Herb Gardening

I LOVE GARDENING AND I LOVE COOKING. What better way to celebrate both than by growing my own herbs? Fresh herbs are a great addition to any dish. They add color and flavor and can help reduce the use of salt. The famous Mediterranean diet uses many herbs in its dishes. Herbs work well in the landscape and containers. They are primarily drought-tolerant and don’t require much care. In addition, they attract beneficial insects and make good companion plants for vegetables. Many varieties are hardy and will grow for several seasons, and some that reseed may naturalize in the landscape.

If you cook regularly, consider growing herbs in a kitchen garden or in containers on a deck or patio. The idea is to have them close at hand when you’re prepping dinner. I have the ones I use the most on the deck just outside my kitchen and additional varieties by my raised beds outside my garage. That way, when I’ve forgotten to gather them in daylight I can dash outside and pick a few sprigs. I make pesto and dry herbs for winter use, so I also grow some types, like basil, in my in-ground garden beds. You can grow more than one herb in a container. Each one won’t get as big as if they are in its own pot, but it uses less space. For a pleasing composition, remember thriller, filler, spiller (upright, medium height, and trailing/mounding), and foliage texture.

A nice combination is upright rosemary, chives, and thyme. Or sage, parsley, and summer savory. Mint and oregano really need their own pot, as they spread underground.

What do herbs need? Most herbs generally prefer full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. While a few need a little bit more water, most don’t want to be overwatered. In the ground, mix in a soil conditioner or compost with native soil. In containers, use good-quality potting soil. I like to add an organic starter fertilizer when I plant.

Herbs are easy to dry. Cut stems in the morning when the essential oils are highest. It is best to harvest for drying before the plant flowers. Bunch the stems with a rubber band and hang them upside down in a dry, dark location for the best color. I use a wooden clothes dryer in my garage, but I have also hung them from a shower curtain in an unused bathroom with a skylight. The leaves were faded, but the taste was good. You can use a food dehydrator. If you harvest too many leaves for cooking, you can lay the extra ones on a paper towel and allow them to air dry. When the bundles are completely dry and still upside down, run your fingers down each stem to easily remove the leaves. I save empty spice containers and other small glass containers to store them in.

By Brenda Powell

Herbs may be annual, biennial, perennial, or perennial treated like an annual due to winter temperature. An annual grows, produces flowers and seeds, then dies all in one season. A biennial grows the first year, produces flowers the second year, and then dies. A perennial does not die after producing a seed. Non-hardy perennials die when temperatures get too cold. Some perennial herbs spread and/or reseed.

You should grow what you use in cooking, although trying something new is always fun. Here are the most popular herbs and some tips about their habits and care.

BASIL: An annual. Harvest frequently and remove flowers as they form to get the most out of a plant. Cutting them back generates some decent regrowth or you can replant them through the season. Not hardy and will die with the first frost. Don’t plant outside too early. Grows easily from seed. My favorite to use for pesto is “Genovese”.

PARSLEY: This is a biennial, but I recommend planting new ones each year. I use it so much that I replant it in late summer to last through the winter. It’s the herb I use the most often to brighten up a dish. Great on seafood dishes. I prefer Italian flatleaf parsley for cooking.

ROSEMARY: This hardy, evergreen perennial comes in upright and trailing forms. When it becomes really woody, the plant may need to be replaced, but they usually last 3-5 or more years. Thick stems can be used as skewers for barbequing, imparting their flavor to the fish or meat. The leaves are tasty with meat, fish, vegetables, and in cocktails. The early, blue flowers are a bonus.

FRENCH TARRAGON: A tender perennial that usually comes back here. My favorite French chef told me he replants it every year for the best flavor, so that’s what I do. It is used in bearnaise sauce and bouillabaisse. My husband’s favorite dish I make is a pseudo bouillabaisse courtesy of Nigella Lawson that uses this herb as well as saffron.

THYME: The herb I use most overall. It is an evergreen perennial. Great in soups, rice, pasta and with poultry. Thyme is great planted in the landscape, but also works well in containers. English and French types are tasty. Lemon thyme adds a citrus flavor to dishes and sparkles in the garden with yellow variegated leaves.

MINT: Peppermint, spearmint, orange mint, mojito mint and more. This is a perennial herb that needs to be contained in some fashion as it will spread everywhere. I like to plant mints in pots, but eventually, they get rootbound and I replace or divide. Excellent to dry for tea and use fresh in many middle eastern dishes as well as salads.

An annual. The fernleaf variety produces more leaves and is slower to flower. Leaves are tasty on seafood and in cucumber salad. Seeds are used in pickles.

CILANTRO: An annual that goes to seed quickly. Used frequently in Mexican dishes and salsa. As I am one of those weird people that dislike the taste, I do not grow it. My expert said that it likes plenty of water and likes to be cool. A little shade in the summer helps, but not too much. It lasts longest if harvested continuously. Select a “slow-bolting” variety.

Brenda is an owner at the famed Garland Nursery in Corvallis.