Herbs for your kitchen garden.
To be sure your kitchen garden is ready for the season here are 10 herbs and plants you want to me sure to add to your dirt collection. You have dirt, right? You don’t need a fancy bed or lots of space to have a kitchen herb collection. Use patio pots or tuck them into your flower beds.
Basil If given sun and regular watering this herb will turn into a lovely scented bush. Plant a month apart and harvest often. Be sure to pinch the flowering buds for a continual growth.
Flat Leaf Parsley It’s easy to grow from seed, attracts butterfly larvae and loves a sunny spot. It’s not just for garnish but can make a lovely salad with grains, legumes and radish.
Chives Perfect when you want delicate onion flavor. Even the buds can be sprinkled on savory dishes.
Dill These soft tufts are not just appealing for the cook but attract gorgeous swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Easy to grow from seed and self-propagate from year-to-year.
Mint It will spread but it is worth planting if you contain it in a pot. Put in the ground in a plastic plater with holes to keep it from taking over your garden. There are fewer thing better than fresh mint in drinks and salads.
Thyme Full sun and fresh thyme will change your world. Think tea, baking, soft cheese, soups, summer drinks, oils, butters, egg dishes, bread, and baking. Varieties vary from lemon, caraway, French, English, and olden lemon with scents ranging from orange to lavender. They make a lovely ground cover and addition to pots. Most are perennial.
Rosemary It’s my garden favorite but the most fickle. It needs full sun and protection for winter wind. When you find the garden sweet spot for rosemary you will be baking and drink mixing from summer to late fall.
Lavender Plant in full sun for year after year growth. Munstead does well in the SE PA area. I love the smell of lavender in the morning.
Lemon Grass You will not be disappointed. I have never had a batch survive the winter but for $2.89 (at Black Creek Nursery) you can have great success in a sunny spot. Use in tea, simple syrup and cooking.
Sage This sun loving, hardy herb comes in many varieties with colorful flowers that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Oregano I prefer dried vs. fresh for fullest flavor. It makes a patch of fragrant, flowering green carpet with pink buds.
BONUS Any scented geranium.
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