76 Winter

Growing Your Own Herbs

(from farmhand Kelly Lake)
Unfamiliar herbs can be intimidating in the kitchen, and even more so in the garden. The rst thing to keep in mind is that all herbs need the same things as any other plant: good soil, sun, water, and air. The second thing to keep in mind is that they all need those things in varying amounts; there is no one-size-ts-all approach to growing. Because I am no gardening expert, my friend and former farmer at Evas Garden, Kelly Lake, wrote the following steps and charts to growing herbs and lettuce greens.

Step 2: Resource Assessment

Dont set yourself up for failure by trying to grow basil (because you really love basil) if your only growing area is a re escape that is in shade most of the day. The three most important questions to ask yourself are: How much sun will my plant get? Does the soil drain well, or does it hold water? How much space do I have? Once you have the answers, you can select plants appropriately.

Step 1: Location
Because most herbs are relatively small (compared to fruit and vegetable plants), they make great candidates for container growing, especially if their roots are shallow. Basil, dill, chives, lemon verbena, anything in the mint family, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thymealong with almost any salad greengrow well in containers as long as the soil-to-plant ratio is good and drainage is adequate. Herbs that grow exceptionally tall and send down a deep taproot, like fennel and lovage, are happiest when planted in the open ground. Keep in mind that you may opt for growing in a container even if you have a lot of land, for example if you want to keep an ambitious herb (like mint) contained or if you are growing a tender perennial (like lemongrass) that you will be moving indoors over the winter.

Step 3: Starting from Seed vs. Transplanting

Some quick-growing herbs and salad greens will do best if sowed from seed directly into the soil. Keep the soil as moist as a wet sponge until you spot little plants poking their heads up. Some herbs can take a really long time to start growing, or are nicky at rst, and so it is best to buy them as seedlings from a nursery. Give each seedling and its destination soil a good watering before transplanting, and massage the root-ball to loosen the roots just a bit before burying it in its new home.

Step 4: Herbal Adolescence

Once your plant is well established, you may be tempted to forget about it for a while and let it do its own thing. Stay strong! At this stage it is important to follow the care instructions in regard to watering, fertilizing, or thinning to keep your crop on the path to a good harvest. If weeds are left unchecked, you will ght them for the rest of the season. Some plants are more fragile than others; if you anticipate a few vaca-

Winter 77
tions or lots of family gatherings that will keep you away from your garden, choose a hardy perennial that can withstand slight drought (like thyme) or bounce back quickly (like mint).

Step 6: Thinking Ahead

Once the temperatures begin to drop, dont forget to start moving tender perennials (like lemon verbena and African basil) indoors. Hardy perennials that will be left outdoors will benet from a layer of mulch if you live in an extreme climate (try hay, cha, grass clippings, or chopped leaves). And dont forget to preserve some of your herbs for next season (see page xx). Need some inspiration? Here are some growing plans to get you started. I recommend growing your own salad mix, some perennial herbs, and some annual herbs that you can switch up from year to year.

Step 5: Harvesting and Maintenance

Herbs vary greatly in their harvests. Some do best when they are harvested all at once and resown (like cilantro) or left to regenerate (like loose-leaf greens). Others can be harvested on an ongoing basis until they are killed o by frost (like basil, parsley, and sage).

Herb Mix: If you grow the following herbs yourself you benet from their avor as well as their edible owers, which make unique and delicious garnishes if you like to entertain or if you just love functional aesthetics. Herb Arugula Bronze fennel Chervil Cilantro Sage Container? yes no yes yes yes Light full sun full sun full sun full sun to light shade full sun Water moderate can withstand periods of drought moderate moderate semi-arid Perennial? no self-seeding no no yes

Salad Mix : The seeds of these greens can be scattered together and raked into the soil. When you are ready to harvest, cut the greens 1 inch above the soil level. The plants will regrow, at which point you can harvest again. Repeat until the greens look unhealthy, then dig them up and put them in the compost, fertilize the soil, and sow the next batch. Green Arugula Chickweed Dandelion greens Mizuna Sylvetta arugula Container? yes yes yes yes yes Light full sun to light shade full sun to light shade full sun to light shade full sun to light shade full sun to light shade Water moderate moderate moderate moderate moderate Perennial? no no no no no