Herbs and spices are flavorful additions to meals, full of essential nutrients. Just as appealing, they’re easy to grow.
“Herbs such as mint and basil are easy to grow, hard to kill, and you can harvest the seeds and start over and over again,” says Jessi Holmes, store manager at Bayside Garden Center.
Holmes and her team at Bayside offer these tips, tricks and trends for growing herbs.
- Whether growing inside or outside, all herbs need substantial light. Select a place in full sun or with plenty of indoor light.
- Start by selecting and planting the basic herbs you enjoy cooking with, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary and oregano.
- If you can, find a garden spot near your kitchen or grill to grow your herbs. It’s more fun and easier to step outside and harvest some fresh seasonings when you’re cooking.
- Mix a refreshing summer beverage with fresh mint.
- Proper drainage is essential! Too much water can cause the planters to expand and contract with the weather, causing cracking. Consider pots with drainage valves.
- Pots need to be moved inside the garage or basement over the winter.
- Get decorative! Letting herbs such as bay leaves grow bigger can be a pretty addition to your patio. Rosemary can grow to look like bonsai trees. Curry can be very pretty. And chives are the onion-like stems of the popular purple allium plant. MKE