Culinary Herbs for the Home Gardener
by Scott Vlaun

An aromatic handful of torn sweet basil leaves, a cup of chopped Italian parsley, a few sprigs of thyme or marjoram, a bouquet of feathery dill... For anyone who loves to cook, the joy of harvesting fresh herbs from a kitchen herb garden or from windowsill pots is unsurpassed. Fresh herbs can bring culinary endeavors to life and are also attractive in the garden. Most are easy to grow, even in containers, and many perennial herbs, once established, can be relatively carefree. While nothing compares to freshly picked herbs, most culinary varieties can be easily preserved by drying or freezing, albeit with some loss of flavor.

Herbs are divided into annuals, biennials, and perennials with perennials classified as either herbaceous or woody. Herbaceous plants, such as lemon balm or catnip, die back to the roots each year and spread underground, while woody herbs, such as lavender and rosemary, form small shrubs that can be propagated from cuttings and are more common in warmer climates.

Annual herbs can grow and mature exceptionally fast: for example, dill needs to be successively sown for a continuous harvest of its feathery leaves. Slower growing annuals, including basil,can be continuously harvested throughout the summer by pinching back the tops to prevent flowering and seed production, with a final harvest of the entire plant in the fall. Biennial herbs such as parsley will produce for two years before going to seed. These classifications can be somewhat confusing especially because some herbs such as rosemary, which is perennial in warmer climates, can be grown as an annual in colder areas.

Sowing Herb Seeds

A few cold-hardy annual herbs, such as chervil or dill, are often sown directly in the garden; however, most culinary herbs—because of their tiny seeds, slower germination and growth rates, or cold sensitivity—are typically sown indoors and transplanted eight or more weeks later to their home in the garden or to larger containers for the patio, greenhouse, or sunny windowsill.

While there are many ways to approach starting your herb seeds, each requires an appropriate combination of moisture and warmth. Your seed pack should have all the information you need in this regard. One simple method is to thinly broadcast seed onto a flat of seed-starting medium, then cover lightly or simply press firmly into the mix. Water lightly and keep the flat moist but not soggy by covering with plastic or damp towel. When the seedlings develop a set of true leaves, transplant small clumps of three to six plants to small pots, then thin to the strongest one or two plants when the second set of leaves forms. You can also sow into cells or small pots, three to four seeds into each, and then thin to the strongest plant when the second set of true leaves begins to form. Seed starter kits with plastic covers and heat mats are excellent for this purpose.

Provide your seedlings with plenty of sun, strong artificial light, or a combination of the two for up to sixteen hours per day and feed regularly with a liquid organic fertilizer to grow the most robust starts.

Preparing Your Herb Beds

Choose a location for your herbs that will receive at least six hours of direct sun daily throughout the growing season. Your herb beds will want to be more carefully prepared than you might do for a typical annual vegetable crop. Because perennial herbs will overwinter and remain in the same location for many years, and because you will be harvesting regularly from your plants, you'll want to work the soil deeply and add generous amounts of compost for fertility and lime to buffer acid soils. While many herbs can grow in a wide range of soils and pH conditions, optimum growth and flavor for most herbs will occur in fertile, well-drained loamy soils with a pH in the 6–6.5 range. In areas where drainage is an issue, raised beds can be effective in providing your plants with extra air circulation and dry feet through the critical winter and spring seasons, when many perennials can be lost.

Transplanting and Cultivating Your Herbs

Once you have grown some healthy seedlings and prepared your beds, the next step is to move them to their permanent location in the garden. A week or two before transplanting, begin to get the plants accustomed to being outdoors. This "hardening off" can be accomplished by placing the plants outside during the day, beginning with an hour or two at first and increasing the period of exposure by and hour or so each day.

Transplant your starts carefully, avoiding the heat of the day as much as possible. Overcast days or evenings are good times to transplant; early morning will do in a pinch. Gently remove the plant from its pot and, if root bound, loosen up the cluster of roots. Place the plant in the loosened soil to the same level as the plant was growing in the pot. After filling in around the plant, leave a small depression and water thoroughly with a liquid organic fertilizer. Space plants generously to allow for good air circulation when the plants reach mature size. For beds of slow growing perennials, fill in the space with other annual herbs or flowers until the perennial plants fill in. After a few years, many perennials will need to be divided by digging them up and slicing the rootball with a sharp shovel. This is a good time to replenish the soil and pot some herbs for your friends.

Regular fertilization and/or side dressing with compost will help keep the herb garden growing strong throughout the harvesting season. A generous mulch of straw or other organic materials will help build soil, conserve soil moisture, control weeds, and prevent winter kill. Remove the mulch in the spring to allow soggy soils to dry out and to allow for adding compost before re-mulching for the heat of summer.

Water your herbs moderately: about an inch of water per week is plenty for most herbs. Where summer rains are common, mulching can reduce the need for watering significantly, or altogether. The soil should remain slightly moist but never soggy.

Harvest and Enjoy

Small amounts of herbs can be harvested at any time by trimming a few leaves or stems and, except for basil, herbs will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week or more. For more extensive harvests for freezing, drying, or pesto making, a good rule of thumb to keep your plants growing vigorously is to not remove more than 20% of the plant's vegetative material at one time. Of course, you'll want to harvest all your tender annuals before the fall frosts hit unless cloches, cold frames, or row cover are used to extend the season.

To dry herbs for winter use, loosely bundle and hang, or lay them out on screens, in a warm, dry place with plenty of air movement and out of direct sunlight. Small amounts can be successfully dried by placing whole plants or stems in loosely closed paper bags placed in a warm, dry location. Drying should take place slowly (in two to five days) and in temperatures under 100°F for optimum flavor retention. Store your dried herbs in tightly sealed containers in a dark place to retain maximum flavor and color. Fresh herbs can also be chopped and frozen for later use. Try mixing a selection of herbs in the right amount for a single batch of your favorite sauces or soups, then just drop the frozen block right into the pot while cooking.

Whether you choose to grow a few essential herbs in a pot in your kitchen window, or to create a chef's paradise in the garden, fresh herbs can enrich your environment, delight your senses, and enhance the flavor and nutrition of your culinary experience throughout the year.

Scott Vlaun
Editor


Photo captions: 1) Marjoram 2) Bouquet Dill 3) Summer Savory 4) Rosemary 5) Genovese Basil