Kitchen Herb Gardens

It's Spring in the Northwest. Nursery and garden supply centers, even grocery stores, are offering spring planting starts of herbs. For a few dollars you can pick up basil, rosemary, thyme, and sage (never mind other herbs), a window sill planter and have your own kitchen herb garden. If you have space in your yard, you can expand your herbarium there, but it's quite pleasant to have a little live greenery in your kitchen—not to mention a constant and convenient source for fresh herbs for your cooking. There are a number of options to choose from; individual pots (get something with room for growth since with reasonable care you can keep the plants for years), or an actual window box with two or three plants, depending on the size of the window box. Technically, a fair number of herbs are annuals and thus should only be expected to last a year (Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, and Sweet marjoram are all annuals) but I've frequently been able to them for several years. For some ideas on what herbs you might want to try, look here.

You can of course grow herbs from seeds, but it's extra work, and most people only want one or two plants for an indoor garden. In addition to a selection of young herb plants, you'll need potting soil and a container. Look for a container that will drain well and that has something to catch any drips. A clay container, while heavier, has an advantage in that the pot itself will absorb some water and release gradually. A plastic pot is less expensive, and lighter weight. You might be able to recycle older pots you have around—or even use the lower-half of two liter plastic soda bottles (you can cut these in half, and make a sort of poor gardener's mini greenhouse by treating the top half as a removable cover). Herbs do well in dish gardens too, just be sure the container has good drainage.

You'll want to keep the soil moist, even letting it dry between waterings. The most common problem is over-watering. If you notice the herbs leaning towards the sun, try turning the container. Be prepared to pinch back new growth to contain the growth and form of the plant (you want it to spend its energy on growing leaves, not stems). It's a good idea to water your herbs either in the early morning, or after sundown, so that the plants get the benefit of the water. You don't want them to go to seed, so be prepared to pinch off flowers. Basil and Rosemary will both grow into quite large, lovely plants, if they have space. Rosemary is a perennial and can be shaped and trained fairly easily. I always let Rosemary bloom; the flowers are lovely and nicely scented.