Patio Herb Gardening

I know it's been awhile since I posted, but I got a new job a few months back. Consequently, I'm preparing to move again and I've been in training, so I haven't had much time to write. I am happy to report that I have managed to keep a few plants alive despite being extremely busy studying for exams.

These past couple months, the anniversaries of a handful of difficult calls came and went. I've found that memories seem to pick their own time and place to resurface. And it is sometimes difficult to put them to rest. Each time they are brought out of the proverbial closet and worked through, it gets easier to handle. I like to think this process is comparable pruning. Plants are much healthier when trimmed and pruned regularly. And yeah, I prefer to do something constructive while working through things...like gardening. Particularly, working with herbs because they smell so good. Aromatherapy anyone?

One of my favorite planters is my herb box. I started with a light gray plastic window box planter about 5 years ago. The plant arrangement has remained more or less the same since then. I managed to fit four different varieties of herbs comfortably in the box. It isn't my only pot of herbs though.

Gray window-box of herbs in 2012. From L-R:
Lemon Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley and Oregano

Since some of these plants are perennials and some are annuals, I've had to replant the ones that die each year. For home cooking, here's a rundown on six of the most useful herbs to grow.

Thyme: Thyme is an annual (meaning it has a seasonal life cycle and dies after it's flowered and produced seeds), and comes in many varieties. Some of my favorite varieties are Lemon Thyme (lemony smell), Elfin Thyme (tiny leaves and typically used as a ground cover), English Thyme, and Silver Lemon Thyme (which has a silver leaf edges). Thyme likes plenty of sun, hates it when you let the soil get dry and does well when fertilized once a week. I try to trim it pretty regularly and I usually dry whatever I can't immediately use.

Varigated Lemon Thyme

Rosemary: Rosemary (pictured second from left in the photo of my planter) is a perennial. Perennials have a longer life cycle lasting 2-3 years. Actually, Rosemary can be more of a shrub and is sometimes grown as a hedge. It doesn't like too much water, loves sun, likes to be fertilized regularly and will take over a planter if you aren't careful. Rosemary can be trained into topiary, trimmed into all sorts of shapes and grow into a huge bush 4 feet tall and as big around. It goes very well with chicken, and is awesome in spaghetti sauce. Because a happy rosemary plant grows like a weed, I usually plant it in a small plastic pot and then plant that smaller pot in my planter. This helps keep it from completely taking over my planter. I trim it regularly and usually dry whatever I can't use. The oils in rosemary leaves can sometimes be hard to get off your hands. Dawn dish washing soap works pretty well for that, but I also like to wear gloves if I don't want my hands to smell like rosemary for the next day.

Parsley: Parsley is another annual. It is a versatile herb used to make all sorts of dishes. It isn't quite as strong a flavor as rosemary, and while it loves sun, don't let it dry out. If it dries out (which almost always happens in hot weather since it needs a ton of water), it tends to bolt and be in an awful hurry to produce seeds. Once it bolts, you won't get many good leaves off it for cooking. There are several varieties of parsley, but the two I've seen most commonly are those with a flat leaf or a curly leaf. I prefer to grow the flat leaf variety since I find it a lot easier to wash all the dirt off the flat leaves. Parsley is also the host plant for many swallowtail caterpillars. While swallowtail butterflies are beautiful, I don't like having my parsley eaten by somebody other than me!

This is Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley from  the Bonnie Plants website: https://bonnieplants.com/product/flat-italian-parsley/.

Oregano: Oregano belongs to the mint family and I think it is considered a small shrub. It's definitely a perennial--my current plant is several years old. It is a key ingredient in Italian dishes. I've tried several different varieties including Greek (very strong flavor), Italian, Golden (yellowish leaves) and Varigated (silver edges).  I prefer to grow Italian Oregano because I like the flavor. Oregano will tolerate you letting the pot get dry, but it definitely prefers getting water regularly. Fertilizing and regularly trimming it back (especially when it wants to flower) allow you to harvest the leaves for a longer period of time.

Basil: Basil is another annual that tends to bolt if it's pot dries out. Regular watering, fertilizing, trimming and TLC will make this fragrant herb quite happy. Since it's life span is shorter than most of the other herbs I grow, I like to keep a separate pot with multiple varieties of basil. Some of my favorite basil varieties are Purple, Cinnamon, Thai, Lemon, Lime, Spicy Bush (bushy plant with lots of small leaves), and Sweet Basil (the plain kind). I trim my basil plants every other week or so and dry anything I can't use right away.

Purple, Thai and Spicy Globe Basil 

Chives: Chives are another of those perennials that will be around forever if you take care of it. It likes plenty of water and sun and being fertilized once a week. Chives are a member of the onion family and the hallow leaves are picked and used for a dainty onionish flavor. I don't trim or dry my chives, although you can do both. I prefer to pick only the largest leaves when I want to use them for cooking. I usually thin and re-pot my chives once a year.

Chives (front and center)

Did I mention that my cat loves to play in my herb garden? She makes a mess but smells really nice when she's done.

Minerva used to be soooo tiny! And she is most certainly up to no good...