pepperhead212
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Herbs for 2018

I haven't seen much talk on herbs this seed season, but I assume they are being grown somewhere! lol Here is what I'm growing, though I'm sure I forgot something. ::)

I thought of this a couple of nights ago when planting some basil seeds inside, for two new varieties: Gecofure, which is a variety that looks like a genovese type, but is bred for container gardening, which is why I tried it, as I grow basil inside, in the off season, and in the junior Earthboxes around my deck in the summer, and I am always looking for smaller, bushy types. Thai Magic is a newer variety of Thai basil, which I am trying, hoping that it will be slower to bolt than the traditional Siam Queen; though the flowers on the latter are also edible, and very good, it slows down the growth, unless I constantly trim them. I will admit, however, an advantage to the trimming is the wonderful aroma left on my hands! I will also be growing my usual Siam queen and Serrata, though I keep looking for improvements.

I also planted some parsley in my hydroponics pots, as it takes a long time to come up, and those stay moist on top forever - no worry about watering it constantly! One curly parsley from Renées, that I have grown for several years, since it doesn't get rootbound in a pot, as all of the flat leaf parsleys I have tried have done, and I prefer to grow them on my deck, instead of going to the garden every time I want some parsley! But I got some flat leaf variety this season from seedman.com, which is supposed to be for pot growing, so I'm trying it. I also planted some peppermint seeds from them - very minute seeds, almost like dust, yet at least one has already germinated! This, and some culantro (I am hoping to be able to grow this, so I can forget about cilantro!), I simply pressed into the surface of the coir, and the constant moistness made them germinate, both before the parsley. I'll also plant a few Red Epazote seeds there, in mid April or so, to get a plant ready for growing on the deck - I'll definitely only need one, considering how huge it got last season! And the Rau Ram also got huge in the EB, though the Green Perilla did better in the ground. I just started them last year by rooting some pieces I got at the Asian market in the produce section! I'll have to get those in mid-April, when I go get some Lemongrass to root.

I'll also be growing a bunch of dill, for the swallowtails, which last year I just went around and planted in spots where something else had been pulled!
ImageDSCF0341 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And I just ordered my rosemary from Richter's (the cover blew off my rosemary, and I lost it to the supercold temps in Dec.) - only the Hardy Hill; I was having second thoughts about the Arp (the other cold hardy variety, though I will still have to cover any variety here), as it had a slightly different flavor when I grew it years ago, not bad, but not quite the same as regular rosemary (anyone else grow this before, and remember this?). Turns out, it was sold out, so that was a signal that I was right about putting off ordering it! I also ordered a few other items, since there is a min. of 6 for a plant order - Silver Thyme, Syrian Oregano, Holt's Mammoth Sage (mine died in that super cold winter several years ago, and the sage I have now just isn't the same, and the locals don't have this any more), and some Variegated Marjoram (another loss to that winter, in the same bed!).

The chives and garlic chives will have to be covered, due to ALM, though I am going to have to take a chance with my garlic, as there is no way to get that cover on the row this season, in my condition. This will be a true test to see if it is really in my area. So far, the garlic looks great, though I haven't been out to look closely.

And, of course, I'll always have my mint. :)
ImageDSCF0060-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr


Anybody else growing anything this year, with any new varieties they want to share?

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digitS'
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It's interesting that you are growing some of the same things we have, Dave. I'll just comment on those.

Every year there has been lots of basil. I like Gekofure altho that's about as weird a name as can be imagined! Something about its disease resistance, as I recall. (Nufar and Dolly are a couple more like that.) I'm all for disease resistance. We also have Siam Queen. I hope you have more information on your other Thailand types as we go along.

Culantro will not be taking the place of cilantro, to my way of thinking (or, tasting :wink: ). The fragrance is very similar, however.

Both curly and flat leaf parsley will be in our garden. The seed was just off the racks from the garden center.

I grew purple perilla about 10or 12 years ago and a few plants volunteer in my garden each year. I understand that it can be invasive but there are never many seedlings here. I think that it's an attractive plant and have finally convinced DW that it would look good with the flowers in the front yard. Oh, and another basil with those ornamental qualities is Dark Opal. I once knew an old fellow who thought that was the best basil for drying but we don't do that.

And rosemary. We have one Rex Rosemary in a large pot and it stays in the unheated greenhouse through the winter. I still cover it with a tarp if the temperatures are very cold. The marjoram that I grew one year had a wonderful fragrance but I didn't think to use it for anything :? . Then, I didn't get the marjoram plants covered well enough that winter and lost them. Do you use it in place of oregano and basil?

Steve

pepperhead212
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Steve,

Glad to hear that you like the Gekofure basil. This was the first time I had seen it. Last season I tried another container variety - Dolce Fresca - but it didn't produce as well as serrata, and went to seed earlier. Fortunately, I don't have much trouble with basil diseases or bugs, KOW, but I have noticed that some do. I was never crazy about purple basils, or large leaf basils, as the flavor just wasn't as intense. But then, I haven't tried them for a long time, so maybe they have improved them. Amd I also never dry basil - the flavor is nowhere near the same, which is why I HAVE TO grow it indoors in the off season!

