If you love having fresh herbs at your fingertips here are a few suggestions on setting up an herb garden you will use and love:
· Plant your herb garden as close to the kitchen as you can manage. Your herb garden can be grown in a series of containers if that helps you locate it where it will be most convenient. If you have to go to too much trouble to get to and pick the herbs, you won’t use them as much.
· If you want to get the most pleasure you can from your herbs, plant them along walkways and where people will brush up against them. They won’t release their fragrances until something brushes or bruises them.
· Make sure to place your marjoram, parsley and thyme along borders. These plants only grow a few inches high and will get lost among taller plants.
· Dill, tarragon and coriander grow up to two feet high. If you have a walkaround garden, the center is the best place. If your garden is up against a wall or object then you’ll want to place these plants at the back of the garden.
· Grow bay leaves and rosemary in clay pots just beneath the soil of your garden. When the weather turns cold, dig them up and take them inside. They’ll continue to grow and you can enjoy their fragrance and flavor year round.
· Remember some herbs spread (like mint, wild marjoram and tarragon). Each year they’ll take more and more room. To contain their growth, confine their roots by burying them in a section of stovepipe. The pipe will keep them from spreading.
· Cut your herbs just before they flower for optimum flavor – that’s when their oils peak. If you’re going to store your herbs, it’s best to cut them midmorning on a sunny day.
· Store your herbs by freezing or drying, or in oil or vinegar. You can use the oil and vinegar as seasonings when you cook and in salad dressings.
· If you have refrigerator space, keep your dried herbs there, as they’ll keep better.
Post a comment