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They didn’t mention Cilantro.
-- Easiest Herbs to Grow Patricia Lanza Store-bought dried herbs can’t compare with the fresh, intense flavors of herbs straight from the garden. Herbs tend to be very easy to grow. All they need is good drainage and lots of sun (unless otherwise noted). If you plant them in pots, you can take them inside in the winter. Snip off leaves when you need them. To encourage leaf growth, remove flower buds when they appear. The easiest herbs to grow include... Basil (Ocimum basilicum). Basil is a key ingredient in pesto and a perfect complement for tomatoes. There are hundreds of varieties of basil, but I would nominate this Neapolitan basil as the tastiest. Basil is an annual that struggles in cold weather, so don’t plant it too early in the season. Trim the uppermost leaves and stems off basil plants (along with any flower buds) to increase the plant’s bushiness and leaf production. Excess basil leaves can be put in plastic food bags and frozen. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum). The leaves of this hearty perennial can be added to soups or used in fish or potato dishes. The blossoms are beautiful and tasty in salads. Snip the entire flowering stem off the plant when you remove a flower bud. Chives will flourish as far north as Canada. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum). Fresh parsley is wonderful sprinkled on fish, salads and other dishes. Parsley is a biennial (grows for two years), but its flower buds must be cut off as soon as they appear in the second year or the plant will not produce many leaves. Young parsley plants can take more than a month to germinate, so consider starting new plants indoors in a sunny window, then transferring them to your garden after the last frost. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Fresh rosemary stems can be placed in vinegar or olive oil for flavor, and the leaves are great in lamb dishes and in many sauces. Rosemary is a perennial, but cold climates in the northern US might prevent it from returning in future years. It can be grown indoors when provided with lots of sunlight and small amounts of water. (Overwatering causes more problems than underwatering.) Sage (Salvia officinalis). Sage is used to season meats, sauces, stuffings and soups. It is a folk remedy for sore throats when consumed as a tea. If you like hummingbirds in your yard, this particular variety of sage, when it flowers, is likely to attract them. Spearmint (Mentha spicata) or peppermint (Mentha x piperita). Add fresh mint to lemonade and fruit salads. Mint can become a bully in the garden, crowding out other plants. Planting this perennial in a pot is the best way to keep its invasive roots in check. Unlike most herbs, mint likes shade. Place your mint pot under a tree, or hang it inside your house near a window. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). There are hundreds of varieties of this perennial herb. It is a perfect seasoning for chowders and many other soups. Thyme can be tucked into rock gardens and between stepping stones. Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Patricia Lanza, who previously ran an herb farm and operated Lanza’s Country Inn in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. Now retired, she is the author of several books on lasagna gardening (a system of layering organic materials), including Lasagna Gardening with Herbs (Rodale). |
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