which can be the best herbs to plant to start out a herb garden?
March 11, 2011 Categories: Organic Gardening
Question by LouLou: which are the ideal herbs to plant to begin a herb garden?
i have a medium sized yard, and loads of surround containers, but i’m not sure which ones to begin with.
Best answer:
Answer by Terry G
Basil, Thyme, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Fennel.
There are about 20 different mints like spearmint, peppermint, apple, lemon.
Do Not plant mint into open ground it is invasive in two years it will be everywhere. Ideal grown on a bucket or sink.
Similarly, Thyme has about 10 different types.
Happy gardening
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
I’d say the best ones to start with are the ones you’re likely to use for cooking. Parsley and Chives are always useful, and then you might want to think about rosemary, thyme and mint, as these will add a fragrance to your garden as well as being useful for cooking. I’d say more delicate herbs such as dill and basil are only worth doing if you’re going to use them.
I always plant the herbs that I use to cook with, which are fortunately quite hardy:
Rosemary
Parsley
Chives
Thyme
Lemon thyme
Mint (although be wary of this – it grows very quickly and can crowd out other herbs)
Marjoram
Basil doesn’t do too well in my garden, unfortunately, so I grow that inside.
mint is great, grows really easily dn there are loads of varieties with different smells
chives grow easily too, taste great in salad/sanwiches and have gorgeous flowers
parsley will grow outside, will die off overwinter but as long as you let a little of it go to seed should grow more following year
rosemary is beautiful and will form a large bush if there is space, if in a container needs a fair bit of depth to it..
thyme is a great rockery pant, spreads well
fennel needs a little more space but produces beautiful feathery foliage…
these are the only ones i have ever grown really but have a look at these sites for more info
http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/herbs/herb.asp
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/handbooks/herbgarden/7.html
Mint is good in a container by itself as it completely takes over!
Rosemary grows well, chives look nice and can be used a lot, thyme, lemon thyme – all smell lovely! Basil and parsley are ok for the summer but wont last all winter – other than that put what you can afford or you think you will use and all in together – I have a big herb pot that looks and smell wonderful!
Rosemary is very easy to grow and keep all year round – It also smells gorgeous.
Sage is also easy to grow and can be used to flavour many foods.
Decide which ones you are likely to use most, or cannot buy from a shop, and start with them. Most are easy to grow and quite hardy.
Maryjane