| |
| |
|
Landscaping & Gardening Information |
|
|
|
How to Grow Cooking Herbs
Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and flavor to your menus year-round! Is It a Cooking Herb or a Spice? The first thing to know in selecting which herbs to grow is the difference between cooking (culinary) herbs and spices. The cinnamon stick you put in your hot chocolate or apple cider is a spice while the parsley on the edge of your plate is an herb. 1.Cooking herbs are usually the fresh or dried leaves of plants while spices are the ground seeds, roots, fruits, flowers, and/or bark. 2.Herbs grow very well in temperate zones, while spices generally come from tropical areas. 3.Herbs add subtle flavor, whereas spices are generally more pungent and add more robust flavor. Herbs run the gamut of about 70 cultivars, broken into categories of medicinal, ornamental, and aromatic as well as culinary or cooking herbs. To start growing cooking herbs, it's best first to select where and how you want to grow them. Site Selection Most cooking herbs thrive in just about any location that gives them plenty of light, good drainage and nutrition. In addition to outdoor garden spots, culinary herbs can be grown in patio containers, as indoor herb gardens, or in greenhouses using soil-less growing techniques like hydroponics or aquaponics. Outdoor Cooking Herb Gardens For easy access, plant your herb garden as close to your kitchen as possible. Herbs grown in full sun have denser foliage, darker color, and higher levels of the essential oils that add flavor to your recipes. Good air circulation and drainage are also important to the success of your cooking herb garden. The size of your cooking herb garden, of course, depends on the space you have available for growing. Generally, an area 20 by 4 feet accommodates a satisfactory variety of cultivars. Many herbs overlap in category. Border your cooking herb garden with some cultivars that have ornamental or aromatic qualities as well as the culinary. However, remember that the main purpose of this garden is for use in your kitchen. Place cooking herbs that you use frequently in less conspicuous areas so that you won't leave big holes in your garden when you harvest them for cooking! Most culinary herbs thrive under the same growth conditions as the vegetables they enhance and as such are a natural addition to your vegetable garden. Some cooking herbs even have properties that repel common insect pests and garden diseases, which is an added benefit to your vegetables. The best time to amend soil with nutrient rich compost is when you till your garden plot. Herbs have coarse roots that benefit from chunky organic matter, which helps excess water drain away and also helps provide good air circulation. After planting your cooking herbs, skirting them with a two to three-inch layer of mulch helps soil retain moisture. In addition, composting and mulching helps you maintain the neutral to slightly alkaline soil that most herbs prefer. Linda is an author of
Gardening Tips and How To Artciles. The next part of this article is
available at our site Gardening-Guides.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Landscaping-Gardening - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Come With Me To The Casbah! A ripe persimmon is a thing of beauty - sweet, succulent and an amazing shade of orange-red. Orange and red continue to be popular colors in decorating this year but 2004's shades are softer and more vibrant, like ripe persimmons and pomegranates. Ten Considerations Before You Buy A Bird House When you decide to buy one bird house or more -- be aware that there are many designs being sold that are unsuitable for the birds. These houses may not attract any birds or the types of birds you wish, or they may actually be harmful. Closing Up Your Container Garden All good things eventually come to an end and so summer is waning, even as autumn gives most of us a fresh start. I'll bet your summer container plantings aren't really benefiting, though, from the "back to school-oh I love a clean notebook" boost and aren't dying as gracefully as summer itself is. Tractors and Their History I recently bought a small tractor for my garden, which prompted me to right this article.The tractor was a John Deere, GT235. Do You Know About A Bamboo Orchid Bamboo Orchid PlantWhen you think of bamboo you really think of bamboo sticks, don't you? There is an orchid that grows wild in some of the warmer climates like Hawaii and Southeast Asia called the Bamboo Orchid Plant. This is a very pretty orchid plant that easily grows on the hillsides. Add Rich Color To Your Garden With Blue Perennial Flowers Blue flowers are some of the most striking plants around and can add a rich splash of color