Grow the five best herbs

Herb gardening has gained popularity recently because it's satisfying to grow sweet-smelling plants and to use them in your home cooking. Although an herb garden can contain hundreds of different plants and acres of land, you can enjoy your very own fresh herbs in a simple container garden with a few of the best-loved herbs: parsley, basil, chives, rosemary, and thyme.

Parsley. Parsley is so familiar that even those who know nothing about herbs can recognize parsley when it shows up as a garnish on their dinners. What most people don’t realize is that parsley is extremely nourishing, containing vitamins C, A, and B; iron, calcium, manganese; phosphorous; and even iron. Its fresh taste enhances dips, spreads, soups, quiches, salads, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. Parsley also acts as a breath freshener, so chew a sprig after eating a garlicky dish.

Growing parsley: If you’re just getting your bearings as a gardener, skip the seeds and buy a young plant at the nursery. Even though buying plants is more expensive than buying seeds, you’ll save yourself a great deal of time and possible anguish if your seedlings die. Plus, parsley is a perennial, so you won’t have to buy a new plant each year.

When danger of frost is over, you can plant young plants in rich soil with ample moisture. If you live in a hot, dry climate, you may need to water it every day. The first year, your parsley will grow about 12 inches. The second year, a seed stalk will rise as high as 3 feet tall. The seeds will plant themselves, so you’ll always have plenty of parsley.

Harvesting parsley: When you pick parsley grasp one of the lower stalks and pull it gently downward while giving it a little twist. The stalk will give way where it meets the plant. In mild-weather areas you can harvest parsley year-round. To keep the parsley fresh while waiting to use it, put the stems in a glass jar of water and refrigerate. You can dry parsley to use later on, but you should dry it in the oven to avoid a yellowish tint. An attractive alternative to drying is freezing: puree it in the blender and then freeze it with a little water in ice cube trays. You can plop a cube into your soups all winter and relive that summer taste of fresh parsley.

Basil. Basil is sometimes called, “herb royale” or “king of the herbs.” Obviously, basil is one of the best-loved culinary herbs. Once you’ve enjoyed fresh, homegrown basil you’ll never want to use dried basil again. Basil is highly aromatic, and there are many varieties to choose from. You may want to sample several in your herb garden. Sweet basil is the most popular. It’s a bushy plant that grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Sweet basil is a shiny green, but there are several varieties that have a deep purple color. You can also find citrus-flavored basils, such as lemon basil and lime basil.

In the kitchen, handle basil carefully and add to cooked dishes toward the end of cooking time for maximum flavor. Basil is indispensable in tomato dishes. Add to pizza, soups, omelets, chicken, salmon, and steaks. I have a hard time thinking of foods that don’t benefit from basil’s rich flavor. And don’t forget the pesto.

Growing basil. Basil may be the king of the herbs, but unfortunately, he’s also the wimp of the herbs. Seed catalogs will tell you that basil is hardy to 32 degrees, but its leaves will turn black when it counters sub-forty-degree temperatures. Buy the best-looking basil plants your nursery offers and add some compost to the hole you dig for it before you insert the plants. Give basil your sunniest spot and feed it a liquid fertilizer twice a month to sustain growth.

Harvesting basil: Your basil probably won’t be ready to pick until mid-June. When the plants are about 8 inches high and have four sets of leaves, pinch off the stems just above the third set of leaves to help the plants branch out and become bushy and more productive. Pick basil in the morning while the leaves are moistened with dew and refrigerate it promptly. As mentioned before, basil must be handled with care to avoid bruising. You can dry basil by hanging it in small bunches in a warm, airy place. When the leaves are brittle, store them in a glass jar in a cool, dark place.

Chives. Chives are versatile in the kitchen and oh-so-easy to grow. They stay neat and compact in the garden and come back year after year, showing off their pink or purple globular flowers in the spring. The flowers are edible and make a nice, colorful addition to salads and other dishes. Like parsley, chives will reseed in the garden if left to their own devices, so you only have to plant once for years of harvest.

