The Culinary Herb Garden:Planting, Maintaining and Using Culinary Herbs in the home garden


	Throughout the world various regional cuisines have developed from the cook's need to use what was available. Italians embraced Oregano, Mediterranean cooks found Rosemary and, in America, chilies became a hot item. Spanish explorers of the 1600s knew they would need to plant Herbs when they reached unknown shores or they would be forced to eat whatever the cook could find. This was a frightening thought! As a result, Monks distributed Sweet Fennel along El Camino Real, The Kings Highway, which connects the missions in California. Fennel can still be seen along Interstate 101 which traces this legendary route. What do YOU have to cook with? Junipers, Ivy, Bermuda Grass? Quick, plant an Herb Garden! Lucky for you, this is fun and exciting to do. It is more fun now than it has ever been. Life in today's culinary herb garden in not just about Basil and French Tarragon, but about luscious African Blue Basil and Sweet Spanish Tarragon, too.
		LOCATING THE HERB GARDEN
	It's wonderful living in the Modern Age. Fruits, vegetables and herbs can be flown in from all over the world at a reasonable cost. But, when you have the stove on and the pot ready, even the drive to the store is too far. There are three rules for deciding where to put your culinary herb garden. They are all about LOCATION, LOCATION LOCATION. The first rule of location is to plant your herb garden as close to the kitchen door as possible while still keeping in mind the other two rules below. Accessing your cooking herbs should be as easy as going to your pantry for that dried out and dusty stuff. A conveniently located culinary herb garden ensures you will use and enjoy your herbs daily. The second rule of location is to plant your kitchen garden in full sun. (If you live in a desert then afternoon shade is alright). Why, full sun? Herbs grown in full sun have denser foliage, darker color and higher levels of essential oils that provide the flavor you want. A shady location promotes weak, elongated growth that is reaching for the sun. This growth is inferior in form and flavor and frequently attracts insect pests that would not be a problem in a sunny spot. The third rule of location is to put your kitchen herbs either in their own garden or in the vegetable garden or another inconspicuous place where you won't hesitate to chop off a healthy portion. While many herbs are well suited for landscaping, you may find it emotionally stressful to butcher your perfectly trained Rosemary by the front door, or your uniform border of Hopheaded Thyme gracefully lining your driveway. It would be like trimming your drapes. Landscape plants add value to your home; vegetable and Herb Garden plants add value to your meal. Plus, herbs need to be pruned often to encourage fresh leafy growth, instead of flower heads. Hacking your chives back to the ground each time you use them is necessary to avoid useless grassy pieces forming side by side with plump spears. Imagine the hole this would leave in your ornamental garden. Plants pruned often can also be overtaken by their neighbors who are not being pruned regularly. This means certain death to your poor little culinary herb.
		IT STARTS WITH THE SOIL
	One of the greatest myths about growing Herbs is that they will grow in almost any soil. They are like all plants and prefer a nice healthy, loose or friable soil. Good drainage is an absolute must. Its easiest to amend the soil, preferably with compost, before the garden is planted. Herbs have coarse roots that benefit from chunky organic matter. These larger particles of soil also provide the air spaces necessary to keep the plants from drowning. Yes, plants do need air and yes they drown when they don't have it. Soil can also be improved by mulching the ground heavily after planting Barring the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, insects and microorganisms will compost and transport this richness down into the soil. It will take longer to improve the ground this way but it is still a worthwhile effort. Even if you only pile on shredded leaves, these natural amendments add the nutrients from the decayed plant which reduces the need to fertilize. Most herbs prefer a neutral to slightly alkaline soil and compost can help to regulate this.
		PRUNING THE HERB GARDEN
	HERBACEOUS HERBS Many Herbs are herbaceous; they die back to the ground in winter. Thoughtful pruning is not necessary for these varieties, just chop it off to the ground any old time. Usually this will be when you harvest or when you cut back to get rid of the flowers. At the very least, you will do this at the end of the growing season. Some herbaceous herbs are Oregano, Chives, Sweet Fennel, Winter Savory, Tarragon, Bee Balm and Mint. Herbaceous Herbs can even be mowed several times a year to keep them free from old and dead branches. Maybe an all Herbaceous culinary Herb garden would be a good idea. Except for the mint. Keep it out of the garden and in a well confined area, like a pot suspended in mid air. This plant is invasive and should NEVER be planted in your garden. EVERGREEN HERBS Evergreen varieties like Rosemary, Thyme and Sage require pruning at least once a year. Hopefully, you will be cutting often for the kitchen. If not, either in fall or early spring, you need to prune branches that are old and show no sign of new growth, those that are dead, and those lying on the ground or crossing other branches. When the branch of an evergreen herb reaches its maximum height (see our catalog for specifics) and starts to become woody, it will produce little new growth. If there are other shorter and healthier branches, the tall woody branches should be removed. This brings more light and energy to the best part of the plant. When harvesting an evergreen herb for the soup pot, cut only about one third of the foliage at a time. Always cut the stem to a section that still has growth showing. These pruning practices are vital to the longevity of the plant. ANNUAL HERBS All of the herbs mentioned under Herbaceous and Evergreen are perennial herbs. This means they live more than two years. Some of the culinary herbs are annuals. These include Basil, Chervil, Cilantro and Dill. The life cycle of an annual demands that it produces seed each year before it dies. The best way to have a continual supply of most of these is to plant new plants every four to six weeks during the growing season. Once an annual starts to make flowers it is difficult if not impossible to make it return to the production of leaves. And, when a plant is making flowers, it is NOT making leaves.
		GROW IT IN A CONTAINER
	Growing in containers offers several advantages. They can ornament your patio while bringing cooking Herbs to the brink (or sink) of sacrifice for the kitchen. They are mobile and can provide a temporary home while choosing the best permanent location. Container growing makes herb growing possible for many who have no growing ground. For some plants, like invasive mints, containers are the only option. When planting an herb pot, select a container that has at least a one gallon capacity. If you don't have a gallon pot, use a milk jug or any gallon container to measure your soil. Each plant will need its own gallon of soil. So, if you plant several together, make sure they have enough space by measuring your soil. Any high quality commercial potting soil with organic fertilizer mixed in should work fine. Adding one part perlite to three parts potting soil will improve drainage and suitability for herbs. You can also combine two parts fine textured humus/compost to one part perlite to make your own medium. It is preferable to plant only one variety per container. Different plants grow at different times at different rates to different heights. Inevitably one plant will take over the others or the foliage will be so mixed up you won't know what you are cutting. Strawberry pots are the exception to this rule, just don't plant a mint in one.
		THE HERBS TO START WITH
	Now that you know where to plant and how to prune, the fun part comes with the choice of plants. No doubt if you are just starting out, you will want the basics. Here's an outline for an Herb Garden that will satisfy the most recipes per square foot. It is based on the needs of a family of four who cooks often.
		BAY: 1 plant, at least. Grow it in a pot and bring it in for the winter in you have to; a bay tree is an absolute must. DILL: 4-6 plants. Like Basil, you have to plant in succession to have fresh Dill throughout the growing season. ENGLISH or GARDEN THYME: 4 plants. These are small plants and you might want to let one flower (for garnish and for the bees) while harvesting from the other 3. FENNEL: 2 plants. One for you and one for the butterflies. FRENCH TARRAGON: 4 plants. Even so you will never have enough. GREEK OREGANO: 2 plants, because you will put this in everything. MINT: 1 good Spearmint like Mint the Best or Kentucky Colonel Mint and 1 nice Peppermint. PARSLEY: 4-6 plants. Even though this plant lives two years, you should replant every spring for the best results. ROSEMARY: 1 plant, if you live where Rosemary is hardy; 2 if you must grow it as an annual and harvest and dry for winter. SAGE: 2 plants. You can choose from any of the forms of Garden Sage. They all have excellent flavor. SWEET BASIL: 4-8 plants. It takes 3 cups of fresh Basil leaves to make enough pesto to coat one pound of pasta. WINTER SAVORY: 2, maybe 3 plants, depending on how much you put in your spaghetti sauce. Of course, these are only general guidelines. But, this list is a great starting place for building your culinary repertoire. After you succeed with these, the Herbs of the world are waiting for an honored spot in your garden.
		USING YOUR CULINARY HERBS
	Using fresh from the garden herbs is definitely the ultimate reward for the hard working gardener. It is almost impossible to use all of the great bounty these simple plants provide. All summer and fall, the fresh cuttings for the kitchen are taken for granted. Wandering through the gardens and picking the herbs that will highlight tonight's meal becomes routine. The winter comes and the reliance focuses on what has been preserved. You probably already know from first hand experience what dries well and what doesn't. Whenever I cut for the kitchen, I always cut too much. Those snippings not used end up in a special dish my son made in Boy Scouts at camp one summer. When I don't have time to run out to the garden, those pieces, now dry, end up in the pot. Some of them have rich concentrated flavor when dried and some taste like dust or grass.
	TABLE FOR DRYING AND FREEZING HERBS

