Herbs-Basil.60 days. From seed, two per planting, 3 inches apart. Keep soil damp consistently damp during germination. Basil is a paradox: it needs warm soil but begins flowering in June. Once that happens, the flavor falls off the table. So the best strategy is to grow a lot of it in a very short window of opportunity, then dry or freeze it. There are dozens of varieties from all over the world. Genovese is the classic wide-leafed sweet basil great in pesto. Thai basil is truly potent stuff with a hint of cinnamon. And spicy globe has tiny rounded leaves and a sharp flavor. There are also red and purple basils, some ruffled and some not.
Chives: 60 days minimum, from seed planted 1″ apart. Chives are without a doubt one of the easiest herbs to grow. Related to onions, they grow in much the same way. Keeping soil damp through germination is the key. Although an annual, chives will continue year after year if you let some of them go to seed. Their pink flowers are edible.
Dill: 60 days minimum, from seed. Dill plants are lovely, fernlike and up to 4′tall. They germinate well when planted in warm soil and kept watered. By seeding out they can return year after year, and the seeds themselves have some culinary value. The larger varieties tend to be less flavorful. Use fresh or dried.
Oregano: Grown from starts. Classic Greek oregano is probably the best, though there are dozens of varieties. Oregano will grow into a small perennial shrub over the course of a few years. It has more flavor before it flowers, so cut your year’s worth of oregano before then and dry it in the shade. Oregano is one of the few herbs that taste better dried rather than fresh. Mexican oregano comes a completely different plant, a tropical shrub, but from the culinary point of view it has a fabulous flavor.
Parsley: 60 days minimum from seed. Plant 8″ apart in mid-spring. Parsley can tolerate some cool weather so you can sow it out a little earlier than most herbs. It can take up to two weeks to germinate. It is a biennial, meaning that each plant grows for two years, flowering and going to seed in the second. Parsley can survive the winter and can also be dried. Moss or curly parsley is the most common variety, but many people think flat-leaved Italian parsley has better flavor. Keep an eye out for parsley worms or maybe plant a little extra for them. These distinctively pretty caterpillars morph into one of our prettiest butterflies, the black swallowtail.
Rosemary: From starts. Usually grown as an annual and planted in a container. “Arp” rosemary is a perennial here but, just to be on the safe side, plant it in protected spot on the east or south side of the house. The most important factor in growing rosemary is drainage. They don’t like soggy soil. Water only when the tips of the plants start to droop.
Herbs in containers: When planting container herbs keep in mind that there are short-term and long-term herbs. Short-term herbs like basil, chives and parsley typically don’t last more than a year and should be planted together. Long-term herbs can live for years. They include oregano, rosemary and thyme and should be planted together.
To read all of Todd’s Avant Gardening posts, see the Avant Gardening Series category.
