Herbs for the Beginner

Had a great question from a Master Gardener in Shelby County, TN today who wants to grow herbs to use for cooking. This gardener is new to herbs and wants to know what herbs would be best to start with. She also asked if herbs could be grown in pots on her south exposure patio.

It is always exciting when folks decide to delve into growing herbs and I must warn you this is an addictive business! It is so tempting to plant one of every herb you ever meet but it is wise to start small and learn as you go.

Let’s start with some of my favorite culinary herbs.
These herbs for the most part will do fine in pots on the patio or in the ground as long as they get full sun, adequate water and have good drainage. Go easy on the fertilizer, most herbs do well without and too much nitrogen will produce lots of leaves but not much flavor.

Basil - sweet for sure but don't be afraid to try lemon and cinnamon…I usually buy as a plant – look for pots that have several plants – you can gently pull them apart to plant. Cuttings are easy to root in water. Toss in a cherry tomato plant and have the beginnings of a great salad or bruchetta on the patio. Pots of basil also discourage bugs.

Bay - I have my Bay tree in a pot which I drag into the garage each fall under a sunny window until spring then haul it back to the patio. It is a tender perennial but is easy to care for. Dry a few leaves to use for cooking and place a leaf or two in cupboards, flour bins and with dried fruit to keep unwanted insects away.

Chives - onion and garlic - always wonderful to snip a few into just about anything you are cooking - especially pasta salads…Onion chives blades are round and bloom purple in the spring and Garlic chives have flat blades that bloom white in the late summer when many other plants are looking tired. The blooms are edible as well and make a lovely vinegar.

Cilantro/Coriander - plant by seed every couple of weeks starting in early spring, loves the cooler weather(planted in late summer cilantro should grow all winter long without bolting (going to flower)… Hard to transplant so sow seed in a pot or right in the ground. Young foliage is best for salsa and such. Blooms are pretty and edible. Seeds become coriander to use in baking.

Dill - plant this one by seed as well. It likes cool weather as well. It is so wonderful to have some fresh dill weed (ferny foliage) to add to fish, potato salad, breads, etc. It is a handy herb to have in the garden. Munch on fresh weed to stave off hunger. Butterflies love this plant so sow extra seed for them!

Lemon balm – an easy perennial to grow in a pot or in the ground…grab a handful of this herb to rub down the outdoor dining table to deter bugs. Add a couple of leaves to ice water before serving for a zesty lemon flavor. Lemon balm bread is hard to beat served up with some sage tea!

Marjoram - annual that is worth having – great in Italian sauces and dries nicely for use in the winter. Sow seed or just buy a plant each spring.

Oregano - be sure to taste a leaf before you buy to make sure it has a good flavor and scent…hope it is grown organically! I have grown the killer oregano of Franklin – beautiful but tasteless (made pretty wreaths though) Usually I look for Italian or Greek varieties but take a taste.

Parsley - can't do without for cooking - just buy a plant or three each spring - loves cool weather, hard to start by seed. I like flat leaf myself. It is called the balancing herb…probably why folks add a little to just about everything.

Mexican Marigold - if you like French tarragon for cooking - has flavor without the fuss of trying to get French tarragon to live in southern heat and humidity. Winter Tarragon, Mexican mint is other names for this plant. When in doubt, check the Latin name – Tagetes lucida. This herb blooms in the fall which again is a cheery site. It can grow to about three feet tall and has been very winter hardy for me. I just cut it back before a hard freeze and dry some for cooking and use the rest for wreaths.

Mint – always good in a pot, so it doesn’t take over your entire gardening world. Feel free to give this herb hair cuts, it likes a good cutting back. - choose one you really like – chocolate mint, peppermint, Kentucky Colonel (used for mint juleps) at the races. I’m partial to grapefruit mint myself. Place mint leaves in cupboard to deter mice.

Rosemary - will do well in a pot or plant in a protected area away from west and north winter winds - bring in pot just for cold snaps then set it back outside. Arp is a hardy variety – buy the plant, hard to start from seed – easier to do cuttings with soft woody tips. Snip rosemary over potatoes or chicken or pork roast before roasting. Add some to the potato salad before next picnic – it has natural preservative qualities. Makes a nice tea for a tension headache too. We love snipped rosemary in extra virgin olive oil for bread dipping.

Sage – a plant worth growing, besides using for the stuffing at Thanksgiving, this makes a nice tea that has many health benefits (used in moderate amounts). Cream cheese spread on a cracker with a sage leaf (and other herbs) makes a savory snack or appetizer. An easy perennial that works in a pot or is nice as a border in the garden…blooms purple in spring.