I frequently use marjoram in place of oregano, since they have similar flavors, and marjoram has never gotten invasive, in my garden.

Last season the green perilla got huge in the garden - about 2' tall, and even broader than that. It never went to seed, so I thought that it may be a biennial, like parsley, but I never researched it. And I know I pulled it, as that's the row my garlic is in now!

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rainbowgardener
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I haven't started very much from seed since a lot of my herbs over-winter in my location. In containers I have rosemary, mint, lavender, sage, tarragon, oregano, and thyme, which all over wintered and are now leafing out again. In the garden I have anise hyssop, lemon balm, bee balm, parsley, and others, that all over-wintered.

From seed this year so far, I am only doing several basils (green, purple, Thai) and summer savory, fennel and dill.

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digitS'
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With herbs, I think many gardeners have "like to use," "like to have around," and "tolerate" columns :) .

I don't grow garlic because we use so little but the dill volunteers in the onion beds. Oh, it volunteers elsewhere where it is likely to be weeded out and we don't have a lot of use for it but I like it's fragrance so well that it's nice to have around.

Anise hyssop I do have use for. Along with the lemon verbena plant, those two are my choices for herbal teas.

I don't know why there are so many mints in my yard! I like the fragrance of the apple mint but make no use of it (and it's quite invasive!). The spearmint has its attractive moments but is something of a bother. DW and I both use and buy a chamomile and spearmint tea but I'd have to grow chamomile to use the spearmint :D ! I find no use for the lemon balm, at all. And mostly, tolerate the chocolate mint because I feel sorry for it ... it is in so much shade the plants barely survive.

I've always liked to nibble on parsley. Except to tone down the garlic, which we use little of, I find little use for it in the kitchen. I grew it for years before I was asked why I don't have it I my spaghetti sauce ... never occurred to me! And, with so much basil to use and enjoy, I still can't bring myself to substitute with the parsley.

Steve :D

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rainbowgardener
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I don't even think of garlic and onions as herbs. I line the outside edges of most of my veggie beds with them. As a vegetarian, it seems like I could set the garlic and onions to sautee-ing and THEN figure out what I am going to cook!

I started growing parsley for the butterflies, but then I discovered that my home-grown parsley actually has flavor. Now I use it a lot.

imafan26
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I grow green onions, but have not had much luck with garlic and onions. Onions do better, but they are sweet only for about 2 weeks before they get very hot. There isn't anywhere to store them properly. Garlic, is cheaper to buy and I don't grow them well.
I do grow a lot of herbs, some that I do use often.
Cilantro (cooler months only), culantro ( all year), ginger, turmeric, green onions (scallions), curly parsley, Italian parsley, cutting celery, holy basil (it does not get downy mildew. I am still waiting for a resistant sweet basil to be developed), hot peppers, oregano, thyme, sage (I have to replace frequently), Mints in pots, pandan, dill, fennel, borage(summer), perilla in summer (prefer green, it is less bitter). Jamaican oregano, Curry tree, bilimbi, kaffir lime, lemon grass, chives, garlic chives, rosemary, bay leaves, roselle, nasturtiums (cooler months), marjoram, fenugreek (cooler months), Mexican tarragon, and lavender.

thanrose
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imafan, do you recall which lavender you grow? Spanish lavender is supposed to be more heat tolerant.

And, have you tried using roselle tea for combating heat stress? Don't know if it is just the power of suggestion, but I now find it far more restorative than other beverages.

Thanks for the comment on green perilla being less bitter. Very strange for where I grew up (South Jersey shore), red perilla had reseeded from an unknown source and popped up in disturbed ground in my neighborhood for a few years. It resisted identification through my quite limited primary school library access, but I was convinced it was related to coleus because of patterns of growth. It's Lamiaceae, so I wasn't that far off. I recall the taste of a broken stem was not mint-like and somewhat bitter. Jumping to conclusions: yet another skill I've mastered.

Vanisle_BC
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Basically I only grow culinary herbs. Nobody has mentioned tarragon (or I missed it?) Here it dies down in winter but always re-emerges in spring. We like it in fish dishes, and mashed into canned tuna for a sandwich.

Does anyone know of a (tasty) large-leafed thyme? I prefer not to have the stem pieces in my cooking, but stripping tiny leaves is a bit frustrating.

pepperhead212
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I totally forgot my tarragon, until today, when I saw it coming up out there! lol I forget how many years I have had that there.

I also get tired of stripping thyme leaves - it's such a PITA, and fresh thyme is not that much better than dried, like many things are. But one thing that I often use, that tastes a LOT like thyme is something sold around here as Spicy Oregano, a.k.a. Thyme scented oregano. Large leaves, and it grows well in pots.

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rainbowgardener
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I did mention tarragon in my container herbs post above.

Glad someone mentioned it about the thyme. I also find it very tedious. I usually dry it and then strip the leaves, but it still is difficult and time consuming.



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