Basil is a great herb to grow in your garden. There are several varieties of basil that go well in salads and casseroles. Photo via Wikipedia Commons.
The cooler fall months are great for planting many of our vegetable and landscape plants. As I was deciding what I most wanted to talk about this month, I remembered back to a recent lecture I gave to a ladies group.
One of the women asked me what the easiest plants to grow and I answered without a moment’s thought — herbs. I have thought about that quick answer since then and I would not change my answer given another opportunity.
Herbs are delightful in so many ways. Most are lovely to look at. Many more have a heavenly fragrance. Some have medicinal value or make soothing teas. Others can make the plainest foods taste like a gourmet meal.
All this, and believe it or not, they are easy to grow, need little care, are generally drought-tolerant, and are not much bothered by insects and diseases.
If you decide you want to try an herb garden this fall, start by picking out a plot of land to turn into an herb bed. It is possible to grow many herbs without full sunlight — that is less than eight hours of sun.
Most herbs appreciate a little afternoon shade. There are a few that can take mostly full shade too, if you don’t have a location that gets enough sun for a regular garden.
Once you have chosen the spot, prepare it carefully because you will not have an opportunity to remake the soil again for years, as most of the herbs you will plant will live for a long time to come. Dig in plenty of compost until the soil is light and rich.
The queen of the herb bed, in my opinion, is basil. The more I experiment with basil varieties, the more I love it. There are several varieties of basil. Sweet basil is the most commonly known variety. This is the kind to use in Italian dishes. It is also good in salads and casseroles.
Cooking with basil helps it keep its preferred rounded shape, as you will be trimming off the leaves each time. If harvested often it will not be able to form flowers, which it must never do if you are to have the most leaves to harvest at the best quality.
Basil also comes in Asian varieties, such as Thai basil. This is a whole other flavor that goes perfectly with Thai foods — another love of mine. Try some basil in the warmer parts of the year. It will live and produce until frost hits it. Replant each spring.
Salad Burnet
Salad burnet is an herb that is lesser known, but it is a great one to try. Salad burnet looks like a fern. Use it in salads. It tastes like cucumbers. It looks attractive grown with flowers and lettuces. Try planting it with nasturtiums and pansies (both have edible flowers).
You will have to leave a space for the above two herbs this fall. Plant them now and just realize they will be killed with the first frost, but plant again for next spring after all chance of frost is past. The following herbs can be planted this fall and will grow through the winter. Most are perennials.
Fennel is a great herb. It comes in a variety with purple leaves and a standard green variety. Plant toward the back of your herb bed because fennel can grow to be five feet tall. Cut it back now and then to limit its size.
Fennel is a home for swallowtail butterfly larvae. Watch out for the striped green, black, white and yellow little guys. I like fennel just for its beauty, but it is good with cooked carrots. It has an anise-like flavor.
Sage can also be grown throughout the year in the herb garden. Use it in your turkey stuffing for fresh herb flavor. It puts out some flowers in the spring. Don’t let other herbs bully it and crowd it out.
Rosemary is my favorite plant, which is saying a lot. It can be grown year-round and blooms in the winter. It makes a lovely, delightful shrub also. If you trim it often, it will not get leggy and will keep a better shrub shape.
You might want to pick one up at the store when they start selling rosemary trimmed into Christmas tree shapes. Plant them right out anywhere you want. Just make sure they have adequate drainage and never stand in wet soil for long periods of time. Full sun is preferred.
Echinacea is also known as purple cone flower. This is a vigorous large flower that we often find in Texas gardens. The flowers are pink and are shaped like daisies. After the flowers stop blooming, the middle of the flower forms seeds.
You can watch for these in the spring, because by then the seeds will have sprouted and tiny new plants will be growing. You can transplant these wherever you want to have a beautiful flower to grow. They have old-time medicinal uses, so it is appropriate to plant these in an herb garden. Due to their height you should plant them near the back of the herb bed.
Garlic is another herb that I use in cooking extensively. Plant garlic cloves in the fall. They will form roots and start growing in winter and mature in the spring. Harvest them when the leaves are just starting to look raged, with a few brown leaves. Store them in a cool, dry place.
The “dry” is important in storage, but this year I stored my garlic outside under cover in a wicker basket. When I need anther bulb for cooking, I go collect one from the basket. Now that fall is here, I will choose a couple of fat bulbs, break them apart, and plant the cloves in the garden for harvest next spring.
Get a couple of good books on herbs and learn of the many other fascinating herbs you could have in your garden. You will have a great time growing and using these wonderful plants. 
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October 29, 2020 at 12:00PM
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Garden: Herbs great for fall planting - Waco Tribune-Herald
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