If you love good spices in your meals, you may want to consider growing your own edible herb garden. Be careful, of course, that you are planting edible herbs. These gardens can provide fresh spices for your food all year long. The best part is that many herbs are suitable for container gardening so you can grow them even if you don't live in a good area for gardening or if you have only a small space. Here are some of the common herbs you can grow to use in your kitchen.
Oregano is one of the most common kitchen herbs. It is in pizza sauce, marinara sauce, various casseroles and other dishes. The herb has a very strong, peppery taste, making it popular for Italian dishes. Oregano plants will get one to two feet high, so you should give them plenty of room. They are perennials, meaning that you plant and nurture them once, and they grow back every year. You will need to plant oregano seeds directly into the ground or container where you will keep them. Do not cover them. Instead they need plenty of sunlight to start growing.
If you are looking to go European with your herb garden, rosemary may be another choice. It is technically a sweet mint but has a very pine-like taste. Rosemary is the most intense flavor in many oil dipping sauces. It serves mainly as an additive herb to fish, poultry, and other meat dishes. Rosemary plants are perennials, but they grow well only in moderate climates. Rosemary plants are perennials, and they are huge. Slow growers, rosemary eventually reaches 6 feet in height. You can trim off pieces of the plant throughout the year, though, making it a great choice for your herb garden.
The Mediterranean native thyme is another good choice for your garden. Used in many French dishes and other chowders, thyme has a very subtle taste compared to other herbs. This plant is more difficult to grow, and it may not be the best choice for a beginner. The perennial will be very bushy so that you can just snip off some of the ends for your food. Thyme plants only grow to about a foot high at maturity. You can grow them from seeds or from propagated plants, but you will need to start them indoors. When the plant begins to grow, you should move it to its permanent home.
Basil is the fourth common herb that many people have in their gardens. An Asian plant, basil is a sweet herb that has a wonderful smell as well as taste. Basil is used in such a variety of dishes that there is no kitchen that should be without it. Basil is, however, an annual plant, so you will have to buy new plants or seeds every year. Basil should be planted in late spring, and the plants will need plenty of room for their room systems. They are great to have fresh throughout the summer, and you can dry them for use in the winter months.
These four herbs are the basics for any garden. You can get started with them and then branch out into other edible herbs, such as parsley, dill, and mint. Pretty soon, your kitchen will be alive with the smells and tastes of fresh herbs.
By Julia Mercer
