Use One of These 4 Simple Garden Designs to Grow the 12 Best Kitchen Herbs

(Page 3 of 5)

October/November 2006
By Barbara Pleasant 
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If all of this talk of seeds and cuttings has you feeling confused, take a deep breath and relax. Your first venture into a kitchen herb garden is sure to be successful if you start with a simple planting plan like the ones shown here. Fill your garden with tried-and-true favorites, which are offered as collections by Mountain Valley Growers, Blossom Farm and many other herb growers. Start small, keep it simple, and you’re sure to be delighted by the fantastic flavors of your kitchen herbs.

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Click here to print the four herb garden plans.

Top 12 Kitchen Herbs

The preferred methods to start these 12 herbs are indicated by the colors of their corresponding titles below and in the plans:

Green = sow herb seeds or use transplants
Blue = sow seeds only
Orange = use transplants only

BASIL
Seeds or seedlings of basil, a warm-season annual, can be planted at the same time as tomatoes. Pinch back flowering spikes to encourage new leaf production, and make a second planting from direct-sown seeds in early summer. The flavor is best when used fresh.
Selections: ‘Genovese’ is the gold standard for cooking; other varieties feature burgundy leaves, compact growth habits or foliage with frilled edges.

CHIVES
A mild-flavored perennial allium hardy to Zone 3, chives produce edible pink flowers in spring. Chives can be grown from seed, but it’s faster to start with plants. Keep leaves trimmed to prolong production, and divide and replant clumps in early fall. Can self seed too vigorously in cold climates. Preserve chives by freezing them.
Selections: Compact ‘Grolau’ (windowsill chives) is great for containers; ‘Grande’ features big, broad leaves.

CILANTRO
A fast-growing annual, cilantro can be planted twice a year, in spring and again in late summer. Cilantro is among the easiest herbs to start from seeds sown directly in the garden, but it suffers badly when transplanted. Plants are hardy to Zone 7. Leaves lose their flavor as the plants grow tall and develop flowers. Leaves are best used fresh. The ripe seeds are the spice known as coriander.
Selections: ‘Santo’ bolts later than other varieties; ‘Delfino’ has lacy, fernlike leaves.

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