Chopped chives are probably most famous as a complement to baked potatoes and sour cream, but they’re also great in cheese balls, vichyssoise, herb butters, and dressings. Chives are rich in vitamins A and C, plus iron, calcium, and phosphorous. They even contain some of the antibiotic sulfur compounds found in garlic that get so much good press.

Growing chives: You can plant young chives in almost any soil and expect good results. Ideal growing conditions include full sun to partial shade and soil rich in organic matter. A perennial, chives will come back every year. After a few years, pull the clump apart and replant the individual clumps for even more chives.

Harvesting chives: Once the plants bloom, the leaves begin to turn yellow, so harvest them steadily. Cut the chives from the bottom, about 2 inches from the ground, to stimulate new growth. Instead of chopping the whole plant at one time, take just a handful at a time so the plants have enough greenery to regenerate quickly. Dried chives are a poor substitute for fresh, but you can freeze them in the same manner you can freeze parsley.

Rosemary. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub and has a strong piney fragrance. It has been called the herb of remembrance and has a history of medicinal usage, as well as culinary and ornamental usage. The upright shrubs can grow as high as 6 feet tall, but some varieties max out at 6 inches tall. No matter where you live, you can find a strain of rosemary suited to your climate, although it is native to the Mediterranean.

Rosemary’s sweet flavor makes it a versatile herb for cooking. It’s especially good with pork, lamb, and beef. Try using it on meats on the grill or on new red potatoes. Less conventional but delicious uses for rosemary include carrots, herb vinegars, lemonade, biscuits, and shortbread.

Growing rosemary: Rosemary thrives in dry, well-drained soil and full sun. You may need to work ant ¼ cup of agricultural lime into the soil when you plant and also every spring. If you’re short on garden space, consider growing rosemary in a container. Fill your container with regular potting soil mixed with a little compost and agricultural lime. Only water container-grown rosemary when the top 2 inches of soil are dry. If you grow in a container you can keep rosemary year-round. In a centrally heated home you may need to water it daily.

Harvesting rosemary: The best months for picking rosemary are July and August. To dry, fasten small bunches with a rubber band and hang them in a very warm, dry, airy place. When dry, store the rosemary in a glass jar. Rosemary goes dormant in the winter, even though it’s still green, so pick sparingly in the winter, especially when your plants are young.

Thyme. Bees love thyme almost as much as cooks, and herbalists rave about its germ-killing antiseptic qualities. Although there are over 60 different types of thyme, the most popular for cooking is English or Common thyme. Common thyme is a hardy evergreen shrub that grows about 12 inches tall. Pink flowers bloom on thyme plants in the spring and the fibrous roots can reach 2 feet down in the soil.

Thyme is so versatile as a culinary herb that you’ll use it in French, Italian, Jamaican, and even Cajun dishes. It retains its flavor when cooked and is especially good in foods that are simmered slowly. Try thyme with any vegetable or meat, or even in a cream cheese spread.

Growing thyme: Thyme is one of the least demanding herbs, so it might be the best one to start off with for a beginning herb gardener. Thyme can thrive in average to poor soil with partial or full sun. Just make sure your thyme has some breathing room because it doesn’t do well if its foliage is continuously damp. You can plant 2 or 3 young plants together to produce sizable plants more quickly. The plants grow to about 8 inches in diameter the first season. Replace them after their stems become woody in about four years. Prune upright thyme plants in February or March before the new leaves appear to keep them shapely and vigorous.

Harvesting thyme: You can cut or pinch sprigs for culinary use year-round. As the plants begin to bud, clip them back to 2 inches above the ground. The new growth will appear quickly. To dry, hang washed sprigs in bundles or spread over a screen until the leaves are brittle. Then store in glass jars. Try using dried thyme in a wreath. To do so, harvest the thyme when it’s in full bloom so it will dry to a deep lavender color.

Once you’ve tried these basic (and delicious) herbs you’ll want to try some more. Check out an herb book from the library and expand your expertise. It’s easy to get hooked.