Growing a fully packed herb garden in a small space
Most of us have a shelf or drawer full of dried herbs to use when we cook. But how many of us have a comparable fresh herb garden?
Although some dried herbs tend to be more potent than fresh, because their flavor and aroma compounds are concentrated in the dried leaves, fresh herbs can contain volatile oils and subtle flavors and aromas that have evaporated from the dried form.
I'm partial to fresh herbs in my cooking. My rule of thumb is to use twice as much of a fresh herb as I would of the dried form.
And creating a fully packed herb garden can be done in a 10-foot-by-10-foot space, with three rows of plants spaced 18 inches apart, giving you room for 18 plants.
When you plan your herb garden, think about keeping your work to a minimum. Planting in the soil rather than pots saves a heap of watering time because the soil dries out more slowly and the plants tend to be happier in the ground. You'll need deer fencing around the plot, or group of pots, if you have deer in your area. Planting in pots has the advantage of protecting the plants from gophers.
Next, make a list of the herbs you use most frequently in your home cooking. Put in plenty of those. Among the most frequently used herbs are thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, sage and dill. But plant any that catch your fancy.
Plant perennial herbs like horseradish, rosemary, lavender and thyme toward the middle, with annual herbs toward the outside edge of the garden. Then, when the annuals peter out late in the season, your perennials will make the garden look presentable. Also, walking through the dead annuals will help scatter their seeds in the soil as you step on the seed heads, and they may automatically self-sow next year's crop.
September and early October are good months to plant perennials, as the herbs will make roots and leaves during the remainder of the warm months and really take off next spring. Annuals can be sown from seed in the winter or early spring. Mulch the soil between and around plants with autumn leaves.
Our climate in Northern California is conducive to almost any herb, but if you live in a low spot where killing frosts are possible, use more of those fall leaves to protect young plants in the coldest months.
Besides having your herbs in fresh form, you can also harvest them for dried herbs. Tie bunches of the same herb together by the stems, put a bunch in a paper bag, stems toward the open end of the bag. Scrunch it closed and tie it off, and hang it upside down in a dark, dry place. When a stem breaks, the herbs inside the bag will be dry. Whack the bag against the floor, or crunch it with your hands. Take out the stems, and you will have the dried herb leaves in the bottom of the bag, ready to be bottled up. Make sure they're dry, though, or they will mold.
Here are the 18 most-often-used herbs. Plant some - or all if you're ambitious.
Basil - This tender annual is native to Southeast Asia, but no one loves it more than the Greeks.
Perfect Partner: Tomatoes.
Combines well with mint, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme.
Essential in pesto.
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Borage - Bees just love this blue-flowered annual relative of comfrey. The pretty flowers of Borago officinalis are edible and taste like cucumber. Use flowers sparingly in salads.
Perfect Partner: Potato salad.
Combines well with arugula, chervil, mint.
Essential in green salads.
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Caraway - A biennial native of Europe, north to south. It has naturalized in New England.
Perfect Partner: Harissa.
Combines well with cabbage, pork, sauerkraut.
Essential in rye bread.
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Chervil - A delicate, anise-flavored annual herb that peaks in cool, wet weather. Once it flowers, it's of no further use in the kitchen. Just let it go to seed.
Perfect Partner: Seafood.
Combines well with basil, dill, chives, parsley.
Essential in Fines Herbes (with chives, parsley, and tarragon).
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Chives - The most delicate member of the onion family. It's perennial. Select a few leaves - don't snip it off wholesale or you'll kill the plant.
Perfect Partner: Egg dishes.
Combines well with basil, chervil, cilantro.
Essential in Fines Herbes.
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Cilantro - The fresh leaves of this annual are used in cuisines around the world, especially in Latin countries and Asia. People either like its lemony-ginger flavor or hate it.
Perfect Partner: Chilies
Combines well with avocados, corn, fish, beans.
Essential in salsas.
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Coriander - Coriander is the ground seeds of the same plant that gives us cilantro leaves. Its mild sweet flavor is a base for many curries.
Perfect Partner: Cilantro.
Combines well with apples, chicken, plums, pork, potatoes.
Essential in Ras Al Hanout, the Moroccan spice blend.
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