What herbs do you plant and why?

[eshenry]

Rosemary....love a sprig on grilled chicken (zucchini for non-carnivores)
Thyme....cause it keeps coming back.
Dill...For PICKLES!
Basil....cause it is the best ever herb.
Oregano......cause it is good.
Chives..... Cause it is good.
Garlic...for everything!
lavender...it smells sooo good.

[rainbowgardener]

BonneFemme - it was a good question about growing herbs together. The answer is that a lot of plants are pretty adaptable. There's a pretty big range between what their ideal conditions are and what they will tolerate. I have a little herb garden. It only gets sun part of the day and the soil isn't very good. It has lemon balm, comfrey, germander, tarragon, oregano, thyme, fennel, sage, mint, st johns wort, and a few flowers that planted themselves there that I haven't had the heart to remove. It's not ideal conditions for any of them (except the mint which just doesn't care). Some are thriving better than others, but pretty much they are all doing ok (though I did try perennial chamomile a couple times and it kept dying out). I keep it weeded, and beat the oregano and mint back a bit so they don't take over the whole thing, and water a little when we are in drought and that's about it. I've never fertilized it, even with compost. I'm sure that some would be more productive and thrive better in better situations, but it works. The basil I put other places, because 1) it's an annual, unlike all of the above perennial herbs and 2) I really do want it to thrive, so try to give it more ideal conditions.

[BonneFemme]

BonneFemme - it was a good question about growing herbs together.

The basil I put other places, because 1) it's an annual, unlike all of the above perennial herbs and 2) I really do want it to thrive, so try to give it more ideal conditions.

I like your idea about growing basil elsewhere. I think I'll stick my basil in the veg garden and keep the herb garden for perennials and other singletons.

I've started to look into growing herbs for my family's medicinal use. My husband and I joke that we need to prepare for "the endtimes," but really, I'd like to reduce my dependency on western medicine. Don't get me wrong, I very happily deliver my babies in the well-lit delivery room of our local hospital, and under those circumstances I totally appreciate competitive medicine. But for day-to-day maladies, things that aren't THAT big of a deal, it'd sure me nice not to have to drive to an office, sit and wait for eons, then drive to a pharmacy and sit and wait THERE for eons, and come home 20 dollars poorer. I think it would be nice to have some for holistic things in the house.

I'll poke around and see if there's a thread about this...

BF

[jal_ut]

I have grown dill, summer savory, oregano, sage, basil, chives, parsley and maybe a couple others. Usually one years planting yields enough to dry and last for the next ten years. My oregano patch is perrenial, and every year it blooms for the bees. Pretty much the case with chives too.

I grow mint on the lot of a guy who lives across town. I don't want it anywhere near my lot.

Sage, dill, chives and oregano I grow each year. Mostly it is just blooms for the bees. I sure don't have any way to use that much seasoning. I do use fresh dill for dill pickles each season.

[IOWABOY]

only reason I can think of besides food are the healing powers!!! take for example basile and bee balm both heal colds.

[Jewell]

Love the herbs
Lavenders....several varieties; thyme, rosemary, oregano, mints-in pots and corisan mint for its fragrance when you walk on it; chives;garlic; lemon and bee balm; echinacia.
Some are in pots to bring in durng the winter and some are hardy enough even in the cold winters.

[LRuthers]

How about chives? Chives are a popular herb in the states, chive leaves can be used, mixed with sour cream, cream cheese or butter, on top of potatoes, in salads, soups, sauces and sandwiches. I grow them every year...

And the chive flowers are pretty AND tasty in salads. I wish they bloomed more than once.

;-D

[LRuthers]

Mint - jelly, cooking, in drinks

Basil, Oregano, Parsley - Italian cooking, home made soup stocks

Chives - cooking: chive butter for salmon, mashed or baked potatoes, herbed breads

Dill - cooking, pickles

I also like the way they look among the other container plants.



Linda

[LRuthers]

Mint - jelly, cooking, in drinks

Basil, Oregano, Parsley - Italian cooking, home made soup stocks

Chives - cooking: chive butter for salmon, mashed or baked potatoes, herbed breads

Dill - cooking, pickles

Thyme - cooking, mainly chicken dishes

I also like the way they look among the other container plants.



Linda

[GardenerGirl]

I always grow basil and parsley, because they're real staples in my diet. Basil goes on everything, and I mix parsley into all of my olive-oil based sauces.

Oregano, for Italian cooking and soups.

Thyme, for chicken and for a sandwich sprinkle.

Chives, for decoration, soup, and mashed potatoes.

Sage, because my son likes to eat it raw.

Tarragon, for chicken and cream sauces.

I've grown rosemary and marjoram before, but never used it much. I've never had much success with dill.