Grow your Herbs

[safeness]

Do you grow your own herbs like parsley, mint or basil. I´ve tried it and it worked out fine. I´m going to do it again.

[weasel!]

Yes! There is absolutely nothing like it in terms of flavor.

I like to grow parsley (both flat and curly), thyme, stevia, basil, dill, epazote, oregano, chives, lemon verbena, peppermint, chocolate mint, sage, tarragon and savory. And whatever other fun thing I can think of. (I haven't had luck with cilantro, and I'm too far north for rosemary.)

Throughout the growing season, I run out to the garden and snip a little of this and a little of that when I'm cooking.

At the end of the season, I snip everything edible, give it a rinse and a spin in the salad spinner, and stash loosely in labeled quart zip-top bags. Then freeze for use all winter long.

[ellenwyo]

I grow thyme, stevia, chives and lots of basil from which I make fresh pesto all summer. Fresh thyme in your morning eggs is really wonderful.

[electricfeel]

i wish i could grow my own herbs. unfortunately, it takes a special license to do so in california.

[weasel!]

Originally Posted by electricfeel

i wish i could grow my own herbs. unfortunately, it takes a special license to do so in california.

Can you point us to a source to read about that?

[electricfeel]

Originally Posted by weasel!

Can you point us to a source to read about that?

i was making a joke... didn't go over so well, i guess. anything else i mention will surely get this thread closed, so i'll leave it at that.

[weasel!]

Ohhhhh! Got it, there's a great chapter in Botany of Desire.

[electricfeel]

LOVE botany of desire. the chapter on potatoes is scary as all hell.

in the original spirit of this thread, i tried to plant cilantro, chives, and parsley last spring. they didn't last, but i live in a desert, so i imagine that has something to do with it. i was really bummed. i'm going to give it another try after researching some more... i imagine it's trickier with our heat...

[enelkay]

I grow Italian parsley, curly parsley, Rosemary, dill, basil, cilantro, thyme, chives, oregano, arugula and mint. It's amazing how much better fresh herbs taste than dried.

I also grow Meyer lemons and key limes, both of which bear fruit year round. I squeeze their juice and freeze it in ice cube trays. I also scrape off the very outside of the peel and freeze that. So I always have lemon and lime juice and zest when I need it.

[pocahontas]

I want to but havent tried it yet. We eat tons of herbs but I am not sure how well they will grow at the beach (I am literally on the water). I need to research it as well as what to grow them in as we only have a large patio. I want chives, italian parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil as those are the ones we use regularly.

[wcwendy]

I have:
sorrel
thyme
oregano
tarrragon
lemon thyme
garlic

peppermint
chocolate peppermint
spearmint
pineapple mint

Yearly, I like to add:
cilantro
Thai basil

I've also grown:
curry
oregano-thyme, which I loved!

**
I have way too much dried oregano--I need to remember to give some to my mom. We have enough dried chocolate peppermint for tea everyday!

In the summer, I like to add a sprig of chocolate peppermint to a glass pitcher, pour a little hot water on it to help to release the oils, then fill the pitcher with cold, filtered water. Oh, it is so good!

[tamari]

I've grown basil, oregano, rosemary, mint, parsley, sage, and thyme in the past. I miss having a yard so much. I might try some in my windowsill this spring, since my apt faces south, but I probably get only about 6hrs of sun daily (I'm in a weird shaped building).
My rosemary was a trooper, it lived through dozens of blizzards!

I loved making "Simon & Garfunkel" roast chicken with my parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

[weasel!]

Last summer I discovered marjoram. Fresh marjoram is a lot like oregano, but grows more profusely. Tastes wonderful!

[tomswife]

I liked to grow a veriety of herbs. Occassionally I'll grow mint because it's so easy and smells so good but every year it just sits there unpicked because I have no idea what to do with it. Last year I grew pineapple mint and chocolate mint.. Smelled awesome but again, just sat there and died :-)
What do you guys do with mint?

[Babs101]

Originally Posted by enelkay

I also grow Meyer lemons and key limes, both of which bear fruit year round. I squeeze their juice and freeze it in ice cube trays. I also scrape off the very outside of the peel and freeze that. So I always have lemon and lime juice and zest when I need it.

I do all the herbs mentioned and experiment with any mint I can find. I use the mints for ice cold drinks throughout the summer.

Hi Nadine, my MIL brought home 1 Meyer lemon for me from Florida. Do you have a great recipe for me?

[tomswife]

[QUOTE=Babs101;11548955]I do all the herbs mentioned and experiment with any mint I can find. I use the mints for ice cold drinks throughout the summer.


Do you just throw the leaves in there or crush them up?

[wcwendy]

Originally Posted by tomswife

Do you just throw the leaves in there or crush them up?

I don't know about Babs, but we use them whole. If you bruise/cut/crush them a little, more flavor will come out. I like them whole so that it's easier to not drink them or to take them out of the glass.

[Tesaje]

I love herb gardening. They are so pretty and easy and smell so wonderful. I grow and use basil, parsley (usually flat), tarragon, chives (love those chive flowers), sage, cilantro (volunteers every year), dill, hyssop, lavender, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, lemon thyme, mother of thyme, woolly thyme, curry plant, lemon verbena, lemon balm, French sorrel (so good with asparagus), oregano, saffron crocus. I also like to use pansy flowers and rose petals in cooking and salads.

