- Author: Patsy Babbitt
Culinary herbs are a great addition to your meals, whether you are a gourmet cook or just want to add some fresh-tasting flavors to your cooking. Growing fresh herbs in your garden or on your deck is easy, fun, and cheaper than buying them in the market. If you have a sunny spot and a plot of dirt or a few pots, this blog will get you started. Here, we cover what you need to know to get a bountiful harvest. Starting out with just a few herbs, you'll get flavors that brighten pasta and fish, add aroma and sweetness to salads and veggie dishes, and that elevate eggs, sauces and soups. In addition to their culinary uses, herbs are attractive in the garden and in the house as well! For each of the herbs described below, we suggest some common culinary uses for the harvest waiting outside your kitchen door.
Most herbs have similar growing conditions
Most culinary herbs need full sun and benefit from soil that has been amended with compost or other organic material to feed the growing plants and contribute to good drainage. Some herbs can be grown successfully in pots while others do better in the ground. The easiest way to grow many of them is to buy seedlings from the nursery, as starting herbs from seeds can be difficult and seeds may take weeks to germinate. Since you only need one or a few plants to provide your yearly needs, you are likely to find one seedling plant to be comparable in price, or just a bit more expensive, than the packet of seeds you'd need to buy. Watering requirements are not too fussy but can be plant specific, so if you are growing them in the ground, group them by similar water needs. Luckily, herbs are fairly resistant to major damage by pests and many of the strongly aromatic ones are not favored by deer.
A main way to classify herbs is by how long they live. Annuals grow for only one year and die at the end of the growing season so these have to be planted new every year. They typically have soft leaves on green stems. Perennials can live for two to many years and die back in the winter before starting up again in the spring. For the best flavor, both annuals and perennials are typically harvested just before they bloom. Try drying these most flavorful leaves for use in the winter. In general, dried herbs are more strongly flavored than fresh ones. Home-dried herbs often retain their flavor better and longer than bottled herbs from the market.
Five favorites to get you started
Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and Rosemary provide a broad mix of flavors for starting an herb garden. All are easy to grow in the ground, in raised beds or in containers and are not too finicky for first-time growers. Although available at the grocery in small and relatively expensive fresh boxes or packets, you can grow larger harvests that will last you through a full growing season for the initial cost of seedlings.
Parsley
While parsley is cheap to buy in the market, it's also easy to grow, and having fresh parsley just outside your door offers a quick garnish or flavoring for many dishes, including appetizers, casseroles, savory potato or macaroni salads, and other dishes. You even can use fresh chopped parsley to garnish frozen entrees cooked in the microwave. Formally classed as a biennial, parsley is typically grown as an annual. In mild climates such as Alameda County, parsley can be grown all year and will sometimes winter-over. A couple of plants offer a bountiful harvest as they will continue to grow as you harvest leaves. Two main types are available at most nurseries, Italian (flat-leafed) and curly. Italian parsley has a stronger flavor than curly parsley with the curly form used especially as a garnish to add just before eating. Swallowtail caterpillars eat parsley (and dill) so you may want to grow a few extra plants to support them.
Basil
Basils are available in many varieties, some of which are annuals while others are perennials. Basil loves full sun but will tolerate some afternoon shade just fine. Its stems can be pinched off to produce continuing new growth and to prevent them from flowering and losing flavor. If you grow tomatoes in your garden, you likely know that adding basil, mozzarella cheese and olive oil produces a fresh Italian Caprese salad that is one of the reasons to have a garden in the first place! These basils are annuals with large tender green leaves that also go well with fish and dishes that are enhanced by a sweetish herb. Basil, such as the green Genovese-type basil, is widely available in nurseries, but you can also grow these Italian-type basils from inexpensive plants sold in grocery stores. Instead of just harvesting those leaves and then throwing out the plant, transplant it into the garden or a bigger pot where it can grow much larger. If you have a large enough crop, you can make your own pesto from the tender leaves. Other annual basils are purple and have a slightly perfumey taste. Some “Thai-type” basils are perennials. They can be strongly aromatic and are used especially in Pho and other Asian foods such as rice noodle salads. If you have enough plants of any basil type, allowing some of them to flower provides a bounty for bees.
