Popular among gardeners, an edible herb garden consists of herbs that are usually used to add more flavor to your salads and cooking. You can even make teas from the herbs you’ll be growing there!
But it might be overwhelming for you to pick what herbs to include in your herb garden. And that is normal, especially if you are still a beginner. Don’t fret; this article will help you sort out what herbs to grow to turn your yard into the best culinary herb garden ever to exist. These herbs are great for an expansive range of dishes and are so easy to grow all by yourself.
Choosing Edible Herbs
In growing the perfect edible garden, it is best to start with the herbs that you usually use in your daily cooking. It is best to know that different cultures and cuisines use different herbs. Growing herbs that you use often will save you much time and money because you no longer have to run to the nearest grocery whenever an occasion calls for it.
Another thing to do when choosing herbs for your garden is to check their flavor before purchasing. There are many herb varieties, some with stronger flavors, and you might not like it. To be sure, you may pinch off a leaf to taste it.
Rosemary
When talking about rosemary, it is easy to imagine the rolling hillsides of France, with wild rosemary bushes, sprinkled on top of it. You will only want to pour yourself a glass of rosé while sitting on the poolside, taking in every bit of its resinous scent.
But rosemary isn’t all about aesthetics; this herb is excellent for adding a delectable finishing touch to savory dishes, including toasty focaccia, grilled lamb, or roasted chicken. This is one of the most low-maintenance herbs, so there is no reason for you not to grow one in your garden. To know more about growing rosemary, you may visit GardenersPath.com.
Tarragon
Wondering what made the béarnase sauce in your stake, salmon, or asparagus taste delightful? It is thanks to tarragon’s unique flavor! With its licorice taste, tarragon pairs well with chicken, egg, and seafood dishes. This herb is often marinated with vinegar to simply acidify sauces and pickles to provide them a more herbal punch.
When buying tarragon in your local nursery, make sure that what you’re getting is actually French tarragon, as they are often mistaken as Russian tarragon. To confirm, give its leaf a taste. If the leaf has an intense anise flavor, it is French tarragon.
But if you want to grow both, you can grow Russian tarragon from seed and French tarragon through transplanting. Tarragons, in general, prefer well-draining soil. That is why it is best to place them in a container or a raised bed to ensure proper drainage.
Sweet Basil
Sweet basils are best used fresh because of their savory, spicy, and aromatic flavor that closely resembles cloves. This herb is an outstanding choice for homemade cuisine. You really can never have too many sweet basils in your culinary garden.
Sweet basil has a special relationship with tomatoes and tomato-flavored dishes. This is also one of the essential ingredients when making the best pesto sauce. You might also be interested in making herb vinegar and herb butter using sweet basils. When cooking, instead of chopping it, pound sweet basil with olive oil or tear it using your fingers.
When growing one in your edible herb garden, place them in well-drained soil under full sunlight. It is also crucial that you safeguard your sweet basil against frost and cold winds. To encourage bushy habits, you may pinch out its growing tips.
Chamomile
Nothing beats sipping chamomile tea after a stressful day. Chamomile is a lovely herb that adorns every herb garden with its tiny, daisy-like blossoms. Traditionally, generations after generations have appreciated this herb’s curative qualities. And even up to this day, people still rely on chamomile tea’s ability to calm frazzled nerves before bedtime.
Chamomile is also recorded in history as one of the oldest medicinal herbs. Today, this herb is usually used to cure several ailments, including insomnia, inflammation, menstrual disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and many more.
When growing chamomile in your garden, it is best to place them under part shade and in cooler conditions. It is also vital that the soil is always dry for them to grow well. After chamomile is well-established, it will only require little to no care from you.
Oregano
The Greeks actually got it right when they referred to oregano as “joy of the mountain.” Also called wild marjoram, oregano is an ancient culinary herb with an aromatic flavor that originated from the hilly, Greek countryside.
There is always oregano in every edible herb garden. This herb’s pungent, spicy, and bitter taste is an excellent additive to every vegetable preparation. It is also easy to grow, making oregano a go-to herb for every first-time gardener.
Oregano has two main categories, namely Mexican and Mediterranean. While the Mexican oregano is a close relative of lemon verbena, the Mediterranean oregano is a member of the mint family. Though they taste slightly different from each other, the means of growing them are a bit similar.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balms are often treated as pass-along herbs that a gardener ends up as a gift or a result of plant swaps. You may be wondering why this herb still ended up on this list or what its uses are. Though lemon balms may not be as popular as the other herbs listed above, lemon balm is still a great addition to your herb garden.
This perennial herb is another member of the mint family. It maturely grows as a bushy, leafy herb, loaded with a pleasant lemon scent and tiny, white blossoms. If you’re planning to grow one, it is crucial to control them as they can quickly become an invasive herb in your garden.
People often think that its roots make lemon balms invasive, like its cousins, spearmint and peppermint. But it’s actually the seeds that are causing lemon balms to dominate a garden suddenly. To avoid this from happening, you may remove its flowers as soon as it starts appearing to make your lemon balm less invasive.
Dill
This culinary herb has a distinct flavor that’s a blend between fennel and celery. A native to Asian and European countries, dill plays a significant part in seasoning pickled foods that are supposed to be canned and stored during the winter. Other than that, both its leaves and seeds can be used to season a wide variety of dishes.
Dill may have a delicate exterior, but it is actually a cold-hardy plant. When growing one, it is best to start planting them in early spring to quickly grow, with its seedlings appearing after ten days. After maturation, dill grows into an upright, multi-branched herb with wide, flat flowers and finely dissected leaves.
Fennel
From its bulb to its stalk and the plant’s feathery fronds, all parts of the fennel are edible. This herb is a perfect additive to slaws, salads, kinds of pasta, and more. A thinly sliced raw fennel bulb can add a crunchy texture and a sweet, licorice flavor to your salad. If you want a soft flavor, you may try sauteing, braising, grilling, or roasting a fennel bulb.
As for its stalks, it can replace celery in stews and soups. You may also use its stalks as a “bed” for roasted meat and chicken. For its fronds, you may chop or garnish them as you would with other herbs.
It is best to start planning fennel in spring after the last frost ends. You may grow fennel in containers, raised garden beds, or in-ground gardens. Make sure your fennel will have at least six hours of sun and is placed in fertile, well-drained soil.
Chives
Both of the chives’ leaves and flowers are edible. Its fresh blooms can be served whole or separated into little petals. They are also a great addition to vinegar, giving off an attractive, pink hue.
When chives are in full bloom, it produces a mature clump that is so pretty that you get reluctant to gather its flowers off. But, on the contrary, removing this clump may prolong chives’ bloom time and encourages the herb to produce more leaves.
Chervil
Chervil is a hardy annual herb that is in the same family as carrot and parsley. It is a lovely plant, growing the same way as parsley does. But thanks to its light green, flat leaves being cut along the edges, chervil produces a delicate, fringed look. Chervil leaves may taste equally delicate, with its elusive, anise-like flavor that dissolves when cooked.
Takeaway
With an edible herb garden right at your backyard or windowsill, you no longer have to pause mid-cooking just because you are missing some herb in your pantry. With the list of herbs provided above, you no longer have to worry about thinking about what to include in your next planting spree.
By Rebecca Nelson