Home and Living

Most herbs are very hardy, surviving winter well and thriving in relatively poor soil. But people and plants may find it more comfortable to carry out their actions inside the greenhouse. Fortunately, there are several herbs that take to that environment readily.

In these three we have herbs that smell great and make for an essential addition to any chef’s toolkit.

Creating an herb garden is fun and practical. The aromas are wonderful, the view is beautiful, and many can be used as medicines or for cooking. Growing them is easy. They’re hardy and thrive well in all kinds of soils. But for optimal results, it’s helpful to keep in mind a few things about each specific one.

Container gardening can have a dozen advantages over ordinary, outdoor gardening. You can bring plants indoors for winter, or grow them in the house all year round.

Herbs have been used as cooking additives for thousands of years. They may be spicy or salty or tangy or just plain delicious, but whatever your recipe there’s an herb to suit.

Herbs are often used for seasoning in dishes or for medicinal purposes. But they are just as delightful creating wonderful aromas in the garden or a potpourri bowl. Many of those useful for cooking are so because of the oils contained in the leaves. That same oil gives them a scent that can be a pleasure just to smell. But even when you wouldn’t think of eating them, aromatic herbs are a treat for the nose.

Growing herbs is easier than most plants. They’re hardy, enjoy lots of sun and are amenable to soil that is too poor for many other plants. Dig up a few inches of earth and place one into the soil and you’ll have to do very little else. They require only modest watering and rarely need fertilizer.

One of the most common reasons people grow their own herbs is to use them as fresh additives to food. Though easy to grow, they still require care just like any plant. But the rewards are great when it comes to harvesting time.

There’s a large overlap between herbs that do well in an outdoor garden versus those that thrive inside. Many will perform equally well in either setting, provided they’re cared for properly.

Few places house more junk science than in the advertisements of herbal medicines. Near miraculous claims are made that haven’t been tested or substantiated. Nevertheless, some herbs have, in fact, been used for thousands of years to help treat a number of conditions.

What good is an herb you can’t eat or use as medicine? Well, it’s certainly true that the majority are useful, in the sense that they make a fine seasoning or provide a cure. But some things are valuable that have no ‘use’ at all, other than to simply look beautiful.

Some herbs are grown simply for their beauty and fragrance in the garden. But once grown, many herbs are harvested for what they were grown for: medicines, seasonings, aromatics and so forth. That requires proper preservation techniques, usually drying.

Whether outdoor or in a container, good soil is fundamental to the health of your herbs. From the sun, they receive the energy needed to perform all the activities that makes possible growth and reproduction.

Growing and harvesting herbs has been carried out for thousands of years in all cultures around the world. But in medieval Europe it was raised to a high art. Devoid of medical knowledge and technology that was known even to the Greeks, the Middle Ages depended heavily on herbs for medicines. Their practice was a mixture of experience and nonsense, but they also knew much that was valid.

Herbs require very little care compared to many plants. How many times have you had to spray your roses or trim your orchids? Herbs, by comparison, do well in poor soil, require little fertilizer and only modest watering.

Spring is just around the corner. Have your herbs gotten the news?

Winterizing your herb garden isn’t difficult, but the actions you take will differ depending on the type of herbs you have planted. Just as with other plants and flowers, some are annual others perennials. That means they either die off with the cold weather or simply become dormant, to rise again the following spring.

Creating an herb garden is fun and practical. The aromas are wonderful, the view is beautiful, and many can be used as medicines or for cooking. Growing them is easy. They’re hardy and thrive well in all kinds of soils. But for optimal results, it’s helpful to keep in mind a few things about each specific one.

The beginning gardener will find herbs a great choice for those early experiments. Herbs are very forgiving, doing well in poor soil and requiring little or no fertilizer. They’re insect resistant in many cases, and don’t require constant pruning.

Certain herbs and other plants have been known to have useful properties - as seasonings or preservatives for food, medicines or simply a pleasurable odor - for thousands of years. Along with that ancient knowledge sometimes comes ancient myths.