What would you put in your herb garden?

[jenniferharris1]

We recently moved into our first house, and I have plans to have a beautiful herb garden next spring. Anyone garden? I am definitely having Basil, Parsley, and Cilantro. Does anyone have any ideas, culinary or medicinal? I need hardy plants to re-emerge every year!

[Deanna]

I'm right behind you, moving into my new house in September!

Basil, Parseley, and Cilantro are definite "must haves." I will also be planting some dill; it is delightful on fish as well as fresh veggies.

And next to the herb garden will be...the PEPPER garden!!!

Can't wait!

P.S. How about some fresh chives?

[This message has been edited by Deanna (edited 08-01-2000).]

[Kathy]

I love fresh rosemary. I live in New Jersey and in some areas it grows into bushes. Mine came back from last year. Best of luck in your new home!

[MrsReber]

I have an herb garden. I have basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, lavendar, thyme, patchouli, and stevia (the last two given to us by my sister-in-law who does much landscaping). I tried tarragon and oregano, but they both died on me. The sage has beautiful purple flowers every year and it smells wonderful. The lavendar has pretty purple flowers, too. My one sister-in-law has a huge rosemary "bush". It's the size of a small shrub!

The stevia is a sugar substitute. I did some research on the internet to find out about it since I had never heard of it. Apparently it was banned in the U.S. for a while as a sugar substitute. Japan has been using it for many years,as well as many other countries. I have no idea how to use it, though! I also don't know what to do with the patchouli, but my husband likes the smell of it. I believe the stevia is an annual along with the basil. And if you're going to have basil, you just have to plant tomatoes! All the other herbs come back every year with no problem. Good luck with your garden. I really enjoy mine.

By the way, speaking of medicinal herbs- my sister-in-law (the one who gave us the herbs) once made tea out of basil leaves to relieve stomach cramps, nausea, and indigestion. It was actually pretty good, too. She also uses comfy for alot of things- she'll put it in bathwater to relieve muscle aches and pains. She boils peppermint and cloves and breathes in the steam to relive clogged sinuses. It's amazing what some of these herbs can do. I grew catnip for a while, too. My cat loved it. He rubbed his head in a circle around the plant all the time. You could see this perfectly clean circle in the dirt around the plant!

[This message has been edited by MrsReber (edited 08-01-2000).]

[Denise]

Mint for sure! The only thing is you have to be sure to contain it or it will take over your garden. I have apple mint, chocolate mint, pineapple mint, and spearmint. They are great in ice tea or lemonade this time of year. I'd also reccommend chives. So versatile in cooking and the purple flowers are really pretty in a salad.

[lorilei]

When I had a yard, I had an herb garden. It was WUN-derful!

Even though it is an annual, I'd be lost without my basil -- spicey globe basil for pesto, large leaf basil for sandwiches, and a bit of red basil for color. To add to the list of uses for basil, I must add that basil is a natural mosquito repellent and is delicious in (of all things) lemonade!

I'd also recommend tarragon (mine grew like a tree in WI!!), cilantro, oregano, rosemary, lemon balm (this one is in the mint family, so plant it in a container or confined area), and thyme.

You can get a great variety of creeping thymes and varigated varieties as well. They make excellent borders and some varieties are very very hardy.

Plan to plant cilantro at least twice during the year (spring and late summer/fall). It will bolt in mid-late summer and it is irretrievable!

Oh - and purple coneflowers (echinacea) are beautiful as a background flower!

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 08-01-2000).]

[CATHIEA]

Jennifer-
Where do you live? I live in the midwest, where basil will NOT come back year after year and where rosemary is an iffy thing. I grow the following as annuals: Basil (between tomato plants), Italian parsley, summer savory, rosemary, dill, cilantro and fennel. I also grow garlic and onion chives (they keep the bunnies down), English and French lavender, oregano, tarragon, thyme and sage. I have several varities of mint (including catnip)duking it out along the dark side of the house, where they will not choke out other plants. I agree with the growing of sage-nothing smells fresher after rain than sage and the flowers are so pretty. I like to put the thyme along the sidewalk side of the garden because the scent is so pleasant when you walk past it.
I use my herbs in cooking only, so I can't help on medicinals.
CathieA

[Susann]

Speaking of mint-this year I planted banana mint and it is terrific. Of course, maybe my advice is not that trustworthy-I seem to have killed my spearmint, which apparently is nearly impossible to do. I don't know-maybe it is not getting enough sunlight.

[Vanessa]

One section of our garden is for herbs. At the end of the season we cover after trimming down with bags of leaves. There we have chives, lovage, French Tarragon, variated sage, regular green sage, oregano, marjoram. Parsley is a biannual. Rosemary in mild temperatures survives and mine died. I keep several small pots indoors of Rosemary.
To answer your question an herb garden having the above mention plus cilantro, parsley, basil (a must), thyme (English, lemon). Basil is an annual grows easily from seeds. Cilantro too. (except this year because of rains it has died).
If you lve in a very cold state you might want to bring some plants indoors. Mint takes over in the garden so you could keep it in a pot then put in the soil. Keeping it confined (it does take over if not)
try rebeccasgarden.com
its a good web site for gardening tips. Good luck and congrats on your new home

[SandyDee]

I agree with those that you have already stated you will have. Along with those I would have chives, rosemary & mint. I have grown chives and mint and they are hardy and easy to grow. I haven't tried rosemary. But these herbs are not only tasty and useful in so many dishes, but they are also very decorative. Simple to throw on the plate or top off a dish and yet they make it look so festive and elegant. Some other suggestions that were given; sage and lavendar are both very pretty and they do have a great aroma. Tarragon is another herb that I find attractive to the eye and quite useful And they are right about the mint it does have a tendency to run rampent. There were a lot of good suggestions here. Makes me want to start one up again http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by SandyDee (edited 08-01-2000).]

[food girl]

Jennifer, I would say you have a climate comparable to Knoxville's -right. My advice is to buy small plants in the spring. Our weather is too unpredictable for seeds. I did try starting them inside one year, but of course they died when I transplanted them. I also mix sand with the soil. Most herbs like "bad" soil, or so I have been told. I have a rosemary bush...more like a tree. Plan lots of room for this and lavender. I keep my mint in a pot on the patio because it will take over if you aren't careful. These as well as thyme and chives will come back every year, but you will have to plant new basil, cilantro and oregano. I have to admit, I do raid my next door neigbors herb garden for the fancy stuff. He has 5 or 6 kinds of basil, lemon grass, 4 kinds of oregano... He doesn't mind as long as I bring him a sample of whatever I make. Oh, and just an addition, Comfrey should not be ingested. It can cause damage to your liver. I guess it is ok for a bath.

[Anne]

I don't know if they should make an appearance in a formal herb garden but how about adding some of the edible flowers like nasturtium, violas and a couple small roses? If you are considering catnip - keep it out of the garden unless you have a cat-proof fence. I made that mistake one year and an entire 3 x 10 foot herb bed was dug up by the neighborhood pets and I had only included a single catnip plant.