Herbs Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-27-2016

You can find lots of reasons to grow herbs in your home garden. Most herb plants are both ornamental and useful; most are fragrant, many taste good, and some are highly nutritious. Plus, herbs are just plain interesting — many have colorful names and equally colorful lore associated with them. Grow your own herbs, and you get the freshest harvest, you can control how they’re cared for and stored, and you can grow unusual varieties. Whether you’re growing herbs for cooking, using them in remedies and salves, or using them for crafts, you’re sure to find them a fascinating and rewarding group of plants.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you plan to harvest herbs for use in cooking or to make herbal remedies, you’ll want to avoid using pesticides. And even if you won’t be ingesting the herbs, it just makes sense to minimize your use of pesticides — even organic ones. The good news is that you can find plenty of ecologically sound ways to control pests without resorting to sprays: Choose pest-resistant herbs that are adapted to your climate. Keep plants healthy by making sure that they’re getting the right amount of sun, water, and fertilizer for optimal growth. Plant a diversity of plants to invite beneficial insects into your landscape to help control pests. Inspect plants frequently so that you catch problems early. Use barriers, such as row covers, to prevent pests from reaching plants. Trap pests, such as slugs, to reduce their populations. Hand-pick insect pests or wash them off with a blast of water.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Here are some of the more common herbs to be wary of, including a couple that can “worke eternal sleepe.” If you choose to grow these herbs, be sure to carefully label each herb and plant them away from culinary herbs and edible crops. Avoid planting them if you have pets or young children that may be tempted to nibble them. Aconite (Aconitum spp.): This herb, also known as monkshood and wolfsbane, deserves a skull-and-crossbones; it’s highly poisonous. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale): Don't take internally. Laboratory research indicates that comfrey, even in low concentrations, is carcinogenic in rats. Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna): In folklore, this one is a favorite ingredient of witches’ brews. The common name says it all. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea): The source of a powerful heart medication, foxglove can cause convulsions and even death if used improperly. Hellebore: Both American false hellebore (Veratrum viride) and black hellebore (Helleborus niger) are dangerous characters; they are major-league skin irritants and can be fatal if ingested. Hemlock (Contium maculatum): Also known as poison hemlock. Think nausea, paralysis, and death. Pokeweed (Phytolacca spp.): All parts of mature plants, including their pretty purple berries, are toxic.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The term “fragrant herbs” may be redundant, but there are fragrances and there are fragrances. Some gardeners love the scent of rosemary, for example, and others are less enthralled. Here are herbs whose leaves and/or flowers keep you olfactorily ahhhing and ohhhing. Beebalm (Monarda didyma) foliage has a citrusy aroma. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has a strong lemon fragrance with a hint of mint. Catmint (Nepeta faassenii) has a minty, piney scent. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) has a clean and refreshing scent. Curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) smells remarkably like curry, a mix of up to 20 different herbs and spices. Rose (Rosa spp.) scents vary, depending upon the type — look for heirloom roses or varieties touted for their fragrance. Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) have a stronger, spicier aroma than regular chives. Thyme (Thymus spp.) can smell like citrus, orange, caraway, or nutmeg, depending upon the variety.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you’re growing herbs, it’s only proper that your cup of tea be herbal, either herbs alone or tea brewed with herbs. Here are the first ten herbs to put in your tea garden: Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) has a minty/anise flavor. Bee balm (Monarda didyma) makes a citrusy flavored tea. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) creates a relaxing tea that soothes cold symptoms. Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile and Matricaria recutita) makes a calming tea with a hint of apple aroma. Scented geranium (Pelargonium spp.) can make a tea evocative of coconut, lemon, nutmeg or rose, depending upon the variety. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) makes a lemony brew. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) has a strong lemon flavor. Mint (Mentha x piperita) makes a minty fresh tea that aids digestion. *Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) makes a citrusy, somewhat sour brew with a beautiful rosy red hue. Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) has a licorice flavor and aroma.