Make way for the herbs.....
One of the easiest things to grow in a small garden are herbs. Even if you live in a townhouse or flat, you can still grow herbs on balconies and on your kitchen windowsill.
Wherever I can, I grow herbs. I have written about my love for borage before and even thought we don't consider some other herbs part of our diet, I grow many for their foliage, flowers or future uses.
Take bloody sorrel for instance...I have only recently discovered the beautiful red veined leaves can be used in salads when young, cooked like spinach when bigger or used as a meat tenderizer - and I was using it purely for color!
Then as a lover of all Italian food, we grow a lot of "Italian" herbs which are suited to pots - Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Majoram, Oregano....
My mom always had a pot or patch of mint growing under a tap in all the homes we lived in as I grew up...I have tended to copy her. As mint is an invasive herb it is better to keep it confined to a container.
I also try to grow at least 6 fennel plants each year. We use the bulbs in our delicious fennel soup and the fronds we dry and store or freeze in ice cubes.
My secret (well, not so secret now!) addiction is coriander (dhania or cilantro), which I grow wherever I can and I can grow it almost year round.
The two basic rules of growing herbs - they don't like wet feet (i.e. don't over water them and make sure the pot has good drainage) and plant them in full sun.
Happy herb gardening!
Wherever I can, I grow herbs. I have written about my love for borage before and even thought we don't consider some other herbs part of our diet, I grow many for their foliage, flowers or future uses.
Take bloody sorrel for instance...I have only recently discovered the beautiful red veined leaves can be used in salads when young, cooked like spinach when bigger or used as a meat tenderizer - and I was using it purely for color!
Then as a lover of all Italian food, we grow a lot of "Italian" herbs which are suited to pots - Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Majoram, Oregano....
My mom always had a pot or patch of mint growing under a tap in all the homes we lived in as I grew up...I have tended to copy her. As mint is an invasive herb it is better to keep it confined to a container.
I also try to grow at least 6 fennel plants each year. We use the bulbs in our delicious fennel soup and the fronds we dry and store or freeze in ice cubes.
My secret (well, not so secret now!) addiction is coriander (dhania or cilantro), which I grow wherever I can and I can grow it almost year round.
The two basic rules of growing herbs - they don't like wet feet (i.e. don't over water them and make sure the pot has good drainage) and plant them in full sun.
Happy herb gardening!
0 Response to "Make way for the herbs....."
Post a Comment