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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2015 16:57:35 GMT
Growing herbs in drought time has turned up some surprises and big pressure to maximize fresh greens. Parsley in pots are my mainstay as it's a siren call to gophers. Onion chives proved to be amazingly sturdy, along with winter savory. All the lemon thyme in the ground perished over the dry winter, that's a must-have but will be potted up. Lost my marjoram too, while the oregano thrived. The marjoram does well in the ground, just didn't realize it needed more water than the rest, including various kinds of rosemary.
Does anyone grow garlic chives? There seems to be two kinds going, read folks complaints about older "plants" getting large flat tough leaves. I just got some 2" pots of it, obviously seed grown. Wondering how much can be cropped off - my onion chives don't really yield much, I get more use out of their flowers.
Gotu Kola is my latest find - it looked like watercress trying to be violets, and that's about how it grows as far as I've read. It has a nice flavor, a little lemony, not peppery like watercress.
Last year I finally got my hands on Persian mint, hope to have lots of tabouli salads this summer. It has a pretty white bloom that's tasty too. Drooled over a pot of apple mint at the nursery, but passed it by. Does anyone grow it and how do you use it?
Would love to hear how everyone is growing and using fresh herbs! |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2015 17:42:58 GMT
We just grow the basic herbs, chives, parsley, dill and 3 kinds of mint. We have several herbs in the house that we use all the time. A bunch in the little greenhouse off the bathroom to rotate and another bunch in the bigger greenhouse. We have 4 kinds in the garden along with chives, parsley and dill. We use fresh all the time, dry a bunch for winter and cooking. We plant chives all around the garden, tomato plants and rose garden. We don't grow a lot of garlic though, some spread around, helps with bugs....James
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Post by okiemomof3 on May 6, 2015 18:19:08 GMT
i am going to follow this thread. I need to expand a lot and know how to use more fresh herbs, especially the herbs i don't use now in the dried form. Like mint..what do you use mint for? growing up, my mom would send me out to pick some to put in the tea pitcher but that's all i know to use it for.
All i have growing is basil and cilantro. i use thyme and rosemary, so i definitely should grow some of those but in my veggie garden or in containers? which is best?
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 3:18:13 GMT
Basil is in the mint family, that's a good take off for using mint in salads and with meat like chicken and pork. I used it with parsley in any kind of tomato salad. It's a little tricky when you cook with it, there's a Persian tradition that way, which is where I discovered this wonderful mint that was like spearmint, but brighter and softer. And I guess tabouli salad is Persian too, like hummus. Which is good with mint.
Rosemary can get to be a huge shrub, but it's still a good container plant, just keep it clipped to size. Thyme is a nice edge of the pot plant so it can spill over. I think they're easier to grow in the ground, and probably better flavored.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 3:34:32 GMT
I am just about starting over on herbs. I have a 3-tiered planter that I put them in. It is one of those "strawberry pyramid planters" that were all the rage at one time, a homemade version. I have had thyme and chives going for years, then got mint, sage and rosemary established and they were coming back in the spring, too. But this year only the chives came back. Even the mint failed and usually it's so hardy it's invasive. So I bought some "cheater plants" just today. Got rosemary, sage, basil, dill, parsley, thyme and cilantro.
One thing I plan to do with the fresh herbs this year is make homemade ranch dressing. The question "what can you do with fresh herbs" is best answered, "what can't you do with fresh herbs". Just about anything you cook can benefit from one or more fresh herbs added to it. I like to put sprigs of thyme in with pot roast, a pot of beans, etc. Chop some sage and mix in pork sausage, it takes store bought sausage up a notch. Rosemary is nice in bread and is good with chicken. Cilantro for Tex-Mex and salsa. It's so handy to run out the back door and cut some, the fresh herbs at the store are pricey and usually not-so-fresh.
I don't grow try to medicinals at this time, but probably will in the future.
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Post by freelove on May 7, 2015 13:50:36 GMT
You can use mint in salads, with fruit, in raita - yogurt, cucumber and mint, and of course JULEPS. Mint syrup is nice in cold drinks, with or without alcohol, drizzled over chocolate ice cream (or any ice cream)or in homemade ice cream. Mint jelly or mint sauce are classic with lamb.
I have never been a big fan of apple mint, it just doesn't seem to have the flavor of other mints. I really like the black stem peppermint, spearmint and orange mint which is also called bergamot mint.
You can use hands full of herbs with garlic and oil for a quick pasta or rice dish. Just pick whatever is available, chop and stir into the oil and garlic then mix with pasta or rice. Add cheese, Parmesan, Romano, Mascarpone or goat cheese and toss. You can mix chopped herbs, one or several, into yogurt for a dip or soft cheese for a spread.
I have lost quite a few herbs to a hard winter so I am starting some in the greenhouse. I have chervil, upright thyme, anise hyssop, salad burnet, summer savory, chamomile, and winter savory. I thought my winter savory had died, but it is starting to show signs of life. My parsley hasn't germinated yet, the seeds were old so I might have to replant. Hyssop, too. Dill usually comes up on its own and so does cilantro. I have to plant basil in the greenhouse, too. There is a lady that grows herbs for sale locally so I will buy from her what I don't grow myself.
