Why You Should Grow An Herb Garden
Herbs are loved by the gardeners who grow them due to their tastes, the scents that they produce and many other qualities that only herbs have. There are reasons herbs are have been employed in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes in every culture. They are not difficult to grow, they just need a little attention.
There is a difference between culinary herbs and spices. The main difference between an herb and a spice is where it is from on a plant. Herbs are the leafy green part of the plant, spices are the other parts like roots, barks, fruits and seeds. Herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that, like spices, they are used in small amounts and provide flavor rather than eaten as food. The botanical definition says that an herb is a plant that doesn't produce a woody stem.
The debate between what is an herb and what is a spice is ongoing. Some people say that there is no difference. Some culinary herbs are shrubs, one example is rosemary, some herbs are trees. Botanical herbs, by definition cannot be woody plants. Some plants are used as both a spice and a herb, examples of this are dill seed and dill weed or coriander seeds and coriander leaves.
It is easy to grow a garden for the kitchen by planting herbs in pots, with the added benefit that you can take them inside during the winter. There are many herbs that will thrive in pots, some do much better than others. Some are better to grow in a container because they are going to take over the entire garden if you let them grow openly.
Why waste time going to the supermarket when you can have fresh herbs growing out your back door. Herbs are best when picked and used right then. There is no way you can buy an herb in the supermarket that will ever be this fresh.
Some herbs have medicinal value, they contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body. Thru history they have been used to treat diseases. Many plants are being scientifically studied to find if the advantages claimed for these plants are valid.
Some herbs can be a bug control. Examples are mint, spearmint, peppermint, and pennyroyal. Planting these herbs around a house can help to keep bugs away like flies, mice, ants, flees and ticks. Unlike insecticides, these plants aren't known to be harmful to kids or pets.
Basil is one of my favorite plants to grow, it grows nearly anywhere, it can be grow on the kitchen windowsill all the year round. Fresh basil is always best, it may be employed in numerous dishes and makes a great winter tea. When you cook with basil, add it as the last ingredient because it loses nutrients quickly when heated. In Hinduism a type of Basil called Tulsi is worshiped as a goddess for its medicinal worth.
Parsley is so easy to grow as long as you water it well in really hot weather. It's a great plant to start your herb garden with, it is nutritious and great in Italian dishes and stews, sauces, scrambled eggs and as a garnish. It can survive frost does will in hot summers and wet winters. Grow your parsley in full sun or part shade in free draining soils. You can harvest parsley at any time during the year.
No garden would be ideal without garlic, it is easy to grow and has many uses. Garlic is easy to store for later use by freezing or preserving. Be careful to not over water your garlic, particularly in cooler weather. The ground should have good drainage and in dry and hot weather it should have some shade. Garlic is sensitive to over fertilizing.
Sage is great in salads. Almost all of the flavor comes from its new shoots, it is suggested to not let sage get too woody by keeping the plant trim. When you trim the plants new shoots will be encouraged to grow. It is best to crop sage after it blooms.
Lavender, lemon verbena can be grown to make a potpourri. Mint, lemon verbena, chamomile, bergamot, hibiscus sabdariffa can be used used for tea.
By Palti Shipard, visit Herbs by the Ounce and Herbal Medicine.
