Starting A Herb Garden.

Elementalmage

Elementalmage

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What are the best -and easiest- herbs for someone just starting with their own herb garden?
 
http://skinnygourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/ten-mistakes-new-herb-gardeners-make.html

At a glance this link seems to offer some great suggestions all of which I will study in greater detail when I have more time available to me. I think knowing what mistakes to avoid should get to off to a good start and help you to make some great choices. Because of my climate, I might have to take a different approach but the information seems useful enough.
 
I'm not sure where you're located but Home Depot has this amazing deal right now for a TON of different herbs\veggies already started at any 5 for $10. I'm putting up two window boxes that I'm going to fill with these things.
 
Bay leaf but buy a decent size plant, it takes to long to get it to reasonable size.

Rosemary, can be grown from seed but much better to take cuttings. Cutting root fairly easily. Start with 8 expect at least 4 to take. Plant 4 so you can use them. Eventually when they are a good size give 2 away. Consider plantings between lavender which is also classed as a herb.

Marjoram Thyme and Sage easily grown from seed. All of these are perennials and the leaves can be picked all year round.

I consider these 5 to be the stew/soup necessities.

Chives and Basil are also perennial but Will die down in winter. You will get a longer season in the green house. Basil I have grown all year round on the window sill but the flavour in my opinion is in inferior if you do that.

Try this site for the more obscure herbs, celery leaf plant for instance.

The first 5 I have mentioned can be grown in a very small garden or even in pots. You could even grow them on the window sill? Don't quote me on the latter.

Also wild garlic (Ramson) a herb with a very short season which allows you to do a bit foraging although you can easily grow it in the garden. I have just finished a batch of wild garlic and Basil pesto. Next wild garlic and chives pesto.
 
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The Home Depot 5 for $10 sounds like a good deal. I will be checking that out to get my stock going for the summer. It is still cool out but it will be hot soon.
 
its all about what you use,in my patch i have loveage ,bay,lemon balm ,mint,angelica,rosemary,thyme, sage ,marjoram grows wild in the garden,we have fever few ,borage and we put soft herbs in for summer picking,sorrel,chives ,basil to name a few
i have a few hybrid herbs like lemon thyme,and also grow lemon geranium for cooking
 
Berties said:
its all about what you use,in my patch i have loveage ,bay,lemon balm ,mint,angelica,rosemary,thyme, sage ,marjoram grows wild in the garden,we have fever few ,borage and we put soft herbs in for summer picking,sorrel,chives ,basil to name a few
i have a few hybrid herbs like lemon thyme,and also grow lemon geranium for cooking
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No messing about there!! Arhh just noticed no wild garlic. I grow it more to remind myself to go pick it, than to pick from the garden.
 
Beer said:
No messing about there!! Arhh just noticed no wild garlic. I grow it more to remind myself to go pick it, than to pick from the garden.
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I have to exercise the dog every day and I just wander along the Clarendon way and pick as much as I can carry ,
 
Finished some Basil and wild Garlic Pesto. Got the pine nuts EBay 500grms £10 beats Supermarkets.

Grew Basil last year. Froze it stalks and all. Took it out of freezer basically brushed the leaves of much easier when frozen. Put back in freezer still frozen. Took out again in small batches and put them in the machine very finely chopped, again best when frozen. Put in a jar/tub before they defrost and back in freezer before it defrost. You can then take it out with a spoon still frozen. I prefer this method to ice cube trays.

Jarred up the Pesto and frooze but only with a little oil as I tend to eat it on cheese biscuits. Can always add extra oil later. Supposed to last month in fridge.

Thinking of making it without any oil, putting it into jar leave a little space and pour oil on top and putting it in a cupboard for a year. See if it goes off???
 
Basil is the easiest herb in the world. All you have to do is give it sunshine and water and before long you'll have a decent little bush of a plant with plenty of leaves for making pesto or whatever you'd like. Thyme is also pretty easy. Oregano and rosemary need good drainage and accurate water, and mint can be invasive when you give it the right growing conditions.
 
i have just purchased some herbs to put on my patio,i have some large baked beans tins and stabbed some holes in the bottom and painted them a pale green colour ,and filled them with compost ,and then the herbs ,oregano ,thyme,marjoram and mint so any one can have a cheap herb garden they have filled out within 24 hours and the plants cost 50p each,
pictures to follow ,its raining cats and dogs at the moment
:rain:
 
ChanellG said:
Rosemary need good drainage and accurate water,
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Stuck my Rosemary, a bought plant (cheating I know) in the ground between Lavender and done nothing to it. No watering nothing must be on naturally good spot. Grew a couple of cutting same thing. Good spot.
 
Beer said:
Stuck my Rosemary, a bought plant (cheating I know) in the ground between Lavender and done nothing to it. No watering nothing must be on naturally good spot. Grew a couple of cutting same thing. Good spot.
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How is it cheating to buy a plant and stick it in the ground? Regardless of how good a spot is, herbs still need some amount of sun, decent soil with good drainage and some amount of water. You don't have to do anything to rosemary for it to grow, but it does prefer certain conditions over other conditions.
 
image.jpg
Here we go painted baked bean cans with 50 p plants great for any patio
 
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