lv travel insurance: Can't Garden? Grow Herbs!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Can't Garden? Grow Herbs! - Keeper of the Home

By?Diana, Contributing Writer

A great kitchen garden begins with herbs.

Fresh herbs add flavor and freshness to a dish ? they add color and vibrance. ?Fresh herbs can turn the ordinary into something spectacular - like this eggplant bechamel.

Besides their wonderful flavoring to dishes, one of my favorite things about fresh herbs is how incredibly easy they are to grow at home. ?Even if you've never started a garden before, or lack the space, growing herbs will make you feel like a master gardener!

That's because most herbs are perennial.

That means they come back year after year with absolutely no effort on your part.?Some herbs can actually be invasive, like mint, so you'll want to make sure to plant them in an area that you don't mind them taking off.

Some of my favorite herbal perennials to grow are chamomile, mint, chives,?lavender, dill, oregano, thyme, marjoram, sage, tarragon, and?sorrel. ?I have most of these growing in and around my edible landscaping at home; however, I plan on transplanting some of them to containers on my patio this year.

That's another great thing about herbs: you can plant them in ground or in containers. ?If you plan on drying herbs to perserve, like chamomile, I'd suggest finding a good place for them in ground where you don't mind them expanding year after year.

If this will be your first year planting herbs, one tip to save you money on your herb garden is to take stem cuttings from established plants and propagate them at home.

That's right, you can simply snip a stem and plant it. ?There's no need to pay for a plant when one stem will take off right away!

As you can see, growing herbs is simple.? As an encouragement, don't feel like you need to grow every single herb that there is. ?Start with a few of your favorites, then expand your herb garden year after year.