Herbs are the essence of life ... well, at least food!
One of the best parts of the year for me is to be able to open the sliding glass door on my patio and reach out to grab a handful of whatever herb I might need for cooking. I call it my herb "garden" even though it's container gardening. Herbs are really forgiving plants ... mine have been underwatered, overwatered, abused and generally thrive from year to year. Even when I don't reach for a handful of things to cook with, I often brush their leaves to release their essential oils as I walk out the door and smell the freshness of inspiration as I'm deciding what to cook that day. Here are some of the things I have handy in pots right outside my kitchen door:
- Parsley
- Basil
- Oregano
- Onion Chives
- Garlic Chives
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Marjoram
- French Sorrel
- Thyme
- Chili Peppers
Making your herb "garden".....
To start your herb "garden", choose a good sunny spot. Herbs need 6 hours of full sunlight daily. A south or west facing location is optimum, but in the dead of summer, most locations receive full sunlight. (Mine happen to get morning sun which is great ... it avoids the heavy heat of the day.) Next, decide what you like ... for most people, I think that parsley, basil and a rosemary plant might be sufficient. But if you're a little more adventurous, branch out. You're only limited to space and the amount of pots you want to buy!
My suggestion is that you use at least 12" pots for most of these things; any smaller and in the dead of summer, you'll be watering at least twice a day (and no one wants to do that!). Purchase some topsoil and potting soil and in a large container, mix them about evenly ... I find this mix is best for pots. The topsoil feeds the plant and the potting soil has a lightness that loosens and conditions the soil. In choosing pots, I have a mix of things but I generally like clay pots as they have a Mediterranean feel. But plastic pots tend to conserve water a bit better and if you're a bit lax in watering, plastic is best (and usually cheaper)!
Put some of your soil mix in the pots, plant your herbs in them taking care to plant them at the same soil level as they were before you transplanted them into the pot. As an added measure, I also put a bit of mulch at the top of the pot around the plant which keeps the from dehydrating as quickly in the summer as well. Water them well and in no time, you'll be using fresh herbs out of your own "garden". As well as nutritional benefits of using fresh, for anyone that has purchased the small plastic packages of herbs in the grocery store knows that $3 gets you about 10 basil leaves. If you plant your own, ONE basil plant for $2.50 will, in a month, give you enough leaves to make pesto! You do the math......
Arugula, my FAVORITE!In the past couple of years, I've discovered the joy of greens.... spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens and arugula. I like it in my salads as it adds a sharp, peppery zip. It's great on a sandwich in place of lettuce. Quickly saute it with some cubed potato chunks and white beans and you have an Italian "manesta". I find that's it's just as easy to grow these things in pots (or in my case, TUBS!) on my deck as it is my herbs. I use the same method and you COULD find bedding plants of arugula at a nursery, but it grows so quickly like any leafy lettuce type green that I simply sow the seeds directly on the soil, water and wait for it to grow. Usually in a month to 6 weeks, it goes from sprouts to beautiful leaves like this picture. If you have this much, it makes a great stand alone salad.... dress it with a splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt & pepper and presto, you're ready to top it with a grilled chicken breast, fresh tomato slices, or a homemade garlic crouton!
Tomatoes are easy!This is no different than herbs, and if you eat as many tomatoes as we do all summer (I plant about 36 plants in my real garden as well as these on my deck), they're sure handy to have near the door when you need a fresh tomato for salads or a sandwich. I keep these in black plastic containers which help on water conservation (these babies drink a LOT of water) and mulch around the top of the pots as well. In August, you may have to water them in the morning and after the sun starts to head down, but I promise, they're worth it! I have 6 early girl tomato plants (tart & sweet and just the right size for salad) as well as a red cherry tomato plant and a yellow pear cherry tomato plant for salads or just popping into your mouth warmed from the afternoon sun whenever you head out the door!
Looking to the future.....
As it stands, my garden is in all except for my green beans and lima beans and it'll be another month before I see anything more than peas, swiss chard, lettuce and spinach. But dreaming of the zucchini and squashes, eggplants, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, okra, cataloupes, cucumbers and beans makes me look to pictures of last year's garden. So a look at last year gives me hope for what's about to come! Until next time...... ciao!
1 comment:
Looks GREAT!
Post a Comment