Herbs To Grow At Home
Many homeowners have come to enjoy sitting on the deck, enjoying the lawn and landscape with the smell of fresh mint, wafting through the summer air. Herbs are not only great additions to soups, salads, pasta and all sorts of other dishes, growing them at home, in raised beds or even small, portable containers adds a bit of “spice” to the deck or patio. The thing most of us like most is, herbs are easy to grow, with edible leaves available in just days.
Typically, herbs should be grown from transplants. This means, the plant is fairly well developed the minute you place it in a sunny spot, in well-drained soil. Before you can say Rosemary, you’ll have some; fragrant and ready to add to a host of pasta dishes.
Below, are some of the easiest, most fun herbs to add to your patio plant collection.
Basil – Grow it from transplants. Basil loves hot, sunny weather. Keep it out of the shade. Cut leaves before flowers open up for the best taste. Basil can be planted two weeks after the last expected frost date.
Parsley – Whether curly or Italian, both parsley varieties are great additions to all sorts of dishes and salads. The great thing is, plant leaves can be harvested only days after transplants are established. Curly parsley tops out at about 10 inches, while the Italian variety grows tall, at 18 inches, offering that much more edible material.
Thyme – This herb grows about 6-8 inches tall with small, purple flowers. Plant transplants along the edge of your flower or vegetable garden for a great look while you enjoy the great taste with your favorite salad.
Lavender – While perhaps not as common a patio herb, lavender is used extensively for making sachets and wreaths. Transplants should be located in sunny, well-drained soil. Lavender can add a very distinctive flavor to a variety of dishes. Give it a try!
Rosemary – With narrow, leathery leaves, rosemary will add spice to your culinary life. Pick the leaves anytime to enhance the flavor of salads, soup or pasta.
Mint – Probably the number one, most common patio grown herb, mint comes in several varieties; orange, apple and peppermint, are examples. Why not try them all! Mint is known to crowd out other less aggressive plants so, plant it where there is room to expand.
Chives – Who doesn’t like chives! This small, onion-like plant, with narrow, deep green leaves can be enjoyed any time that enticing oniony flavor makes sense. With a bit of care, chives can and do survive winter to show up again the following spring. Trim off entire spears just above the ground and watch them re-grow in days.
The link here will provide even more detail on growing herbs at your home.
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