Tips for Your Spice Garden

Absolutely NOTHING beats the #flavours that #fresh #herbs can bring to any dish! Having your own garden not only saves a trip to the market but, it's very #economical and environmentally-friendly too!

Chadon Beni (Culantro), the Mother of All Herbs!

Having fresh herbs on hand for cooking is such a treat. Fresh herbs can transform an otherwise boring dish into something full of flavor and color. A herb garden can be budget friendly too. And that’s always a good thing.

If you’ve never grown your own herbs, it’s easier than you think. There are a variety of herbs that are easy to grow and many that are well-suited for growing in small containers. Whether you live on a large estate or in a cozy condo, if you have a sunny spot, there are herbs you can grow.

Basic tips for beginning a herb garden:

• Drainage. Most herbs prefer moist, but well-drained soil with plenty of sun. Very wet soils will not produce happy herbs.

• Not too much. Go easy on the fertilizer when growing herbs. If too much fertilizer is used, plants will produce large amounts of foliage with low quality flavor.

• In plain sight. Choose a sunny spot for your new herbs that will not be out of site, and therefore out of mind. If you can keep an eye on them, you can keep them happy, plus you will be more apt to use them.

• Keep it manageable. If you’re new to gardening, or space is limited, consider choosing two or three herbs to begin with. Begin with those you think you will use more.

• Read up. Each plant has different requirements for sun and soil. Be sure to do your homework, especially if you’re planning on different varieties sharing pots. Learn what specific needs are for each plant and if they will grow well in your climate. Also knowing which herbs are annual, biennials, and perennial will help you decide about how to arrange your plantings.

Recommended herbs to begin with:

• Basil: Basil is such as versatile plant! With so many varieties of basil, the creative culinary uses are almost endless!

• Culantro (Chadon Beni): If you enjoy culantro, you know that no meal is really ever complete without it! It is especially pungent but makes an excellent seasoning for your meats. If you’ve never grown your own, give it a go.

• Rosemary: A hardy plant that makes for a wonderful addition to landscaping. Rosemary is a perennial and in most zones will act as an evergreen. It grows like crazy. It can be used not only for cooking, but also for use in live floral arrangements throughout the year.

• Thyme: Fresh thyme makes a huge difference in taste. As with so many herbs, thyme can be used as a fantastic addition to your landscaping — not just restricted to your herb garden area.

• Chives: A simple sprinkling of chives gives a baked potato, or creamy soup take on another personality all together. And that perky green is flavor for the eyes.

• Oregano: Fresh oregano for sauces, pizzas and soups is a must. It's easy to grow too! Greek oregano is especially fragrant.

• Sage: Leathery leaves of the sage plant are so attractive and can add great flavor to many savory dishes. There are many varieties of sage to choose from.

• Mint: Mint is a great herb for use in many desserts and beverages, but Mint is extremely vigorous and tends to be quite invasive (as well as Lemon Balm and other plants from the mint family). It's recommended that you grow it in a container to avoid problems. Unless you have a bare spot of ground that you want covered. Even if Mint is grown in a container, the bottom of the container should be lined with landscape mesh or the like to prevent the roots from growing out the bottom and finding their way into the soil, because they will.

Happy growing, AND happy cooking!

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