This post is sponsored by Gardener’s Supply Company.
I love herbs. They are like a little gift that keeps on giving! The more you cut them the more they grow and the more they grow the more you can cut them! Circle of life, of sorts. There are so many great things about herbs and even more scrumptious and decorative ways to use them! I like to have herbs on my patio in a kitchen garden. Let’s talk about how to grow herbs and care for them.
Now, let’s talk herbs!!!!
This year I got a late start planting herbs. But there really isn’t such thing as a late start. Herbs can be planted anytime from spring to early fall! It’s just later than I would have liked. But I’m so glad I waited. Look at these beautiful galvanized raised beds from Gardener’s Supply CompanyI got to plant them in!!!
Having a kitchen herb garden is a must here at StoneGable! The herb garden, this year, is in two handsomely styled galvanized raised beds on our patio. They are the perfect height! No bending at all! Just lots of puttering and snipping!
I particularly love their galvanized sides! Such an updated look!
Here’s how I planted my kitchen herb garden!
Most herbs are such hearty and unfussy fellows! They don’t need a whole lot of special attention or care. They just need some good soil to grow in. Make sure you start your plants off right with good quality soil. I chose Gardener’s Supply Company Potting Soil with super root booster.
Bobby is quite the gardener and he helped me fill the beds with the potting soil.
Do you see those white capillaries? They are part of the raised bed self-watering system. Water goes in a reservoir under the raised beds and the capillary tubes send water to the soil when needed! Ingenious!
A little gauge lets me know how full it is. Brilliant!
Because herbs like to be on the dryer side, I can regulate the water without guesswork!
In the fall I’m thinking about planting lettuce in one raised bed. Lettuce needs lots of water so I can keep the reservoir full and my raised bed will water the lettuce for me!
Here’s how the containers look without soil…
And here are the raised bed containers ready for plants.
We rolled the beds into position on our patio and began filling them with my favorite herbs! The frame and casters are very well made. The casters even have locks on them. Good thing, we can get some pretty strong winds here.
As the sun makes its way across the patio I can roll my herb garden to the sunniest spots on my patio where the herbs do best! The herbs and flowers I picked like sun… lots of sun!
I use fresh herbs all summer in much of my cooking and to create beautiful and aromatic bouquets in my home!
Compound butters, infused oils, herb vinegars and drying herbs are all ways to preserve the glorious flavor of herbs! I even feeze many of my herbs!
This year I planted my favorites in the kitchen herb garden! Here they are waiting next to my porch to be planted!
And here are a few planted in the galvanized raised beds…
I planted both curly and flat leaf parsley. Flat leaf has a little more flavor, but I grew up cutting the curly parsley that grew on the side of grandmother’s home. My grandmother, Nani, taught me not to be afraid to snip herbs liberally because a good clip makes them grow more! For herbs like basil that will flower and bolt it’s a good idea to keep the flowers trimmed often! I have kitchen scissors that go with me every time I’m out on the patio.
I like to cut herbs in the morning and put them in a glass of water on my counter. Such a pretty little bouquet that I can use as I cook.
Parsley is an herb that can be used for both cooking and as a finishing herb. Think about using parsley to impart flavor to soups, stew, marinades, and sauces!
To freeze fresh parsley I just cut a fresh bunch, rinse it off, dry it completely (don’t miss this step) and stick it in a zip-type bag and off it goes into the freezer. When I want to use it I cut off what I want and put the rest back until I need it again!
It’s probably the most versatile herb in any garden!
Basil is my very favorite herb in the raised bed garden. To me, it’s the taste of summer. Basil will grow like a weed in the right conditions and give you lots and lots of tender and delicious leave to create PESTO… aka green gold!
It’s wonderful as a finishing herb in sauces and adds bright fresh flavors to marinades. And garden fresh tomatoes and basil is a sublime pairing!
Oregano is another easy to grow plant for an herb garden. It has such pretty little leaves. But don’t let these dainty leaves fool you! They have a strong, biting flavor!!!!
This plant is amazing in sauces like spaghetti and it infuses an earthy flavor to roasted chicken. Oregano is excellent to dry and use in cooking!
I like to plant annual salvia with my herbs. This plant creates beautiful blue spikes on cobalt blue stems. It looks so pretty in an herb garden and in a bouquet too! You can see a young salvia plant behind the oregano in the picture above!
Aromatic, fresh mint went into the raised bed this year. I love mint to flavor ice tea and desserts and to use as a garnish. I also love to cut a bunch and use it as a little bouquet next to the beds in my guest rooms.
I would never dream of adding mint to my regular garden because mint is hugely invasive! It will take over a garden if left to its own devices. But I’m adding it to my raised bed garden this year! I’ll be able to keep an eye on it and as it puts out roots and spreads I’ll be able to cut them back.
I also planted two varieties of thyme, rosemary, and sage in the kitchen garden. Along with them, I companion planted Angelonia (white blooming spikes, Salvia (blue spikes) and marigolds.
These flowers do very well with herbs as they don’t need a lot of water and love the sun. I particularly love marigolds. They were my Nani’s favorite.
I’m very excited to see my kitchen herb garden grow. I’ll update you in a few weeks when the herbs are grown in and lush! And I’ll be sharing some recipes that use my herbs too!
How about you? Wouldn’t you like to plant an herb garden too? Get started!!!!
You might also like…
FREEZING HERBS… SAVING SUMMER FRESHNESS
HERB BOUQUETS IN THE KITCHEN
PERFECT PESTO THE TASTE OF SUMMER
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This post is sponsored by Gardener’s Supply Company but the opinions are 100% mine. You might want to check out their site. They have almost everything you could imagine for gardening!