Summer savory – This is one of my favorite herbs! It is an annual that is worth planting every year. It is called the bean herb because its peppery flavor is good with any kind of bean but, it is my “secret ingredient” (well not anymore I guess) in chicken soup. I dry this herb to use during the winter months and I run out each year.

Thyme – last but not least, this plant comes in many varieties, but for cooking try French, English or Mother of Thyme (Lemon is nice too for something different). There are many flavors too – so check out the choices at the nursery. This is another herb that can be snipped onto fresh veggies or meat that you are grilling. Make a tea next time you have a cold to help break up congestion in the chest.

Remember to have fun growing and using these herbs (that sounds a little funny, doesn’t it?) But experimentation is a big part of cooking with herbs. My son Trevor use to run out to the herb garden and snip leaves of various herbs to ‘decorate’ (as we use to call it) his dinner…We all learned a lot about what herbs compliment which foods because Trevor wasn’t afraid to experiment – he had no pre-conceived notions about culinary herb combinations.

It doesn’t take much to turn a usual dish into a flavorful adventure. One more tidbit – if you are using fresh herbs, use 3 times the amount of dried herb called for in recipes. Enjoy your new journey growing herbs!

Honeybees love Anise Hyssop

Pictured above: Annise hyssop with lavender spikes growing in perennial bed (Agastache foeniculum 'golden jubilee' - named for it's golden leaves)

Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, was planted by beekeepers in the 1870s here in the states to attract honeybees. Anise hyssop grows 3 - 4 feet tall and produces a rich source of nectar that is thought to give honey a bit of a anise-seed flavor.

Anise hyssop may be called lots of names like licorice mint, have different color variations in bloom spikes or leaf which doesn't matter as long as the name starts with Agastache foeniculum...

Although this plant is considered perennial, I've noticed that it does well for a couple of years then is 'iffy' after that. I tend to shake the seeds from the spent blooms in early fall to be sure the plant(s) re-seeds itself. If planting in mass, I would hope they would volunteer (re-seed) naturally to keep crop going but may have to continually add seed each year to insure good coverage.

The pinkish-bluish-purple blossoms (or white if an 'Alba' variety) last for about 6 - 8 weeks and the plant tends to be drought resistant which is always a plus when the rains decide to shut off in August! Give Anise hyssop full sun and good drainage and it will perform well even if the soil is poor. Other than some added compost for organic matter, no fertilizer is necessary.

Hyssop, Hyssop officinalis

Hyssop, hyssop officinalis is a woody perennial that again does well here (Middle TN) for a year or two than wanes. I will layer this plant by bending a branch over and pinning it to the soil with a re-bent paper clip to start new plants so when the mother plant fades a new hyssop is ready to take it's place.

Although Hyssop officinalis does attract bees, the length of bloom is not as long as Anise hyssop. Sometimes this plant will re-bloom if the flower spikes are cut back shortly after they have faded.

I would not recommend Hyssop officinalis for any kind of mass planting. It is harder to seed (really need to start in greenhouse) and needs more water considerations.

Try thyme or lemon balm in place of hyssop officinalis if you want other herbs to attract bees. There are many varieties of thyme. By planting a variety the overall bloom time will be longer which is a good thing if you are trying to attract bees.

Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis is Greek for bee and has long been used by beekeepers to attract bees.

Mossy Tea Pot

It's been a cold winter so far in Middle Tennessee this year. January is ending on a sunny note though which has made me want to get my hands in the dirt and plant something...anything really.

So I decided I find a planting project. I rooted around in the kitchen looking for just the right thing. Everyone has something fun to plant in if they just look in the right cupboard, something just sitting around collecting dust (or wood ash as in my case since we put in a wood stove insert).

Hmm, then it hit me, I have an old chick wire tea pot that I've never quite figured out what it's use really is. I dug into the old blue hutch and soon produced the pot. It's perfect for a topiary, why hadn't I thought of that long ago?

Annie (the garden dog) and I were soon out the door looking for moss. I found what I needed in the mossy ground under the magnolia tree. While Annie played games with a pair of cardinals, I gently lifted slices of moss with the pointy end of a trowel and stacked them in a pail I had brought with us.

Next I took the moss and lined the wire tea pot (mossy side out of course). Filled the empty space in the center with some decent potting soil and went on a new search for low growing sedums.

I found some out by the green house that had quickly covered the ground around the stone steps and slight bank that leads up to the greenhouse. I liked the color, a soft green-gray, that makes me think of spring. I gently lifted up little tufts with the trowel and placed them in the pail ready to transplant onto the tea pot.

