Herb Plants for Gardening

Whether you are new to gardening or a seasoned veteran, planting an herb garden is sure to excite your senses. Started from seeds or seedlings, herbs add as much fragrance and beauty to your garden as they add flavor and interest to your cooking. Most beginning herb gardeners start with cooking herbs as they are not only beautiful but useful. Starting with herbs that you already use gives you a good idea of how much to grow and luckily they are some of the easiest herbs to establish.

Sage

Sage is hardy to -30 degrees F and likes sun, but will tolerate a bit of shade. It tends to grow into a small shrub of about 3 feet high and the same across. Best grown from seedlings, sage forms an attractive ball that you can cut back heavily in winter. While sage requires little care once established, but it does tend to get a bit woody. Woody stalks can be used as kebab skewers as well as added to your grill to infuse foods with sage smoke. Sage makes an attractive centerpiece to an herb garden. If planting in a strawberry pot, sage should be alone at the top. Prepare to transplant after the first year.

Rosemary

Rosemary is not difficult to grow, it's just rather particular about its soil and water. It likes a good drink but either drying out or staying wet will kill most varieties. Once established, it will be more forgiving, but it's best to make sure that the soil drains well before you plant. Rosemary also loves the sun but will tolerate a bit of shade. Rosemary is one of the most aromatic herbs. Use its leaves in a variety of recipes and for grilling--the older and more woody stems make great skewers. The leaves can be dried or used fresh. Thrown onto a fire, it produces a flavorful smoke that is especially good for pork and chicken.

Oregano

Oregano is a pasta sauce staple. Easy to grow, oregano loves sun and well-drained soil. The variety that is most associated with Italian cooking is known as "Greek" oregano. It tends to have the best flavor if the soil is on the poor side, the leaves are harvested before flowering and the plant is ignored rather than being fussed over. Oregano is a great herb to grow in a strawberry pot, towards the middle. It will get enough sun and water but not have overly rich soil. The leaves can be dried and stored or used fresh.

Cilantro

Cilantro is nothing more than the leaves of the coriander herb. Coriander is harvested for its seeds. Cilantro is not an herb for drying. It's best when used fresh, but you can also freeze it. Cilantro is a key ingredient to any salsa as well as most Mexican cooking. The herb itself prefers cool to warm weather that is dry. It doesn't grow well in humidity but it does make an outstanding spring/fall herb. Once it flowers, you can no longer use it as cilantro. After it has flowered, wait wait until it goes to seed and harvest the coriander. It's a rare herb that offers a 2 for 1 deal.