Growing herbs isn’t just for the salad lover. Herbs are fantastic in meats & sausages, fritters, beer & wine, beans, dips, stews, pastries, sauces, butter, omelets, candy, beverages, and more.
Herbs used in cooking are simply plants that are used as flavoring agents. The common herbs used in the kitchen are referred to as culinary herbs. Mild or savory herbs impart a delicate flavor to foods, and the pungent herbs add zest.
For most herbs, the part of the plant that is used is the leaves. The seeds or roots of some herbs can also be used. Because herbs are used in small amounts, only a few plants are usually needed to provide enough fresh and dried herbs for an entire season.
How to grow herbs and knowing what varieties grow best in our area covered at the next Noon Gardening Meeting on Tuesday, July 16 from 12 – 1 pm. The guest speaker is Julia Canas, a Master Gardener in Angelina County. The title of her presentation is “For the Love of Herbs”. Over the years, Canas and her family have developed a real love of growing all kinds of herbs. These noon gardening seminars are held monthly at the Angelina County Extension office at 2201 S. Medford Drive in Lufkin.
Herbs may be grown in flower beds, in rock gardens as borders, or as container plantings. Some herbs are annuals, meaning that they grow from seeds and complete their life cycle in 1 year; others are perennials that return year after year.
Many gardeners establish a small herb garden near the home. Generally, a 6- to 10-foot square or rectangular area is sufficient. For annual and biennial herbs, plant the seeds directly in the garden or start them indoors for later transplanting to the garden. Obtain seeds from your local garden center or seed catalog, or save the seeds produced by the herb plants for next year’s crop.
Care for your herb garden as you would a vegetable or flower garden. Choose a sunny, well-drained location. Apply a balanced fertilizer but do not use too much nitrogen fertilizer. Most organically derived fertilizers should work very well.
Water as necessary during dry periods. Generally, about 1 inch of water should be added per week if it is not supplied by rainfall. Mulch helps conserve soil moisture and reduces weed growth as well.
In general, most herbs have few insect or disease problems. Although most herbs tolerate minor infestations of feeding and chewing insects, do not allow the insect populations to explode.
Plants outgrow insect feeding or damage if they are growing vigorously and are fertilized and watered properly. Harvest the herbs regularly to help keep insect pressure at a minimum.