I love to go out with my basket and pick the flavors of my meal. I also have some chocolate mint out there trying to take over the world.

[fluffybear2]

I can't dig in my yard since we have underground utilities, but I have a deck garden where I grow all my herbs in pots. Plus I grow vegetables in a community garden down the road.

[Charski]

MMmm, love to garden! I just started some lemongrass seedlings - hope they make it.

I have, year-round, rosemary, oregano, Greek oregano, thyme, parsley, chives, and mint. Seasonally I grow basil, garlic, onions, shallots.

We have a dwarf Meyer lemon and that thing is loaded with fruit most of the time. We also planted a dwarf Bearss lime a year or so ago in a container (big half-barrel) and it has a few limes coming ripe this year.

There is nothing like going out and snipping fresh herbs you've grown yourself!

[enelkay]

We started out with "just a couple" of herbs to experiment, and they've sort of taken over. All of them are on the east-facing deck in front of our house, protected by a half-wall, and in pots of varying sizes.

We started most of them in small containers set on a shelf in front of our dining room window where we could watch them grow from indoors. As they got bigger they were transplanted to large containers, and then in some cases even larger ones. We group the containers so the taller ones are in the back, and leave little paths between them to allow us to care for the plants and cut them when we need them. They make as beautiful a display as the begonias we used to have there. And most of them live happily there year-round. We've had a terribly cold winter this year, and so far the only thing we lost was the mint.

Our Meyer Lemon and Key Lime were sort of an accident. We bought it as a Meyer Lemon, and it wasn't until it started bearing that we realized there were two small trees in the pot, and that one of them was a Key Lime. We kept them on the deck, too, in a very large pot, until this past fall when they got too large, and then we planted them (together because the roots were so entwined we figured it would kill them to try to separate them) in the back yard just outside the pool enclosure. We've babied them through our unusually cold winter this year, covering them with a light blanket every time the temperature goes down anywhere near freezing, and so far they seem to like it where they are.

[weasel!]

Originally Posted by tomswife

I liked to grow a veriety of herbs. Occassionally I'll grow mint because it's so easy and smells so good but every year it just sits there unpicked because I have no idea what to do with it. Last year I grew pineapple mint and chocolate mint.. Smelled awesome but again, just sat there and died :-)
What do you guys do with mint?

Me too!

[Criosa]

I have a smallish lot, but have been taking out a lot of ornamental plants for herbs and vegetables. I grow chives, oregano, lemon thyme, thyme, stevia, lavender, catnip, chamomile, tarragon, calendula, basil, parsley... maybe more I can't think of right now. I want to add mint. I remember growing it before and it took over. The chocolate mint sounds wonderful! I also want to grow some comfrey for making salve. I used to drink comfrey tea, now I hear its bad for your liver - but like many things it probably means not to drink in super excess. I planted a red currant cutting last year, and can't wait to see if it survives the winter. It's buried in snow right now, which is thankfully melted down somewhat. I bought some huge garlic bulbs last year to plant, and forgot to plant them. I've been eating them.

Weasel, I'm a little northeast of you and I too have trouble with cilantro. I know they grow it here, because many people sell it at the market all summer long. One year I just sprinkled some seeds on the soil, slightly covered them, and they popped up abundantly. That was just the one time. Last year I had one little sad looking plant that I was afraid to use any of. I wish I could figure it out. I'm going to try again this year. I'm also going to try growing rosemary in a pot that I can bring inside for the winter. I used to have a huge rosemary patch in California. I miss it.

Criosa

[Sandra2005]

I bought some Herb seeds to start growing.. how soon should I start them?

[enelkay]

Originally Posted by Sandra2005

I bought some Herb seeds to start growing.. how soon should I start them?

That depends on what kind of herbs, where you plan to grow them (indoors or out), whether you plan to grow them in pots or in the ground, and the climate where you are.

Before I even bought my seedlings and seeds I started out by googling "growing herbs" and "Florida" and found dozens of sites. I read relevant parts of all of them, and eventually found a good site that was aimed directly at my area of Florida. I printed out the individual info for each type of herb I wanted to grow.

For some of them it recommended growing from seed, and for others it suggested buying seedlings, and it told me just what time of year to start each different variety and what conditions they prefer. For some of them once they're well started you'll hardly have to do anything to keep them going for years -- just see that they have enough food or water. Others should be re-planted from seed year after year, and still others can be grown from cuttings of the original or new plants can be grown by separating out and replanting clumps off the old one.

Since you already have the seeds, you might google "growing" along with the names of the herbs you have the seeds for, along with "WA." I'm sure that with a little work you can find instructions.

Good luck with it. Once you get going on your project, you'll probably be as hooked as the rest of us are on growing your own herbs.

[Tesaje]

If you have basil seeds, they are very frost sensitive. The seed packet should tell you how long it will take to sprout and start before the last frost.

Parsley seeds are very hardy and need to be frozen (its called scarification) before they will sprout. They can take quite a while to sprout.