I have two Rosemary plants, a lemon verbena, a 5+ foot tall bay tree, and some scented geraniums in pots.
I have grown herbs for 48 years and have herb gardens from tiny to 30'x30' formal plantings. Now, I just have a few small herb gardens that are easy to care for, but I love growing and using herbs.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 14:34:58 GMT
Every year I grow mint specifically to make mojitos. DH and I look forward to them every summer. LOL.
I've managed to keep two pots of rosemary alive for over two years now, which is an accomplishment considering that I have to remember to take it into the house each winter and then it has to survive living in my house with pets, children, and my brown thumb (I usually over or under water houseplants). One year our pet rabbit managed to escape and before we caught him he'd managed to eat almost an entire plant.
In a small garden by my door I have flat leafed parsley, sage, chives, garlic, tarragon, and oregano that have all managed to come back on their own for several years. I like to use the parsley as a substitute for cilantro in my cooking and canning since I don't really like the taste of cilantro and it always goes to seed so quickly for me. I've tried for years to get a patch of dill started out there, but I've never had much luck with it.
I also like to have several pots of basil and chamomile for fresh use all summer and for drying.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2015 2:42:59 GMT
I have growing, in a mostly neglected area, lemon balm, oregano and chives. They are bomb proof here (zone 5) considering I wasn't able to garden for a couple years and they are still there and doing okay. I need to start some basil and summer savory. Since I didn't get much started myself this Spring I will probably just buy the rest which will be parsley, orange mint (my favorite mint), rosemary, lemon thyme. I will probably direct seed some dill, which I love. Not really an herb but great for tea plant and bees is anise hyssop and that's something else that survived, neglected, in fact it has spread in clumps in front of my greenhouse where it smells wonderful when I step on it - there's a bunch so I can't avoid them all!
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Post by whisperwindkat on May 10, 2015 11:35:56 GMT
Catnip, lemon balm, apple mint, basil, cilantro, oregano, pineapple sage, rosemary, dill, and thyme currently are the herbs growing in my garden. I am always looking to add more. Catnip can keep some bugs away from other plants and it can be fed to the rabbits. Lemon balm can be used in salads, tea, dried for herbal teas in winter, and soaps and salves. It too can be fed to the rabbits. Mint has been mentioned by a pp and it can be fed to the rabbits. I love herbs in the garden and simply can't seem to get enough. I am sure I will add more this year or at least a different variety. I would love another mint, but not sure where to put it so that it doesn't become a weed. The others pretty much take over the "wild" areas of the garden. I love them though!
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Post by wolfmom on May 10, 2015 11:43:30 GMT
Not much this year, but after pricing a tiny jar of dill in the store, I went and bought a dill start. It's in and growing nicely, although I'll most likely have to transplant it next year as it's not in the best place for a herb garden.
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Post by chickenista on May 10, 2015 13:14:27 GMT
It's doing very well so far!
Let's see..
The catnip and lemon balm are always awesome.. just taking over certain areas and I am fine with that.
My great grandfather's bee balm is doing well.
The lavender is about to bloom.
My soapwort looks great too. I love it.
My thymes are in full bloom! I just love the carpet of it.
Santolina is all budded and about to bloom too.
The Motherwort (oh.. the Motherwort) still has to be moved, but I did get rid of a chunk of it. Yay.
I accidentally weeded up my Pleurisy plant. Oops. But it may retake. I stuck it back in the ground.
The Valerian and Horehound are loving their new spot and the comfrey is going gangbusters!
My Echinacea did very well last year and made tons of babies. I need to get out and dig them all up and move them. Waiting for a rainy spell to do that.. and waiting.
All the mints are doing well too..
And the yarrow.. oh, the yarrow.
We quadrupled our beds last year and we have yarrow by the square yard.
We have yarrow in spades.
Yay.
Oh.. at some point I have to secure the hops. It needs a better thing to climb on. It's not hanging on well and is all over the ground. Still pretty though.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2015 3:41:10 GMT
Ooh, Chickenista, would love to hear about your hops - what kind, where did you get them, how did you plant them, how do you harvest them? I've only seen them growing in an old hopyard in the Sacramento Delta - trellised like with telephone poles they were so huge.
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Post by chickenista on May 12, 2015 11:35:47 GMT
www.northwesthops.com/Hop_Rhizomes_s/1.htmThis is where I got mine. If you do a little looking around, you can figure out what you want from your hops and buy the right one. I would like to say I remember which one I got, but..ha. I think I went with a floral fragrance etc... They are easy to grow.
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Post by bowdonkey on May 12, 2015 20:48:05 GMT
For medicinals St Johnwort, Motherwort, Wild Bergamont, Valarien, Catnip are some I grow or are growing here wild. For culinary, Greek Oregano, Winter Savory, Rosemary, Sweet Basil, Dill the Bouquet variety, Fennel and a bunch of others.
