Who wouldn’t want to grow some delicious fresh herbs right from your kitchen? Growing herbs in your kitchen is an excellent way to have fresh herbs. I love the smell of fresh herbs to use in my cooking. Lemon basil is one of my favorite to use. It smells fresh, clean, and a light lemon scent. Yum, delicious.
Anyone that has a sunny spot like a window bay or just next to a window can grow herbs in your kitchen. Some are a little trickier then others but don’t give up. Insects pests like spittle bugs and aphids attack herbs in the springtime. Growing them inside on a window then you don’t have to worry about them pests.
Herbs are water more frequently then other vegetables they are susceptible to root and crown decay. Planting the herbs in pots you would want to fertilize it often because the fertilizer can and will leach away. To prevent crown and root decay keep it on the dry side, almost.
Keep diseased parts of the plant trimmed off. Where ever you compost kitchen scapes throw those diseased plants in there. You don’t have to worry about the diseased plants contaminating anything.
When Planting herbs in the Ground Vs. When planting herbs in pots
By planting plants on the ground, plant rotation is a must. Plant herbs where vegetables used to grow. Prevent bad pest away from your plants by planting companion plants. Companion plants are flowers, vegetables, or plants that they love to grow next to earch other to help deter bugs. Plus with plant rotation is helps with soil diseases and insects that favor one plant family.
The Best way to have a better harvest to solarizing. Solarizing is when you take summer planting break. Before a break period, compost or mulch and adjust soil nutrients levels. Cover the ground with a clear plastic sheet. Let it sit over the summer and plant again after summer. Solarizing kills weed seeds and pest control in the soil.
Proper trimming and weed control is essential for herb garden success. Here are some herbs for growing in your kitchen.
Growing Herbs in Your Kitchen
Basil
There’s a wide range of basil types; Italian basil, purple/dark basil, sweet basil, and my favorite the lemon basil. Basil are easy-to-grow summer annuals. They love the sun. Growing basil is like growing peppers after the ground has warmed up, use compost.
Like a snugly blanket to keep them warm and happy. The frost will kill them if grown outside. To encourage growth trim the flowers off. Watch for lurking weeds
Lavender
Lavender is a little tricky for me. Lavender require 7hrs of sun every day and require excellent drainage. They are very sensitive to over watering and often get stem and leaf disease. So for them you have to watch them very carefully and not to over water them. Lavender have dozens of types.
Each with its own oil content and growing sensitivities. Give infrequent watering. Lightly fertilize they should be happy enough to thrive. Plant them away from herbs that require frequent watering. They must be replace after a couple of years.
Rosemary
She gives the most aromatic scent when cooking a fish dish. The aroma is delightful. Rosemary is prone to root rot in heavy soil. Like lavender loves the sunshine to but worst.
She like the all day in the sun. After the rosemary is established you can water it bi-weekly. Thrive best on a mound next to retaining walls. For a plant that last more then a decade loves to be trim regularly.
You can follow the youtube video here for some ideas.
Mint
Mint goes well with fish as well. Very menthol. I have some mojito mint and some spearmint. Mints like water, partial shade and some nitrogen fertilizer. I use dry up cut up grass cuttings with no weeds. To keep them warm over winter and frost. Mint
Watch out for aphids though. You can plant them next to dills to deter the aphids. Dill is one of the companion herb that will help with pest control. There are some set backs to planting mints. They are invasive and must be trim regularly or else they will take over your garden. They creep by rooting and producing rhizomes. You can propergate from cuttings as well.
In this case you don’t have to worry because it’ll be contained in a planter box.
Oregon
Dry oregano goes well with almost any dish and salsas. It has a robust and similar flavor and aroma. Oregano doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer and good drainage like most herbs. You can plant them from seeds or cuttings.
They are very versatile. Harvest them when flowers are starting to bud. Or frequently trim to keep flowers from budding.
Sage
They can be grown to 3 foot tall. However, it can also be trim to size. Sage also like to full sun and dry foliage and slightly alkaline soils. Add some wood ashes or what you already have in your kitchen like baking soda to the soil to make is more acidic. I don’t use sage a lot for my cooking so I don’t know how the flavoring would taste like. More like, I haven’t experiment with sage.
Coriander
We all know it by cilantro. It’s a big use in Hmong and Mexican dishes. Especially our chilly pepper sauce and pico de gallo. Grow them 12 inches a part because when they thrive they are wide.
However, growing them in pots you can harvest when they are young for garnishing. Let it grow a little bit for the salsa.
Harvest them when they are a foot tall when in the ground. I let them go to seed with I harvest the leaves. More seeds for next season. I’m growing them in a partial shade this year to experiment with so well see. They also goes well with a salad. Delish.
Lemon Balm
I have the hardest time growing this one. It never survives on me. I place seeds on soil surface, kept it warm and moist with spray bottle so it can germinate but when it does it grew like 1.5 inches then wilted. Two years in a row. But I’m not giving up.
Scallions/Green onions/leeks/chives
Don’t forget this easy to grow green onion family. They are a great greens to grow. They grow fairly easy. I use them all the time.
Chives for scrambled eggs and baked potatoes. Scallions, green onions, or leeks for my soups and salsa. Great in salads as well. Don’t forget as garnishing your dishes.
Give these easy to grow herbs a try. See what thrives and what does not. Let me know on my comment section and let’s share ideas.