Transplanting procedure was quick and easy and the sedums looked like they had always lived in a tea pot. I also found some sedum that likes to weep out of it's container on the back deck so I cut off a few pieces and stuck them into the sides of the moss - holding them in place with un-bent paper clips (forming a u shaped pin). It will be fun to have different textures covering the pot.

Sedums have to be one of the easiest plants to propagate. Cut (or just break off) a piece and stick it in something that resembles soil and it soon takes off and makes a new plant. Very encouraging for anyone who thinks they have a brown thumb.

Come spring I will move the tea pot out to the screened porch where it will be a cute conversation piece for the table.

The Garden in Winter

Our first snow started falling late in the day covering the earth in a fluffy white blanket. The reflection of the nearly full moon woke me up during the night and I could scarcely wait until dawn to get outside and have a look at the garden.

Annie and I headed outdoors early and the first thing to hit us was the silence. Snow makes everything so quiet. The silence was soon broken with a horrible crunching racket as my neighbor headed out the driveway to work. It was then I realized there was a layer of ice just under the snow.

Dog and cracked pot with camera in hand slowly made the rounds admiring the beauty of white crested magnolia leaves and ice encrusted berries. Snow makes everything clean and fresh, even the wheelbarrow full of old perennial cuttings pointing towards the fire pit with good intentions looked picturesque.

Hemlock branches were heavy laden and looked like a winter scene right out of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Red and Yellow Twig Dogwoods seemed happy to show off their new winter coat that sparkled when the sun came up.

The plants on the living roof were tucked in and cozy under their blanket. Too bad they can’t settle in for a long winters nap. Although they face the north I believe the predicted 40 degree high would soon uncover them.

Birds sang happily as they darted to and fro snatching a quick sunflower seed from the feeder then dashing it against a nearby branch. The cardinals really showed out against the white background.

There is nothing like the beauty of a garden in winter especially with the addition of a little snow. Annie kept licking the snow like she had never seen it before. Being a transplant from the north I sometimes forget how wonderful a little snow can be. A “mini winter” now and then can be a good thing…a time to slow down, reflect and be ever so grateful when the sun comes out it melts away!

Sweet Annie Dog to Herb to Wreath

Sweet Annie, Artemisia annua is a favorite herb in my garden. It is a great addition to the back of the border filling in nicely with ferny foliage, needs no fertilizer or irrigation, has no pests, in fact it is a wonderful companion plant that calls and shelters many beneficial insects.

This plant continues to give the garden character in the winter with its reddish brown tree form that stands out and gives movement, color and texture to the landscape. Not to mention a sweet scent should you brush by it while doing winter chores.

It is such a unique herb I named our dog after it…Sweet Annie, a Jack Russell terror who has been with us now for almost 13 years. She too is a great addition to the back of the border where she digs up moles and often digs out under the fence in search of adventure. She too needs no fertilizer (although she does produce it), no irrigation, usually has no pests and is the best garden companion a garden girl could ask for.

Her white body with one brown ear gives a lot of movement and color to the landscape as she darts in and out of the garden beds looking for wild game in every season. I prefer to think of her personality as ‘sweet’ (some of my neighbor’s dogs might disagree) as her scent is dependant on whatever she has last seen fit to roll in or whatever scent I choose to bathe her in after.

Many of you may be familiar with Sweet Annie in herb wreaths. This herb is flexible and full, perfect for wreath making just before and during its bloom time. I made this one in September and it will be a lasting memory of summer in the garden all winter with it's wonderful scent. You can read about this herb and many others in my book "The Cracked Pot Herb Book" available on my website.

Grapes in Abundance

Grapes in the garden provide shade, fruit for culinary adventures and pliable vines for wreaths or anything in the garden or home that needs a little extra help in the funk department.

This year I had such an abundance of grapes that I was able to share (or redistribute?) the wealth with friends, neighbors and the birds of course.

The grapes were already established on a fence in the backyard when we bought the property seven years ago. Every winter I prune the vines back and make sure the wire that runs alone the fence to hold the meandering vines is in good repair.

If you haven’t guessed by now from the picture, they are concord grapes with large seeds. The color is deep, flavor is incredible - maybe even taste purple (Under the Tuscan Sun) but the seeds slow you down if you are trying to eat a handful while you are suppose to be gathering veggies from the kitchen garden these grapes border.
I decided to make grape jelly this year so I harvested a couple of huge baskets and got to work. After I washed the huge clusters I laid them out on towels to dry.
Next I plopped them into a large heavy stainless steel stock pot, added some water, set the temperature on med-low and put the cover on.