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Post by Woodpecker on May 12, 2015 21:49:38 GMT
The new medicinal herbs I'm growing are St.John's Chamoile and Motherwort.
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Post by feather on May 12, 2015 22:45:02 GMT
My cilantro reseeded itself in my lettuce garden.
My oregano is the ground cover in my asparagus garden.
The chives in pots comes back by the root every year.
I'll have pots of purple basil, thyme, and sage which I started from seed in the house.
I'll put in dill seed later, so it is ready during pickle season.
2 big garlic gardens with 6 types of garlic.
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Post by freelove on May 13, 2015 13:27:07 GMT
Be careful where you plant Motherwort and Mugwort, they can quickly become invasive.
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Post by chickenista on May 13, 2015 14:14:30 GMT
I just sent someone here some Motherwort.
I was 'so glad to share' (wink wink nudge nudge)
But I did warn repeatedly... I did.
But the bees love it and if you put it NOT in the middle of an herb bed (like I did)
and have it somewhere that you don't want to mow and mix it with wildflowers or other spread herb plants, it's stunning!
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Post by barefootfarmer on May 13, 2015 16:17:36 GMT
Right now my herb beds are looking like a disaster. I know if I scrounge through there I'll find some good starts that I should remove and replant in a fresh area. My parsley has made a thick mat- and the mint, oh the mint...it's pretty much all intermingled. The sage, rosemary and lovage are behaving and they get to stay. I've got a great nettle patch and I need more time to use it. I haven't dried any of it in a few years and it really is so good as a tea. Usually I eat it steamed/wilted down like spinach. I've got plenty of lemon balm in nice clumps. Everything else is getting the heave ho and a fresh start.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2015 22:04:54 GMT
Hops? Chickenista?
Lavender (Grosso) is just showing color on new buds. Two weeks to harvest time.
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Post by chickenista on May 13, 2015 22:14:47 GMT
Hops? RedDirt? Are you asking if I have any to share? Or what I do with them? Or what they are exactly?  Oh.. and I have stinging nettles too. LOVE them. So delicious and so good for you. I wasn't adding my 'weeds' on the list. |
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Post by Woodpecker on May 14, 2015 0:22:18 GMT
I just sent someone here some Motherwort. I was 'so glad to share' (wink wink nudge nudge) But I did warn repeatedly... I did. But the bees love it and if you put it NOT in the middle of an herb bed (like I did) and have it somewhere that you don't want to mow and mix it with wildflowers or other spread herb plants, it's stunning! Yes you did! See that last sentence is why I wanted some. |
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Post by Skandi on May 14, 2015 18:33:58 GMT
My lemon grass is still housebound, it'll be put out for the summer in a couple of weeks. I have basil and coriander in the greenhouse borders. Rosemary, chives, sage and parsley are sitting in pots waiting for me to finish the herb bed, and I need to sow the dill. I'll want to add mint, thyme, lemon balm and lovage as soon as I have some spare money to buy them.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2015 21:46:14 GMT
Not really an herb, but I have been thinking about starting some horseradish. Anybody grow that and have some tips?
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Post by amylou on May 15, 2015 18:41:05 GMT
Mine was doing pretty good until granddaughter poured her chocolate milk in the cilantro and dill. The dogs decided to destroy them to get to the chocolate milk. Love that girl.
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Post by Woodpecker on May 15, 2015 21:19:56 GMT
I'm growing a lot more seeds this year instead of buying plants. I looked a saw my Inigo coming up as well as my Elecampane. chickenista what are your "weeds"? |
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Post by chickenista on May 15, 2015 21:58:14 GMT
Um.. plantain, loads of nettles, cleavers, chickweed, poke.. the usual ones.
I forgot that my horehound is loving it's new home too. It's tripled in size this spring.
And the African Blue Basil is heading to be 8 ft in diameter again.
Though we could use a little rain.
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Post by woolybear on May 15, 2015 22:35:06 GMT
This year the marjoram and thyme survived the winter (and look beautiful), but the oregano did not. So today I got greek, italian and hot and spicy oregano to try out. Also picked up 3 sweet basil. Those 4 are my main herbs. Need to start some parsley.
We've had horseradish growing for 3-4 years and it never has amounted to anything. I think it was in a bad spot in the garden - was getting too much shade. So DH ripped it out this year and expanded the strawberry patch.
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Post by Woodpecker on May 16, 2015 0:19:52 GMT
Um.. plantain, loads of nettles, cleavers, chickweed, poke.. the usual ones. I forgot that my horehound is loving it's new home too. It's tripled in size this spring. And the African Blue Basil is heading to be 8 ft in diameter again. Though we could use a little rain. It sounds like you have some nice weeds! I'm getting my nettle patch going. We haven't had rain here in over a month, both my rain barrels are dry. The weather forecast has some rain it tomorrow. |
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Post by feather on May 16, 2015 0:28:32 GMT
If there is anyone in WI or IL that wants cilantro, I'm going to tear out a couple square feet of it, yours for the taking. It's messing with how much room I have in my lettuce garden. I made some guacamole today with some of it, it's great, I just have too much of it. PM me if you are interested.
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