I have always thought it would be great to have fresh herbs at hand whenever I want them. There are certain types that I use often and some can be rather expensive, besides the fact that some are just more flavorful when they’re fresh. When you buy them at the store, you really have no idea how long they may have been sitting on the shelf, or how long they have been sitting before they were packaged, and in time, they lose a lot of flavor. I have purchased parsley that barely had any flavor at all.
So, this year I decided to plant herbs. I mentioned this in a previous article about my garden. While some of our stuff did freeze during the cold snap, the herbs seem to be doing very well (we set them inside the van during the coldest nights).
Instead of placing the herbs in the garden, we decided to plant them separately for a couple of reasons. One, because some herbs will simply take on a life of their own and overrun the garden, and two, because I wanted them to be closer to the house so I can grab some when I’m cooking. A third reason that was basically an afterthought was to move them inside if it became too cold or wet outdoors.
We planted them in flower boxes instead. Each one has drainage holes at the bottom to ensure that they don’t get over-watered. We mixed top soil with regular soil and then added some Miracle-Gro Potting Mix. Since the seeds only need to be sown about ¼” deep, we made tiny trenches with miniature gardening tools (left over from a flower planting kit). We added seeds along the trench and gently covered them with the remaining soil then watered them lightly.
I now have tiny oregano sprouts popping up along with cilantro and a few little chives, and the dill is really taking off. I haven’t seen any parsley yet, but I did plant that a little later than the others. I can’t wait to make something with fresh herbs! If you live in an area where gardening or herb gardening may be difficult, try planting some in flowerpots or small containers. You can keep them indoors on windowsills or set them on the porch, etc.
Do you grow your own herbs?