Angelica: Dry roots the first year, leaves and stems the second spring.

Basil: Freeze leaves whole or ground in oil in small zip lock bags laid flat.

Bay: Dry leaves.

Bee Balm: Leaves are really best when used dried instead of fresh.

German Chamomile: Dry flowers.

Chicory: Dry roots, leaves have no taste when dried or frozen.

Chives or Garlic Chives: Spears best fresh, but can be frozen.
Snip into pieces first.

Dill: Dry seed. Freeze leaves in bundles.

Fennel: Dry seed. Freeze leaves.

Lavender: Dry flowers.

Lemon Balm: Dry the leaves on the stems

Lemon Verbena: Dry leaves.

Spearmints: Best used fresh, dry leaves on stems.

Peppermints: Best dried leaves on stems, too strong when fresh.

Oregano: Dry leaves and flower heads while still green.

Parsley: Freeze leaves, Italian Parsley is better for this.

Rosemary: Dry on the stem and then pull leaves off for storage.

Sage: Dry leaves whole off stem or on stem and pull off for storage.

Winter Savory: Dry whole leaves on stems.

Tarragon: Best fresh, but can be leaves can be frozen on the stem.

Thyme: Dry or Freeze whole stem segments.

If you are just starting out, our Kitchen Herb Garden Six Pack is a good way to get your feet wet.

Or if you need to fill a large garden fast (and cheap), try our 36 Pack Basic Culinary Herb Assortment.

If you have gone beyond basics, our Gourmet Herb Garden Six Pack will tantalize your taste buds.

Of course, there is also the 36 Pack Gourmet Culinary Herb Assortment.

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