joshbuchan
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what are good herbs to grow...

am thinking of growing a herb bed next year and I was wounder what would be some good herbs to grow that I can use for cooking please?

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SP8
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I imagine that it would largely depend on what you would like to cook :wink:

joshbuchan
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thanks you for your great reply! it has realy helped me, can I grow all of them from seeds or would it be beta to by poted plants and can I grow them all in the same bed? I have made 2, one for strawberys one for herbs is what I was thinking. there about 1 and half meters sq maby little more.

well I like mostly every food going, apart from cucomba! thats some nasty stuff right there.

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rainbowgardener
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Assuming you have full sun, oregano, sage, thyme, tarragon are great to start with, because they are perennials. Once you get them started they will just keep going and growing and coming back each year. Oregano, sage, and thyme are easy to start from seed. The tarragon is probably best bought as a plant.

Basil is an essential herb, but is annual and is easy to grow in containers, so you might want a container or two of basil somewhere else outside your little herb garden.

I also love lemon balm and lavender and have them in my herb garden, but as noted they aren't as much culinary, more for teas, etc. They are also perennial.

joshbuchan
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thank you for your grate adsive! I will be down the garden shop tomoz!
I also have a mint plant growing in a clay pot, looks abit lifless... but I hope it will come back next year, I grew it from 3 cuttings from my grandads mint plant :D he neva new but I am sure he would not mind.

hay
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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Chives, Dill, Tarragon. Those are good to start with. Beware, herb gardening will get to be a full time job because you will begin look for unusual and different herbs and before long, there will be so many that it will take most of your time growing them and using in culinary dishes. It did in my case and I'm always on the lookout for something else. It is a very fun and rewarding hobby. A greenhouse is a great investment and it won't take long to fill it brimming full of all sorts of vegetables, flowers and herbs.

RitaM
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Hi there fellow gardeners. Yes one gets to be very involved in Herbs as there are so many uses for it. I usually harvest some Oregano which I dry
for a few days, using it in pasta's, and rosemary in my cooking with for instance Lamb.Then there is also the Sour Fig which grows well in sandy soil
and it beares a fig and it can be eaten fresh or dried. Jam can also be made of it.
tarragon leaves can be used in Chicken and Vegetable dishes. Celery can be pulled out completely and put on a drying rack untill completely dried. then it can be crumbled and stored , and used in soups and sauces. :idea:

joshbuchan
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thank you both for your grate advise! I am also one of them people that just has to get more and more and gets more involed everyday :lol:
I have 2 green houses 8) in one I grow tomatos, baby carrots, baby beetroot and to start of any seedlings to go outside. the other is attached to the 1st on from the back and I grow chilis and pepers on one wall, but I neva use the top rack or the back. I am thinking I could grow some herbs there :D I think its to cold to start growing any tho. I have been outside pulling out any dead stuff collected anyseeds ready for next year.

English Rose
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If you grow mint don't forget to contain its roots. It makes nice tea.

If you grow a lot of herbs you will probably want to store some outside the growing season. One good idea is to put them into ice-cube trays. Then one cube at a time can be taken out to put in your cooking.

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ZacchaeusCrawford
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hay wrote:Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, .....

hahahaha

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Fresh herbs are the difference between a good dish and an excellent dish. Dried herbs are great for the winter when fresh herbs are unavailable, however over use of dried herbs impart a bitter undesirable & stale flavor. Fresh herbs flavor better. Only with fresh herbs are nutrients added to your diet that dried herbs do not provide.

GARLIC! -nuff said

Parsley: Light flavor, brings a bit of refreshment to the palette, good supplemental herb for literally any dish, also is great for garnish.
Grows easily in a pot, just plant the seeds, and ch-ch-ch-ch-chia!

Rosemary: good with shrimp dishes, Leaner beef cuts, and chicken.
Very aromatic, flavorful perrenial. Has a effervescent scent. Chop finely at all times due to woody texture of the plant. great for vinaigrettes and marinades. Slow grower~ perrenial (think of pine tree herb bush)

Oregano: Used in many sauces (such as the new yorker's pizza sauce) as well as pork, and beef. Very strong flavor, steer away from use with seafood. Lands deeply on the palette. Very good for greasy dishes because the flavor penetrates.

Basil: (& tomato.) Almost liqouriche taste standalone, adds wonderful flavor and aroma to many tomato dishes, goes nicely with assorments of vegetables such as squash, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflour. Can be used with seafood, especially shellfish.
Look up : "Basil Chiffonade" for use as a fine garnish
Grows wonderful in a pot, LOVES lots and lots of water (at least it does in the middle of florida's summer)

Chives: Small green onions (small version of scallions, very fine plant), strong onion/garlic flavor. good with salads, wonderful garnish, I've used it for fish crusts as well as chicken marinade. I suggest growing in a pot because it will take over the garden!

thyme- goes Great with pasta! I don't like it so much with lime. Very good herb to have.

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Sage: less popular herb, seems to be used wih poultry quite a bit. I've seen recipes for it calling for use with cornbread hazelnut & sage stuffing. (aka Turkey)

Tarragon: Used in some dessert dishes, but goes well with shellfish also. Can be used to make the classic sauce bearnaise which is paired with steak.

Marjoram: Similar to parsley, different flavor. Can be paired with tarragon or basil. Supplemental herb flavor with cinnamon aftereffects.

joshbuchan
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wow this is just what I am looking for, thank you so much for taking the time to wright this out for me. I am going to grow herbs in clay pots around my garden I think, leave the beds for other vegs.

MysticGardener67
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Herbs take wonderfully to containers. Most all herbs can forgive the occasional lack of water from the absent minded gardeners. I would, however, reccomend ammending your standard potting compost with a generous potion of course/sharp sand. Herbs relish good drainage and they will thank you in kind.


One of my favorite tasks whe I worked at garden shops was creating herb gardens using strawberry pots.

I would theme them according to cooking style. Did a Tex-Mex pot planted with Coriander/Cilantro, Oregano, and garlic with a Jalepeneo pepper and a cherry tomato in the top. ( with instructions to transplant the tomato to another pot); An English Herbs Pot with the basics, Parsely, Sage, Rosmary, Thyme, Marjoram, Chives and a Borage. I

Did a couple of tea pots with an assortment of mints and either a Bee Balm or Lemon Verbena on top. I even did a couple medicinal herb pots with Spearmint, Catmint, Cinqefoil, Chamomile, Valarian and with a nice Dwarf echinacia topping it all.

On season We did a total of 20 of these pots, had only one remaining after the spring season.



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