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Just as you harvest different herbs at different times, you collect different parts of your herbs — leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, seeds, and roots — at different times. The timing of your harvest also depends on how you expect to use the herb: to make tea, for example, or to make a wreath or a nosegay. Annuals, biennials, and perennials have their own quirks, but the rules for harvesting are pretty simple and straightforward. Follow these tips when harvesting herbs: Harvesting leaves: Collect foliage when it’s still tender. If you want herb leaves to use as greens in salads, harvest as soon as the leaves are large enough to be used. Harvest in late morning, after dew has dissipated, but before the day has started to heat up. The oils that make herbs taste and smell wonderful and work medicinally are at their most powerful then. Harvesting seeds: Seeds are the real reason to grow some herbs, such as anise and caraway. With others, such as coriander/cilantro and dill, they’re a bonus for the spice rack. In either case, you don’t want to let seeds get away. Seeds begin forming when pollinated flowers drop away. The seeds are ripe and ready for collecting when they turn from green to brown or black. Watch, too, for seed pods to swell or change color. Shake the ripened flower head into a paper bag, and the seeds will fall into the bag. Be sure to label the bag with the name of the plant and the date you gathered the seed. Harvesting flowers: For most uses, harvest herb flowers just as they start to open. As with the rest of the plant, their freshness peaks and falls off quickly. Essential oils that provide flavor, fragrance, and healing qualities are all at their acme as the bud is swelling. Cut the flower off with a bit of stem (which helps keep flowers from falling apart) above the top set of leaves. For dry arrangements, wreaths, or crafts in which you use entire flowers, you achieve a more natural-looking result if you pick flowers at different stages — unopened, partially opened, completely opened. Harvest them with at least 6 inches (15cm) of stem. Potpourri, too, has a more interesting texture if you include a few tight buds along with petals. If you’re going to press flowers, let them open a bit more before you cut them — enough that you don’t have to wrestle them to lay flat. After they’ve fully opened, don’t leave them in the garden, where their color will fade, or where insects can damage them. Harvesting roots: The ideal time to harvest roots and rhizomes is in fall, after the foliage has died back. That’s when roots are at their most potent. (If you forget, you can harvest the next spring before growth starts, but you may have a harder time finding the plant. In addition, the roots may be more full of moisture and take longer to dry.) Here are a couple of rules for the underground harvester: Be patient with roots. Don’t harvest perennials before the autumn of their second year. (A couple of exceptions among culinary roots are chicory, which you can harvest the first year before it goes to seed, and marsh mallow, which is better when harvested in the fall of its third year.) Biennials, such as angelica, begin wearing out and become woody in their second year, so harvest them in their first fall or second spring. Dig roots when the earth is damp but not sopping wet. Use a spading fork (which is less likely to damage the roots) and delve deep. Cut off the plant tops; if you can’t use them, add them to the compost pile. Roots, unlike herb leaves, need washing after harvesting; if necessary, scrub them with a brush to remove dirt. In most cases, gardeners dig the entire plant when they harvest roots. But if you want that perennial in the same spot next year, remember to slice off a hefty section of root containing an eye, or bud, and replant it.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Taking good care of an herb garden results in wonderful quality and a big harvest for food and crafts. Herb gardens need good air circulation, protection from extreme weather, and adequate watering. Herb garden woes? Water, weather, and circulation To keep your herbs from being choked, or dulled, keep your garden away from low spots, where cold air can pool. Cold air is heavier than warm air; that’s why low areas are susceptible to frost. Poor air circulation also provides the stagnant conditions that plant diseases love, especially in humid climates. Do everything you can to ensure good air circulation. If you must fence your garden to ward off wildlife, four legged or two, don’t make it a solid wall that will keep your herbs from getting the fresh air they need. At the same time, if your property is near the ocean — or regularly in the path of fierce winds — your herbs may need protection. Any garden site that regularly gets winds in the 15-mph range needs a windbreak, or wind barrier. Wind barriers also safeguard the soil from erosion and help keep it from drying out. A cold wind can annihilate a row of young basil plants in a matter of hours (or, if you’re lucky, just slow their growth for weeks to come). In contrast, hot winds desiccate, or dehydrate, plants, and that, too, can be lethal. If you leave your containers of herbs sitting outside in winter, the plants’ roots aren’t protected from the cold air. As a rule, you can leave perennial herbs outdoors in containers all winter if they’re hardy to one zone farther north than your home. One warning: If you live in the far North, you may be growing herbs that won’t survive even with this coddling. Garden flowers, vegetables, and fruits require extra water when they’re forming flowers or fruits. In contrast, herbs, most of which have small flowers and are grown primarily for their leaves, need even moisture throughout the garden season. Just as you need to water more in hot climates and less in cool ones, you need to water differently depending on the texture of your soil. Install a rain gauge and keep track of rainfall, but don’t be a slave to numbers: If there was an inch of rain in the past week but your plants clearly show that they’re thirsty, water them. If you haven’t had rain but