh basil, parsley, chives and cilantro. Nice post!

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  2. Timely post, great info, thanks. I have designed my raised bed garden and Calvin is building the boxes. I have decided to use the center box to try one of those herb knot gardens. Check my pintrest garden board to see a pic and get back to me with any modification ideas you may have.

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  3. I did find you!! Nice to see you at the market today. (I'll have to give cilantro another try...)

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