How to Grow Cooking Herbs

Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and flavor to your menus year-round!

Is It a Cooking Herb or a Spice?

The first thing to know in selecting which herbs to grow is the difference between cooking (culinary) herbs and spices. The cinnamon stick you put in your hot chocolate or apple cider is a spice while the parsley on the edge of your plate is an herb. 1.Cooking herbs are usually the fresh or dried leaves of plants while spices are the ground seeds, roots, fruits, flowers, and/or bark. 2.Herbs grow very well in temperate zones, while spices generally come from tropical areas. 3.Herbs add subtle flavor, whereas spices are generally more pungent and add more robust flavor.

Herbs run the gamut of about 70 cultivars, broken into categories of medicinal, ornamental, and aromatic as well as culinary or cooking herbs. To start growing cooking herbs, it's best first to select where and how you want to grow them.

Site Selection

Most cooking herbs thrive in just about any location that gives them plenty of light, good drainage and nutrition. In addition to outdoor garden spots, culinary herbs can be grown in patio containers, as indoor herb gardens, or in greenhouses using soil-less growing techniques like hydroponics or aquaponics.

Outdoor Cooking Herb Gardens

For easy access, plant your herb garden as close to your kitchen as possible. Herbs grown in full sun have denser foliage, darker color, and higher levels of the essential oils that add flavor to your recipes. Good air circulation and drainage are also important to the success of your cooking herb garden. The size of your cooking herb garden, of course, depends on the space you have available for growing. Generally, an area 20 by 4 feet accommodates a satisfactory variety of cultivars.

Many herbs overlap in category. Border your cooking herb garden with some cultivars that have ornamental or aromatic qualities as well as the culinary. However, remember that the main purpose of this garden is for use in your kitchen.

Place cooking herbs that you use frequently in less conspicuous areas so that you won't leave big holes in your garden when you harvest them for cooking!

Most culinary herbs thrive under the same growth conditions as the vegetables they enhance and as such are a natural addition to your vegetable garden. Some cooking herbs even have properties that repel common insect pests and garden diseases, which is an added benefit to your vegetables.

The best time to amend soil with nutrient rich compost is when you till your garden plot. Herbs have coarse roots that benefit from chunky organic matter, which helps excess water drain away and also helps provide good air circulation.

After planting your cooking herbs, skirting them with a two to three-inch layer of mulch helps soil retain moisture. In addition, composting and mulching helps you maintain the neutral to slightly alkaline soil that most herbs prefer.

Linda is an author of Gardening Tips and How To Artciles. The next part of this article is available at our site Gardening-Guides.com
Where you can download the whole series as a free full color e-book. Just follow the links.

---

Early Spring Garden Guide: What To Do In The Yard And Garden Now

Can't wait to get back to the garden? Use this... Read More

New for 2006 - Granite Flexible Preformed Rock Ponds

Traditionally, preformed ponds are large shells, which are extremely burdensome... Read More

Tips on How to Plant Roses

When spring comes and the ground is thawed, it is... Read More

Pressure Washing Decks

A beautiful wooden deck, properly maintained, can add greatly to... Read More

Oregano: Joy of the Mountain

Known as "joy of the mountain," Origanum vulgare is commonly... Read More

Pine Furniture Care Guide

First, some background on PINE WOOD. Pine is a naturally... Read More

Imagine Your Own Orchid Garden In A Pond

Who doesn't love to hear the water rushing and flowing... Read More

Mowing the Lawn

This is more of a follow up on my original... Read More

Tips On Caring For Your Cut Flowers

Imagine it's a special occasion and you've just received a... Read More

How to Grow Basil

Today there are sprays, scented candles, plug-ins, and even discs... Read More

Plant A Simple Tea Garden

Materials Needed 1 decorative clay or metal planter 1 package... Read More

Learn All About Feng Shui Money Trees

A feng shui money tree is an indoor plant used... Read More

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

The flittering of the butterfly through your garden is no... Read More

The Advantages of Both a Liner Pond and a Preformed Pond, Rolled Up Into One Box!

INTRODUCTIONSo you've decided to build your very own backyard water... Read More

Budget For Your Garden

Have you ever thought about how much it costs to... Read More

Trust Your Plants - They Know How To Grow!

I've done a lot of container gardening over the years,... Read More

Park Benches - Making the Right Choice

When most people hear the words, "park bench", they envision... Read More

The Perfect Garden Sundial

Is it possible for a garden sundial to tell perfect... Read More

Cultivating Plants In Your Garden...What To Watch Out For

There are so many plants available for you to choose... Read More

Tuberous Begonias

If you appreciate plants that have no hesitation in boldly... Read More

Come With Me To The Casbah!

A ripe persimmon is a thing of beauty ? sweet,... Read More

Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves

Ahh, spring! It has sprung! Gardeners (and budding gardeners -... Read More

A Bit About Bare Root Roses...

Scents from the rose garden filling the air as you... Read More

Are My Grapes Ready to Harvest?

This is the time of the year that I keep... Read More

What Is One Flower Benefit That You Know Of?

The biggest flower benefit of all is the fact that... Read More

Summer Pond Tips

Low Oxygen levels Kill FishUse an oxygen tester and air... Read More

Who Sells Flower Bulbs?

Flower bulbs offer some of the most distinctive, unusual flowers... Read More

Fall Pond Cleaning

Doing a full pond cleaning during the colder winter months... Read More

Colorado Blue Spruce And Lush Red Roses

Set in a broad expanse of lush green lawn a... Read More

Mint: The Herb of Hospitality

The Mentha species or mints as they are commonly called... Read More

Rose - The Flower of Love and Romance

What is the flower that everyone visualizes and associates with... Read More

How to for Lawns ? Mowing

How often you mow your lawn will depend on a... Read More

Orchids Plus More Newsletter - December, 2004

Newsletter Name Change?After several of you made suggestions to me... Read More