From Ancient Roots to Modern Gardens, Part 2: The Benefits and Basics of Growing Herbs
Growing herbs is a rewarding and accessible way to enhance your garden and kitchen. Whether you have a spacious backyard or a small windowsill, cultivating herbs provides fresh, flavorful ingredients and a touch of nature’s beauty. This article will explore the basics of growing herbs and how to incorporate them into your dishes.
You may ask, “Why should I grow herbs?” Well, here are a few good reasons:
- Most herbs are low maintenance and only require a little sunlight or nutrients to grow.
- Whether you are planting from seed or a baby starter plant, the time to harvest is usually very short.
- Herbs can grow in limited space or spread out nicely to fill the corner of a garden bed.
- Herbs provide many nutritional benefits and enhance the flavor of any dish.
- You can harvest from herb plants again and again. You can harvest small amounts at a time for use in a particular dish and avoid buying large quantities from the grocery store that may sit in your fridge or on your countertop and go to waste.
Let’s look at various herbs, how to grow them, and how best to use them in your recipes.
Cilantro1
Cilantro does best in well-drained soil and full sun, but it will tolerate some shade at the height of summer. Seeds can germinate slowly but crushing them very gently before sowing can speed up the process. For a successional harvest throughout summer, sow seeds every two weeks. Keep cilantro plants well-watered. While it’s important not to overwater cilantro, you do need to keep the soil damp, as dry soil can cause plants to bolt (flower prematurely). Pick fresh cilantro leaves as needed through the growing season. Snip them off at the base of the stalk, as the stalk is also full of flavor. Cilantro flowers can also be harvested and eaten in salads. Cilantro leaves are best used fresh. They can be frozen or dried, although the dried leaves lose much of their flavor. When cooking with cilantro, add it at the very end to prevent overcooking it. Cilantro enhances the growth of vegetables like spinach and asparagus. To help your cilantro grow better, plant it near beans, peas, and anise.
Recipe Ideas:
Cilantro Lime Rice – After cooking brown rice, mix in lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Parsley2
Grow curled and flat-leaf parsley in moist but well-drained soil in sun to partial shade. Growing parsley in pots is also very easy. If planted in the ground, parsley will die down over the winter. If you want to keep your parsley going, put it in a pot, bring it indoors, and place them on a sunny windowsill. Harvest the leaves as and when you need to. Parsley can be added to many recipes, from soups and stews to Middle Eastern salads like tabbouleh. It’s also used in creamy sauces, pesto, and salsa as a garnish, or as part of a herby salad. It’s best finely chopped. The stems are also flavorful and can be chopped finely and added to dishes.
Recipe Ideas: Chickpea, Potato & Parsley Bowl, Vegan White Bean Soup with Lemon & Parsley
Dill3
Keep plants well-watered, particularly during hot, dry weather. Dill grows best in full sun. However, hot weather can be a determining factor in causing the plant to flower early, which halts leaf production. Keep them weed-free to prevent competition for water and nutrients. Dill is easy to grow, tastes great, looks good, and is very beneficial to pollinating insects when in flower. When in bloom, dill flowers attract bees, hoverflies, and butterflies.
Recipe Ideas:
Chickpea Dill Salad (omit oil from dressing if you are avoiding oil)
Basil4
Water sparingly, as basil suffers when sitting in wet compost. Harvest leaves using scissors or snips, cutting a lead stem just above a pair of leaves. This will make the plant bushier and more productive over time. Tomatoes make great neighbors for basil plants in the garden—and on the plate—so many gardeners will plant the two warm-weather friends around the same time. Basil can be used for pesto, pasta sauces, soups, and many other dishes.
Recipe Ideas: Tomato Basil Soup (Easy + One Pot Recipe), Easy Oil Free Pesto
Rosemary5
Rosemary can be grown in pots or containers. However, young plants can suffer if their roots sit in wet soil in winter, so it is helpful to grow rosemary in a container for a couple of years before planting it in the garden. This herb is especially susceptible to root rot if it is overwatered. Use light, well-drained soil with some added sand or gravel, and wait until the soil is slightly dry before watering. Prune to encourage branching and to remove dead leaves and stems. Cut back annually to prevent the plant from becoming woody. Be sure to harvest only well-established rosemary plants. Avoid harvesting while the plant is blooming. The prime time for harvesting rosemary for optimum flavor is just before flowering.
Recipe Ideas: Rosemary Potatoes (omit oil if you are avoiding oil), Vegan Lemon Rosemary Pasta with Mushrooms and Kale (omit oil if you are avoiding oil)
Oregano6
Grow oregano in free-draining soil or compost in a sunny, sheltered spot. Harvest the leaves as and when you need to by either pinching them out with your thumb and finger or using scissors to cut a good-sized bunch. Cut plants back completely in midsummer to encourage fresh new leaves. Alternatively, let the plants flower to provide nectar and pollen for bees. Plants will die back in winter and regrow from woody stems in spring.
Recipe Ideas: Paprika and Oregano Polenta Fries, TOMATO, GARLIC & OREGANO PIZZA
If you have extra herbs at the end of the growing season, you may question what to do with them. Harvesting and drying your herbs to keep for year-round use is an excellent alternative. You may also be curious about the nutritional difference between fresh and dried herbs. Fresh and dried herbs contain polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. Some dried herbs have fewer polyphenols than fresh herbs, whereas others have similar polyphenol content in both forms. However, do not let this minor difference dissuade you from utilizing dried herbs. Because the water content has been removed, dry herbs have a stronger flavor than fresh herbs. When substituting dry herbs for fresh ones, a typical ratio is one tablespoon of fresh herbs to a teaspoon of dried herbs. However, if using dried herbs is easier, you can add a little more than one teaspoon and still obtain similar nutritional benefits of fresh herbs7.
If you’ve never grown herbs before, I hope this month’s and last month’s articles will convince you to give it a try. It takes little effort, resources, or space and can be an easy way to maximize your dishes’ nutritional value. Elevate your culinary game with herbs—nature’s secret weapon that can turn any dish from ordinary to extraordinary with just a sprinkle.
1.) BBC Gardeners World Magazine. (2020, July 7). How to grow coriander. How to Grow Coriander | BBC Gardeners World Magazine. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-coriander/
2.) BBC Gardeners World Magazine. (2023, November 13). How to grow parsley. How to Grow Parsley | BBC Gardeners World Magazine. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-parsley/
3.) BBC Gardeners World Magazine. (2020, June 18). How to grow dill. How to Grow Dill | BBC Gardeners World Magazine. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-dill/
4.) How to grow basil: BBC Gardeners World Magazine. How to Grow Basil | BBC Gardeners World Magazine. (2023, November 29). https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-basil/
5.) How to grow rosemary: BBC Gardeners World Magazine. How To Grow Rosemary | BBC Gardeners World Magazine. (2020, April 7). https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-rosemary/
6.) BBC Gardeners World Magazine. (2020, July 7). How to grow oregano. How to Grow Oregano | BBC Gardeners World Magazine. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-oregano/
7.) Alonso, N. (2023, May 9). Do dried herbs have different health benefits than fresh ones?. Well+Good. https://www.wellandgood.com/dried-herbs-benefits/
