GROWING HERBS

Growing herbs is very easy in the home garden and requires very little maintenance. Here you can learn how to grow, use, harvest and preserve them for your own day to day use

Many civilizations have been interested in growing herbs and using them in a variety of different ways. The ancient Greeks and Romans used dill and laurel to crown heroes and in the Middle Ages mint was important as a cleansing agent. The early Chinese used others in medicine, and still do so today, to prevent and even cure disease.

Rosemary

Many of the early settlers in America had a sunny corner of the garden set aside for growing herbs. These had many uses including remedies for illnesses, flavoring, strewing on floors and storing with linen. Others were used to improve the taste of meat before preservatives and some used for dyeing.

Today, growing herbs add fragrance and color to the home garden and they are often attractive to look at. If you wish to have bees visit your garden to help with the fertilization of fruit and vegetable flowers, then growing herbs will do this for you.

Growing herbs to use in the kitchen will also add a whole new dimension to cooking, giving you the flavor and  aroma of exotic places.

Growing herbs will provide fresh or dried leaves, or occasionally flowers, from the plants and generally have a mild flavor. They differ from spices, which are seeds, flowers, fruits, bark or roots which have a more pungent and stronger flavor. By growing herbs yourself you will find the fresh leaves contain more flavor than the dried ones that are available in the market.

Growing herbs in your garden helps repel some pests and insects thus reducing the amount of insecticide that is required, this practice is known as companion planting. For example, garlic planted near roses keeps aphids away and basil repels flies and mosquitoes.

Plants can be purchased from a garden centre to put straight in the ground but most can also be grown from seed. They prefer full sun and well drained soil. Most are small plants and don’t take up much room, in fact many people like growing Herbs in containers or even in pots as a houseplant on a sunny windowsill.

While you may be growing herbs just for cooking or for fragrance there are 4 categories and the plants may fall into one or more of these:

• Culinary- these have a range of uses in cooking e.g. parsley, sage, chives, thyme, savory, marjoram, mint, basil, dill
• Aromatic – pleasant smelling and can be used for perfume and scents e.g mint, marjoram, rosemary, basil, lavender
• Ornamental – bright colored flowers and foliage and can be used for dried arrangements e.g. chicory, thyme, mint, lavender
• Medicinal – thought to have curative powers but should be used with caution e.g. chamomile, garlic, peppermint

Italian Herb Trio	Herb Garden Growing Dome	Italian Herb Garden Kit

The best time to harvest leaves of the growing herbs is in the morning after the dew has evaporated but before the sun gets too hot. Use a sharp knife and cut just above a pair of leaves leaving 4 to 6 inches of stem, never pull leaves off the plant. For annuals harvest the growing tips but with perennials make sure the pruning does not misshape the plant.

Although fresh leaves have the most essential oil (which is what gives all the flavor) growing herbs also enables you to dry or freeze your own for when fresh ones are not available.

Growing herbs is a very rewarding hobby and yet is great for people who are time poor as they require very little maintenance.