If you could only grow one group of edibles, herbs should be at the top of your list, due to their versatility in the kitchen. They are also easy to grow, due to their forgiving nature and generally not picky on their soil conditions.
I do not advise trying to grow herbs on your windowsill inside over the winter as they cannot get enough sunlight and remember, herbs are basically weeds and prefer lots of room to spread!
When you consider that purchasing a cut bunch of herbs is the same price or more than a small potted plant, it just makes sense to grow them yourself.
We all have small areas that we pass by every day that we overlook. We should stop thinking of an herb garden as a dedicated garden bed for herbs, and start integrating our herbs into our existing landscapes. Place the pots in between your flowers or other edibles. Exhibit them near small, underutilized locations such as on front steps, back porches, adjacent to grills and food prep areas and you will be encouraged to use them often.
Herbs are great for not only cooking, but also for adding textures, scents and visual appeal to your garden. Luckily for us, herbs will grow in just about anything. They are easy to grow in containers for yearlong supply or for those with limited space. Herbs don’t need to be fussed over. Aside from starting with a high quality organic soil that contains trace minerals, I do not fertilize my herbs. If you find that your plants are lighter green or have mottled leaves you can add a diluted liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
Investing in a loose potting soil that maintains moisture is ideal. Herbs generally have small root systems and don’t mind drying out in-between waterings. Thyme and oregano will not be as flavorful if they get a lot of water. Oregano will even grow in poor soil.
By regularly harvesting, you will get bushy herbs. You must use them or you will lose them. Harvest before they set flowers.
Most herbs will require plenty of sun, typically six or more hours. Not many herbs can be grown in full shade, but most can grow in lightly shaded areas.
Now that you are familiar with some herb basics, try it yourself. Kick off the summer with some flavorful combinations.
The Trent Woods Garden Club has begun their annual Herb Sale. To pre-order, you can email mflorence@suddenlink.net for the order form. Pre-orders need to be in by February 15th and the club members will deliver to your front porches in mid-April. The cost is $3.50 per herb and the 10" Culinary Herb Planter for $20.00.
Note: due to covid-19 there will be no public sale, only the pre-order sales.
See: https://trentwoodsgardenclub.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/herbsale20213.pdf for selections and order form.
Judi Lloyd lives in River Bend and can be contacted at judilloyd@yahoo.com
The Link LonkJanuary 08, 2021 at 09:00PM
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Judi Lloyd: Thyme’s a wastin’ - New Bern Sun Journal
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