Most of the common culinary herbs originated in the Mediterranean and don't like rich soil, or too much water. Most of them need good drainage and a neutral to alkaline soil. It makes them easy to grow unless you have a heavy clay and wet soil. Mine do especially well near gravel or concrete paving because that raises the pH of the soil plus I have better drainage near them. Many herbs fail with too much attention or a soil that is too rich.

It is a lot easier to start with plants for most of them. Oregano and tarragon seeds are notorious for not being true to the kind. Many of them need specific conditions before the seeds will sprout and getting them going can be tricky.

Easy from seeds include cilantro and dill.

There is a ton of growing info on the web and there is bound to be gardeners in your area that will know how things do there..

[Tesaje]

Originally Posted by Criosa

I also want to grow some comfrey for making salve. I used to drink comfrey tea, now I hear its bad for your liver - but like many things it probably means not to drink in super excess. I planted a red currant cutting last year, and can't wait to see if it survives the winter. It's buried in snow right now, which is thankfully melted down somewhat. I bought some huge garlic bulbs last year to plant, and forgot to plant them. I've been eating them.

Most herbalists warn against ingesting comfrey. The recommended uses are to make a tea or poultice and use it on external bruises and stuff. It is a big plant so make sure you have room for it. The leaves are good for mulching other plants with them too. Personally, I don't take any chances with my liver. There are so many unavoidable things that affect it that I don't think it wise to add an herb known to assault it too.

You can plant the garlic in the early spring - as soon as you can get them into the ground.

I have red current. Two of my 4 bushes survived and have been doing well for years now. I get a few quarts of fruit from them each early summer if I get them before the birds do.

I also forgot the lovage I have. It has a celery flavor but is a lot easier to grow.

[Criosa]

[QUOTE=Tesaje;11561616]Most herbalists warn against ingesting comfrey. The recommended uses are to make a tea or poultice and use it on external bruises and stuff. It is a big plant so make sure you have room for it. The leaves are good for mulching other plants with them too. Personally, I don't take any chances with my liver. There are so many unavoidable things that affect it that I don't think it wise to add an herb known to assault it too.You can plant the garlic in the early spring - as soon as you can get them into the ground.I have red current. Two of my 4 bushes survived and have been doing well for years now. I get a few quarts of fruit from them each early summer if I get them before the birds do. QUOTE]

Yeah, I don't plan to drink the comfrey. I made a salve last year with it, and it has become my favorite one - actually it's close with calendula salve.

I wondered about the garlic. I read it takes 4 months to grow. I've never done early planting here. We cover our garden area with leaves and mulch, and then after everything is thawed out nicely, we mix it up with good compost and fertilizer - then plant things. I'm wondering if I can just push aside the mulch and plant the garlic, or if the ground has to be prepared to get it to grow good. It was so much easier to do these things in the Calif. valley.

[Tesaje]

[quote=Criosa;11561720]

Originally Posted by Tesaje

Most herbalists warn against ingesting comfrey. The recommended uses are to make a tea or poultice and use it on external bruises and stuff. It is a big plant so make sure you have room for it. The leaves are good for mulching other plants with them too. Personally, I don't take any chances with my liver. There are so many unavoidable things that affect it that I don't think it wise to add an herb known to assault it too.You can plant the garlic in the early spring - as soon as you can get them into the ground.I have red current. Two of my 4 bushes survived and have been doing well for years now. I get a few quarts of fruit from them each early summer if I get them before the birds do. QUOTE]

Yeah, I don't plan to drink the comfrey. I made a salve last year with it, and it has become my favorite one - actually it's close with calendula salve.

I wondered about the garlic. I read it takes 4 months to grow. I've never done early planting here. We cover our garden area with leaves and mulch, and then after everything is thawed out nicely, we mix it up with good compost and fertilizer - then plant things. I'm wondering if I can just push aside the mulch and plant the garlic, or if the ground has to be prepared to get it to grow good. It was so much easier to do these things in the Calif. valley.

It should work if you can push it into the ground. Garlic likes a good soil, but it will push up thru a mulch cover. The earlier the better as it wants to be done by July or late June. It doesn't really need cultivation. The main reason for the fall planting is so it is in the ground as early as possible in the spring.

[Charski]

DH and I bought a little grow kit from Park's Seeds - a little covered greenhouse type thing that holds a styrofoam planting block with its own planting medium "sponges" - you put water in the bottom of the greenhouse and drop a seed into the hole in the middle of each sponge, then put on the clear top dome. We also bought a heating mat for underneath it.

Last Sunday, we put in there 4 different varieties of tomatoes, some lemongrass and some Munstead lavender. By Wednesday of that same week, everything but 2 of the tomatoes had already sprouted! Wow!

So we'll grow them up and then transplant them outside when the temperatures and right. We usually have our tomato plants in the ground (actually a 5 gallon black nursery pot for each 3 plants) by the end of March. Because we don't get a lot of heat here, the growing season is long and it takes a while for the tomatoes to produce fruit, but we are usually eating tomatoes from our garden from about mid-August until late October or early November. I can't wait, we planted some cool heirlooms to try!