It’s Never Too Late to Start an Herb Garden!

Herb gardening is fun and easy. It can provide a great variety of foliage, texture and it doesn’t require a lot of space! You can start an herb garden in a small garden bed, in a patio pot or even in a hanging basket.

If you can ever remember a time that you’ve gone to the spice rack/drawer/etc in your kitchen and realized you were out of a certain item, then it might be beneficial to start an herb garden! Herbs can be grown from seed or you can purchase herbs from your local nursery, such as Lynde Greenhouse & Nursery. We carry a wide variety of herbs: basil, chive, cilantro, dill, lavender, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, spearmint and thyme.

This is a picture a customer sent us of her herb garden. She has oregano, cilantro and basil in a patio pot on her deck. Notice the mulch in the pot. This will really help her out on hot hot summer days when she forgets to get out and water, the mulch will help to keep the soil cool and prevent it from drying out faster. Also notice the little flowers on the oregano, in the top left of the picture, time to pinch that oregano!

Herbs do not need a lot of fertilizer. Plant your herbs with a good fertilizer mixed in with the soil at the beginning for best results. Keep in mind that the more fertilizer that is added, can change the oils in the plants which give them their flavor. Be sure to check the individual plants for watering specifications, but generally most herbs prefer a dryer soil, unlike a tomato that prefers to have moist soil.

Harvest your herbs in the morning, to avoid warm weather shock. Plants should only be harvested when there is enough remaining foliage to maintain growth. Regardless of if the herbs will be used fresh or dried to be used later, they should be washed in cold water after being pinched off of the plant.

If you are looking to dry your herbs, hang them upside down after washing to allow the water to evaporate. Remove the lower leaves from the stems and tie the bunch together with a rubber band or twine at the stems. Be sure not to overcrowd your bundle of herbs, as they need proper ventilation to be able to dry out. You’ll want to find a dry and dark place for the herbs to dry out, a place that is temperature warm but not humid. Herbs need between 1-3 weeks to fully dry out. The herbs are done drying out when you can crumble a leaf between two fingers.

Store your dried herbs in an airtight jar. Remove the leaves from the stem and place them in the jar. They can be kept whole or finely crushed between your fingers. They can be kept for about a year. Happy Herbing!