The benefits of spice and herb gardening are numerous. They grow like weeds, can be dried and used all year long; they smell great and add color to foods. Oh, and they’re the core flavors of every delicious recipe that’s ever been made!
Need other reasons to grow spices and herbs? They can be grown in containers indoors and outdoors. They thrive in the ground, in raised beds, and even along the perimeter of a yard. Many herbs will deflect bugs that are hazardous to your vegetables, like basil planted with tomatoes. They’re ideal companion plants that way, and they don’t require very much from you as a gardener.
They don’t usually even need mulch, with some exceptions. Some early-season spices and herbs, like garlic or chives, may start coming in during a warm spell. A layer of mulch can help insulate them against temperature drops. And some mulches, like shredded leaves or compost, will add nutrients to the soil as they decompose.
When it comes to harvesting spices and herbs, that’s the easy part of spice and herb gardening. Trim them as needed for all of your recipes, and when the winter turns colder, you can cut them down to the roots to dry them or crush seeds into powders. Woody plants like thyme, sage, and rosemary dry well, while softer plants like basil and parsley are better frozen. Cumin seeds can be crushed into powder, while fennel can be used whole. For spices like ginger and turmeric, you simply unearth the root to enjoy it.
In the articles below, we share everything you need to know about spice and herb gardening. And you can learn even more in our How to Grow a Vegetable Garden: 10 Things Every Gardener Needs to Know Before Starting a Food Garden freebie. Enjoy!
I promise this isn’t a fan-girl post about my undying love for Julia Child, but we’ve got to start somewhere! Around the 1960s, Julia Child brought French cooking into the homes of many Americans through her cookbooks and then later, television shows. Ms. Child frequently featured recipes calling for herbs de Provence, a description for a collection of herbs featured in Southern French and Mediterranean cuisine.
I feel like one of the best kept secrets in gardening is around edible flowers. Edible flowers don’t just look pretty on your plate, they taste delightful, and they bring pollinators to your garden. When you choose edible flowers to plant with herbs, the results will make your garden a work of art. Vivid oranges and bright yellow marigolds catch the eye in a sea of green herbs. Delicate purple chive blossoms lend an air of royal sophistication to your nearby thyme.
Imagine a stranger came up to you holding a bag of fish from the pet store and said, “Hey, you! Did you know you can grow a garden using live fish?” It’d be a little unsettling. But now imagine it’s me, your trusted gardening friend Amanda grinning at you while holding a bag of betta fish saying the same thing. I’m not selling this, am I? But it’s true!
If you’ve bought saffron at the grocery store any time in the last decade, there’s a good chance you’ve thought about how to grow saffron. There’s no way around it; saffron is pricey. In fact, it’s long been considered the most expensive spice in the world. The red, thread-like spice is actually the stigma from […]
It starts innocently enough. A seed-starter tray sitting in a sunny spot on your counter. Until you realize that you forgot to label them and now have to wait until the seedlings sprout to play Guess That Herb. I’ve been there, my friend. I’ve also been in my garden, mid-season, pacing around in circles looking for the chives that I know I planted earlier that spring.
I’m not gonna lie; it’s darn hot as I’m writing this. The heat index is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and my parsley is looking at me like, “C’mon, woman! Where’s that AC?” My heat-tolerant herbs, however, are having a party. They’ve got the beach ball out, there’s some Stevie Wonder on the hi-fi, and I’m pretty sure the sunflowers are dancing.
Basil is one of those wonderful herbs that makes life better. Pick a few basil leaves off the plant or chop them in your kitchen, and your nose is happy right away. Basil is also relatively easy to grow. But I’ll admit, I’ve had my share of issues with the plant, too. Rabbits have decimated my basil, some unknown pest has chewed holes in the leaves, and I’ve watched my verdant green basil leaves turning yellow.
Invasive herbs? I know that’s not how I usually think of invasive species. When I think of invasive species, it’s usually things like boa constrictors in the Everglades, carp in the Great Lakes, or perhaps kudzu in the southeastern U.S. Or murder hornets. Murder hornets are definitely invasive. As it turns out, though, some herbs […]
I love deciding which herbs to plant in spring. I know many of them like spending warm summer days outdoors, but the way to get there is to start them in the spring. For many herbs, this means planting them inside several weeks before the last frost. Some herbs, however, are perfectly fine with that […]
It may not look like an overwatered basil plant. It’s wilty and drab. The leaves look yellow or brown. It certainly looks like it could use a tall drink of water. As a good plant parent, you grab the watering canister and drench the soil. That should do the trick, right? Give it an hour […]