When they softened, I took them off the heat and put them in a stainless steel, heavy duty colander that nested in another stainless steel stock pot to catch all the juice. I mashed (pressed) the poor things until I had all the juice out and nothing but pulp left in the colander. I feed the skins and seeds to the compost pile…I wonder how many concord grapes will be coming up in the spring?

I wanted to put them in a jelly bag or cheese cloth but I could not find any so I determined the juice in the pan looked clear enough for jelly (for me and my family).

Next I followed the directions on the powdered pectin box – I bought some for low sugar and used half the amount of sugar. The jelly jars were still hot in the dishwasher (I used the sterilize setting). I put the lids and rings in boiling water so they were ready.

I ladled the hot jelly into the jelly jars, wiped off any sticky business, placed the lid on and screwed the ring nice and tight. I set them in a group on the counter and waited for them to seal. Some folks water bath…I chose not to for these batches of grape jelly.

Later I checked and all had sealed so I wrote the date and other notations like ½ sugar. I did make a batch with full sugar for all my sweet friends.

As you can see they came out “pretty as a picture” and a real treat at the breakfast table!

Who Invited this Bug to Dinner?

A recent trip to the kitchen garden to harvest some veggies resulted in a quest to identify this bug. Quick little rascals they are, I squished one before I even wondered what kind of bug it was. I could see these devils were sucking the life out of my broccoli raab so a quick search and destroy mission seemed an appropriate response from a farmer’s daughter.

Annie the garden dog was pleased with my instinctive action and soon joined in the fun hunting down and pinching them in half (that was me, Annie just chewed them up and spit them out) When we stopped long enough to admire our bug carnage the thought occurred to me to take a picture of one of these pretty insects to share with you all.

When I came back to the garden with my camera I had a hard time finding another bug on the broccoli raab. After a detailed search I did find this baby or youth bug (a nymph). He or she is really quite lovely to look at. So colorful that Annie and I just starred and took pictures and wondered why God made this pest so loud. He sure didn’t blend with his surroundings of green.

Maybe that is why every time we tried to catch one they would seem to roll to the underside of the leaf…like that would do a better job of camouflaging. Annie and I are a couple of old garden gals and we were not fooled with their hide and seek method of survival.

Turns out this cute menace is a baby harlequin. It will take 4 to 9 weeks to reach maturity (old enough to mate and lay eggs). Northerners will be happy to know this is a Southern insect. Seems they snuck in from Mexico sometime after the civil war (seemed safe then) and have since spread from sea to shining sea.

Unchecked these guys (and gals) will destroy whole crops of vegetables in the crucifer family such as horseradish, broccoli raab, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, mustard, Brussels sprouts, turnip, kohlrabi and radish. In the absence of these favorite hosts, tomato, potato, eggplant, okra, bean, asparagus, beet, weeds, fruit trees and field crops may be eaten. I’m not so opposed to them eating weeds, perhaps I can now claim any weeds in my garden were allowed to grow as a trap for harlequin bugs (every gardener needs some kind of alibi).

The adult harlequin, Murgantia histrionica (I just try to remember margarita), which Annie and I have already “hand picked” so to speak are a yellow and black combination with red added in. They are basically a flat and shield shaped stink bug. When the wings are lying down it appears they have an “X” on their backs (Annie likes this easy to spot target).

The cycle of life (egg, nymph, adult) for the Harlequin is 50 to 80 days. During the winter they will hibernate in the garden and come back out ready to suck sap first thing in the spring.

Since I like to do things organically, ‘hand picking’ is an easy way to get rid of them. A great job for the kids or you can enlist a Jack Russell terror like Annie if you have one available (shoot, I will give you one on loan!) You will have to keep re-checking to get them all as they are good little hiders. Look for eggs on the underside and destroy those as well. Check too in the spring for those harlequins who dared to spend the winter sleeping in your garden.

Next step according to David Cook, entomologist working for Davidson County, TN is Pyrethrum and insecticidal soap. Mr. Cook also made the final ID on this beautiful bug (yes, I was perplexed at first). I sent the picture onto Mike Smith of Williamson County, he and I both thought it was the harlequin but David was kind enough to confirm.

David Cook also gave me to bug sites to share -

http://www.insectidentification.org/ http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

He also recommends this book and says, “This is one of the best reference books on insects”:Garden Insects of North America, Whitney Cranshaw Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-09561-2

Thanks David and Mike for your help!