Thyme
Thyme is a woody perennial that grows well in most soils and needs less water than some of the soft-leaved annuals. It is best started in the spring from seedlings and produces exceptionally flavorful tiny leaves on green stems. As it matures toward fall, its stems become more woody and have fewer and less pungent leaves and can look unsightly. Pruning the stems in mid-summer encourages new and softer leaf growth and prolongs the plant's usefulness before the fall die-back sets in. As with most herbs, thyme is a powerful bee magnet when allowed to flower, so you may want to grow a plant or two just for the bees! Thyme winters-over well, especially in mild climates like those in Alameda County, and comes back with new growth in the spring. Thyme has a mild savory flavor and is among the most versatile of all herbs in its culinary uses. It goes well with meat, egg dishes, soups, casseroles, pasta and potato dishes, and even cocktails! The leaves can be easily stripped from the stems and used whole or chopped to add brightness to a salad dressing. There are hundreds of known varieties, including creeping thyme, which is often used as a ground cover. The most popular varieties grown in home herb gardens are the “English” and the slightly milder “French” thyme. Thyme grows well in pots that are at least 12” in diameter. Pruning both varieties may be needed to keep them green and compact.
Oregano
This perennial herb likes full sun but will tolerate some shade in mild climates. It's easy to grow and like thyme, it tolerates pruning to limit its growth and to lengthen the time over which tender green leaves can be harvested. Also like thyme, bees love its flowers. It can be successfully grown in a pot that is at least 12 or more inches in diameter. Compared to parsley, basil, and thyme, oregano has a big bold flavor that adds zest and strength to sauces, stews, meats, and tomato-based dishes. Add chopped fresh oregano to your store-bought or delivered pizza to jazz up its flavor just before you eat it. Even the woody stems can be used to deepen the flavor of stocks and soups. Tie the stems of oregano and other herbs of choice in cheesecloth or an old dish towel and throw this “bouquet garni” into the pot while it simmers, then remove it after the soup is done. The leaves hold their flavor well after drying and bottling. Marjoram, pictured below, is a slightly milder and sweeter relative of oregano.
Rosemary
This woody perennial has a strong flavor that is entirely unique. It can grow large when planted in the ground (2-3 feet in diameter height) and is sometimes used as a hedge along a sunny path. It produces a stunning show of flowers in early spring. It needs a big pot (usually larger than 16”) if grown in a container and will not tolerate being root-bound. Like thyme, it is drought-tolerant. Unusual among herbs, its leaves are evergreen and have a needle-like appearance. Their flavor is strong and uniquely savory, with a hint of pine. The young leaves have a high essential oil content. Besides poultry, rosemary pairs well with many other meats, roasted vegetables, and potatoes and adds a lovely flavor to bean soups. It also adds a special depth of flavor when combined with thyme and other savory herbs.
Besides the herbs described in this blog, there are many other herbs of different flavors and growth habits you may want to try out. These range from the chives and bunching onions to the sweeter flavors of spearmint and peppermint, the specialty flavors of tarragon, dill, and cilantro, and the stronger-tasting savories that include sage, and summer and winter savory. Leafy green arugula, sometimes classed as an herb, could also be considered for its piquant and spicy flavor.
Happy herb gardening!
Resources for more information
UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County offers an excellent and detailed blog on many types of herbs: https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/herbs/
UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County provides an extensive set of monographs on growing herbs on their “Grow Herbs” web page at https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/Grow_Herbs/ along with along with short culinary profiles of over 30 herbs compiled in their Environmental Horticultural Notes: https://ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg/files/116768.pdf
The UC Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Resource in the Home, garden, turf, and landscape pests section (https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html) describes management of pests that can damage herbs.
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