One of my goals this year is to add more herbs to the gardens (not just the vegetable garden). Herbs have many different characteristics that can make the attractive as well as useful.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Last year I became painfully aware that after making a delicious batch of pesto that we were out of fresh basil and it was the end of the growing season. I’ll not make that mistake again! This year I’m adding basil everywhere I can including in the herb patch, the vegetable garden, and any other place it might look good. It’s easy to grow and tastes delicious in many dishes. It can also be stored very easily in the freezer. Be sure to pinch basil tips often to prevent flowering until the fall. Pinching makes a bushier plant with more leaves, which is a good thing! In the fall let it go to seed if you want it to reseed.
One of the standard basils that we grow each year is Italian basil. It tastes great in pesto and other dishes. These little basil sprouts are growing in one of our vegetable garden beds. I planted them directly from seed among the tomatoes as a companion planting strategy.
The ‘Blue Spice’ basil is something a little different that we are trying this year for the sake of variety. It’s leaves are tinted a little toward the bluish end of the spectrum but still appear mostly green to me.
More on Basil
Companion planting strategy: Good companions for tomatoes.
How we use it: Pesto, Pasta, Chicken
Cilantro
This herb is one that my wife demanded requested we get going this year. We’ve had trouble with damping off in previous years but this year it is doing good. We have two plants growing stong in with the tomatoes. Cilantro seems to be one of those herbs that you either love it or don’t.
More on Cilantro
Companion planting strategy: prevents potato beetles, aphids, spider mites, and carrot rust fly.
How we use it: Mexican dishes, meats (chicken and hamburger), guacamole (if only I could grow avacados outdoors I would be set!)
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Lemon balm is a very attractive plant but aside from that we haven’t utilized it effectively. It definitely smells like lemons and could be a substitute for lemons in tea. We’ve also used it as a seasoning in chicken dishes. Strangely it appears to be doubling as a bed for some creature, most likely a kitty. I suppose the feline population has to smell their best! Lemon balm also has an added benefit of repelling certain bloodsucking insects, namely mosquitoes!
Companion planting strategy: Bees like it so plant it where you need pollinators (i.e. near squash and cucurbits), attracts beneficial insects
How we use it: Seasoning on chicken, tea
Mint (Mentha)
Mint is another new herb in our garden. Due to its invasiveness I’ve been a little reticent to plant it however I’ve put it only into two raised beds that have confinement. Hopefully that will keep the mint in their beds but it is so easy to pull out it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Mint tends to spread due to its rhizomatous roots. I planted two types this year spearmint which is a very common and great for teas as well as chocolate mint which we have used in ice tea but would be good in coffee too (Thanks to Kate’s suggestion via Twitter).
Spearmint
More on Mint
Companion planting strategy: repels ants and flea beetles (may also help control aphids since ants tend to aid ahpids by overwintering their eggs. Ants then collect the honeydew the aphids make from the plants they devour.)
How we use it: Tea, tea and more tea! Coffee. I hope to dry some this year to save for the winter. Tea made from mint tends to calm the stomach.
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I have learned much about herbs from your posting today. Thank you for sharing. My little parsley and cilantro are not doing so well in the peat pods I have them growing in my indoor ‘greenhouse’. I will have to take the remainder of the seed and add them outdoors. Thanks for sharing!
Happy Garden Season from my garden in the Midwest.
That Blue Spice sounds very interesting. You guys are going to have an excellent herb crop!
So true, I have all kinds of herbs mixed in my regular ornamental gardens. I also have kinds of herbs that aren’t necessarily culinary herbs. I realy like growing herbs in pots that I place around the property. I find that a huge pot of basil by the back door reminds me to pick fresh herbs each day!
It’s finally time to start sowing my herb seeds outside!
Great post. We have many herbs in our vegetable garden. Lots of basil and mints. We planted a cinnamon basil last year and that did very well.
Nice to know that cilantro can prevent aphids and spider mites. This is something I’ll have to invest in this year!
Great plants, I have sweet basil and cinnamon basil. The mints I have chocolate, lemon, orange, spearmint, peppermint, Kentucky Colonel Mint and pineapple sage are all I can think of right now. Yes the mints have their own flower bed away from the others.
Hi Dave, good info here. We also did not plant enough basil last year and have tried to make up for it. Pesto is the best use, but the leaves are also good in salads. Mint is also said to deter snakes, have you ever heard that? Seems like a good use for it to me. 🙂 Cilantro is finally germinating here, it took so long.
Frances
Hi Dave,
Love your info on herbs. I have the Thai Basil {or so it was labeled} but it isn't a dark color. It is green like regular Basil. It does smell like Basil.
I pinched the top out of one plant to root. Can it be rooted & by what means? Water or root hormone/dirt.
Lola,
I went back and looked and you are right. Thai basil isn’t really purple I think its the stems I was remembering with some purple shading in the leaves. Not completely purple but not completely green. The difference may have been the amount of light since it was hidden among the tomatoes. I corrected the post to reflect that mistake! You can try rooting in water for most herbs.
Bren,
I’ve discovered that most herbs prefer to grow from seed in the garden. I’ve had trouble growing them in peat pots as well but they sprout up easily from seed outdoors after the frosts have past.
Tina,
I can’t wait! Our perennial herbs are already ready to be harvested. I need to get our oregano trimmed back and start drying some for the future.
Suzy,
Pots are great for them since you can move them out of the cold weather when you need to. Would be good for tonight! Who ever heard of a frost warning in TN in mid May?
Darla,
How do you like to use the cinnamon basil? I may have to try the orange mint it sounds like it would make an interesting tea.
Frances,
I wouldn’t mind seeing a few snakes since they would take care of the voles for me! Although Jenny might have issues with them.
Good for you, Dave! We grow all those as well. Like Frances, I love fresh basil in salads, and I think cinnamon basil would add a nice touch. If you use your fresh mint leaves in fruit salads (they’re great in tossed salads, too), you’d probably enjoy cinnamon basil leaves in a fruit salad as well. Or, as another variation on mint, try a stem of cinnamon basil in a glass of iced lemon herb tea! (I agree with Jenny about the cilantro, by the way. Like basil, it’s one of those can’t live-without herbs here.)
Dear Dave ( I have to call you that since my poor Dave is still stuck in the garden on the cold old bench .. haha)
YES !! I am an herb gal .. I have them all over the place .. and those basil are something else aren’t they ? .. I have a varigated one in a pot with purple and golden sage .. it is eye candy : )
I am in love with pineapple sage .. now that is also another amzing herb .. along with lemon verbena .. the scent is heavenly !
Great post : )
Thought provoking post on incorporating herbs in the garden.
I found this website useful for Herb Gardening tips http://www.herbgardeningtoday.com. I think you guys will find it interesting too.
Thanks,
Kelly – Home herb garden
Hello there fellow herb gardener! I have chocolate mint too. How do you use it with iced tea? As a garnish? Will it give off flavor even if it's not boiled?
I also have cinnamon basil. I used it for hot tea. Not bad, although I liked mint better for tea purposes.
Chris,
We generally chop up the mint the run the water through a filter with the mint leaves to add it to our tea. We're hooked on mint in our iced tea!
Hi Dave! I tried boiling my Japanese Mint and then I put the contents (without the leaves) in an ice container. I used the ice with my iced tea. It's pretty cool, although I think I didn't use enough leaves. How much leaves do you use for one glass?