to any garden. Plant them in a cluster of all blue or mix them in with other flowers for a rainbow of color. The Swallowtail -- A Beautiful Butterfly Swallowtail butterflies are some of the most beautiful butterflies found anywhere. The North American species are large, brightly colored butterflies with tailed, rear wings. Unique Flowers make a memorable gift! Think "outside of the box" when sending your next floral gift! The possibilities are endless! Floral Design is an art and florists can customize a masterpiece of flowers!Many florists put a sampling of arrangements on their websites for you to see, but don't feel confined to the photos! The most impressive arrangements are of an "original" design.Ask the florist about any "specialty" flowers they may have in stock. Imagine Your Own Orchid Garden In A Pond Who doesn't love to hear the water rushing and flowing through a very pretty orchid garden in a pond? Yes, this does not have to be only a dream. You can make it a reality. Potting Benches: Beautiful and Practical Do you love spending time outdoors in your garden creating beautiful floral arrangements that can be enjoyed by all? Do you spend more time gathering up your supplies than you actually do planting flowers? If so, you should consider enhancing your garden with a potting bench.Potting benches do more than just add another gorgeous piece of furniture to your outdoor space; they are also very practical and can be extremely convenient when creating floral masterpieces in the garden. Oregano: Joy of the Mountain Known as "joy of the mountain," Origanum vulgare is commonly called culinary oregano or Turkish oregano. Oregano is a close relative of marjoram and is also known as pot marjoram. Teak Planters - Accent Your Outdoor Space with One Do you want to add something to your outdoor space that will take it from beautiful to breathtaking? Do you have all of the right teak furniture but feel that something is missing, some accent that will truly make your space unique and worthy of only the highest praise? If so, maybe you should accent your outdoor space with teak planters.Teak planters can be a gorgeous addition to any outdoor space whether it is a formal garden, porch, poolside or entryway because they are beautifully constructed with the highest quality of standards using only the finest Javanese teak. How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams You've found a great Porch Swing and you know exactly where you want to put it, and it's not on the Porch. If you're a Do-it-Yourselfer, no problem. How to Attract Butterfly Activity... The flittering of the butterfly through your garden is no accident if you planned your garden carefully. The adult butterfly flitters from flower to flower - sipping nectar from many flowers in your gardens, while other adult butterflies search for areas to lay their larvae. Manage Algae There are several different ways to manage algae in your backyard pond. The best way however is when you have several different things all working together in harmony that will best take care of any algae problems you may have. Growing and Preserving Cut Flowers There is nothing more cheerful than vases full of fresh flowers placed around the house that have been grown and cut from your own garden. A cut flower is one that has been cut at the stem and placed in a vase of water. Durable Wooden Swing - Decorate Your Outdoors with One There is nothing better to do on a hot, lazy afternoon than to lounge in your favorite outdoor swing while reading, napping or just watching the world pass by. And when evening approaches and the breeze gets cooler, an outdoor swing is also the perfect place to sit and unwind after a hard day while you watch the fireflies light up the ever darkening sky. Patio Design and Patio Furniture - The Use of Focal Points A focal point is an important design element; it is a place where the eye naturally comes to rest. In a well-designed patio there is always a planned focal point, such as a large dining set, perhaps with a well-selected umbrella. How To Mow A Lawn Although push lawn mowers are wonderful machines that do a great job in keeping the lawn looking lush and well groomed, sometimes you need something with a bit more power to get the job done.Ride on mowers can turn an all day chore into an enjoyable job that lasts only a few hours. Growing Your Own Herbs for Tea If you love herbal teas, as I do, you know they are just a little bit pricey. However, growing your own herbs is easy and so much fun!Here are just a few of the herbs you might want to consider for a tea garden:Chamomile: Remember the favorite tea of Peter Rabbit? Only the flowers of this fragrant herb are used when making tea.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |