Tip of the Week: Herbal Delights

Posted in Gardening Tips on July 20 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.

The rule of thumb with most herbs is the more you neglect them the better they grow. Most people kill their herbs with kindness by over-watering and over-fertilizing them. If you care too much for your herbs, you will only end up with powdery mildew and rotting leaves.

Herbs generally thrive in well-drained soil and full sun. The only work they require is for you to pinch them back so that they don’t get leggy and go to flower. The handfuls left from pinching back can go straight from the garden into the kitchen.

While most herbs prefer a sunny site to grow in, some herbs thrive in a slightly shady spot. Some candidates for afternoon shade are parsley (Petroselinum), mints (Mentha), lemon balm (Melissa), and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus).

Cilantro (Coriandrum), chervil (Anthriscus), and dill (Anethum) are short-lived annuals. They go to seed after a few weeks, so multiple sowings a few weeks apart will ensure a good supply. They prefer the cooler seasons of spring and fall.

Sage (Salvia officinalis), thyme (Thymus), and lavender (Lavandula) are perennial herbs that generally make a happy home in your garden if they have proper drainage (particularly in the cold, wet winter months). They will need to be trimmed and cleaned up in the spring. Don’t cut them back until you start to see the buds swell and new growth is visible.

Mints (Mentha) tend to be slightly invasive. If you are planting them in the garden, place them by the edge of paths where they are given limited space. A nice trick is to plant them in a pot in the ground. Sink them in a plastic pot so that the rim is just being covered by the soil. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is stronger and Spearmint (Mentha viridis) is sweeter—the choice is yours.

Mint is not the only rambunctious herb in your garden. Fennel (Foeniculum) and shiso (Perilla) will seed all over the garden if you let them. To prevent widespread self-sowing, cut them back before the seeds ripen. I let my bronze fennel self-sow for a number of years until it started to engulf one of the beds in the garden. I let the purple shiso seed around for its ornamental value and then edit by thinning out unwanted seedlings.

The best time to harvest herbs in general is just before they go to flower—that is when they have the best flavor. Cut the herbs mid-morning before the heat of the day. The easiest way to preserve herbs is to either dry or freeze them. My favorite method is chopping them up and filling them up in ice cube trays with water. The frozen herbal cubes can be stored in a plastic bag and then tossed into your latest culinary creation.