your herbs look great, don’t do a thing except feel grateful. Before you anticipate the horticultural version of Murphy’s Law kicking in, remind yourself that herbs are among the garden plants least bothered by diseases and pests. With help from you, they’ll grow vigorously, untroubled by plagues or pestilence. Bugs and animals that are good for herb gardens Biological controls are living organisms; using biological controls is based on the theory that every pest has a mortal enemy. It’s a relatively new field of long-term pest control. The controls themselves, however, have been around forever — and many of them are already sharing your zip code. Following is a short list of beneficials that you want to keep around your herb garden. Aphid midges: The midge larvae — tiny orange maggots — commit “aphidcide.” Dragonflies: You need water to attract these flyers, one of the garden’s most beautiful do-gooders. True bugs: Believe it or not, “true bugs” is the scientific name for a group of insects, which includes predatory members that attack aphids, beetle larvae, caterpillars, and thrips. Yellow jackets: If yellow jackets nest far enough away not to sting you, leave them alone to gather caterpillars, flies, and assorted larvae for their offspring. In addition to these small pest-control champs, some larger animals are worth having on garden patrol. It's not that you should import these helpers — they may be inappropriate for your location or sensibilities — but don’t discount the good they can do: Bats: Forget all the scare stories about rabies — scientists say that the danger is remote — and remember that bats are champion insect-eaters. Birds: You can forgive birds a few transgressions, such as eating the cherries and blueberries, when you remember how many bugs they eat. One estimate is that aphid eggs make up half a chickadee’s winter diet! Skunks: Although skunks are debatable as garden ornaments, they do love grubs. Moles are also great grub grubbers if you can put up with the lawn damage they cause. Snakes: Maybe you draw the line at encouraging snakes to dwell in your herb garden, but they’re after rodents and insects, not you. Toads: Toads eat an almost exclusive diet of grubs, slugs, beetles, and other harmful insects. Encourage toads by chipping a doorway on the side of a terra-cotta pot and leaving it, turned upside down, in a shady spot in your garden.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Herbs that are almost never troubled by insects and diseases in the garden are easy targets when grown indoors. As a bare-bones essential, you must offer indoor herbs artificial light. And even when you do, many of the plants will balk at confinement. Some herbs are too tall to grow under lights; some have deep tap roots; some require a period of chilling or complete dormancy during the winter months. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/nevarpp Many perennial herbs must come indoors during the cold months in most parts of North America. Leave them outside in December and January, and you're left with a few dead stems and a pot of soil to dump on the compost pile. Give these plenty of artificial light, and they'll struggle through winter. In their search for sunshine, many plants get leggy and impossibly tall, so prune stem tips frequently to keep them bushy. (Pinching off the ends tells the buds farther down on the branch to start growing.) Gardeners have moderately good luck with growing these herbs indoors: Artemisia Basil Catnip Chive Costmary Curry Germande Ginger Lemon balm Marjoram Mint Oregano Parsley Rue Santolina Winter savory You can ease your herbs' transition from the outdoor to the indoor by moving them under a tree, an overhang, or a shelter of shade cloth (a mesh material available from garden shops or by mail order) for a few days. While the plants are in the transition area, check them carefully for any sign of insects. You also need to reduce both fertilizer and water. Less fertilizer slows high-energy top growth (but the roots will keep growing). Drier soil "hardens off" the foliage, preparing it to cope with your home's drier environment. You can help plants adjust to the dry indoor air by enclosing them in a plastic bag for a few days — punch a few holes in the bag so that too much humidity doesn't build up. In providing light for your indoor plants, the goal is to mimic as closely as possible the light spectrum of the sun. The special bulbs and tubes sold as grow lights are supposed to do this, but they don't use electricity as efficiently as fluorescent lights. Gardeners who've tried both swear by fluorescents, which are inexpensive and available at the local hardware store. Good air circulation is also essential to growing herbs indoors. Just as outdoor containers tend to suffer from too little water, indoor plants often get too much. Plants that are growing rapidly use more water, but many perennial herbs go semidormant or completely dormant in winter. These plants need much less water than they did in summer. Here are some watering tips: Water most herbs only when the soil surface is dry. Observation is key. Some plants are simply thirstier than others. Some, such as basil, even seem to need more water as indoor plants than as outdoor plants. Water less often if your home is cool, your herbs are growing in plastic pots, or if plants seem to be ailing. Rapid growth adds to their stress. Don't let your plant sit in a saucer of water, and don't shock plants with cold tap water. Water should be tepid — about room temperature. Use less fertilizer indoors than you would outdoors because most plants are growing more slowly. Give the plants a monthly shot at one-fourth the recommended dose.