You can always have fresh herbs at hand. The he althiest ones are those from their own plantations. Your own herb garden will provide you with fresh letters to spice up your home dishes. How to set up and cultivate a garden with herbs and how to use its crops?
Driedherbscan't compare with fresh ones. Some of them completely change their taste during processing, and often lose their aroma as well. A home herb garden will not only provide fresh leaves, but will also be a green decoration for a balcony or an external window sill. Growing herbs is not difficult - anyone who deals with decorative potted plants at home can handle it.
Herbs can be grown from seeds or cuttings
You can grow plants by yourself from seeds, but if you lack patience - buy seedlings. You can find seeds in a garden or herbal store, seedlings - in a supermarket, a garden store (the largest selection), a flower shop. However, start by choosing containers. They should be so large that they do not restrict root development. Small ones (at least 10 cm in diameter) will be good for growing herbs from seeds, larger ones - for seedlings and transplanting older plants. But remember that the soil in small containers dries up quickly, so you will need to water more often. Shallow-rooting herbs ( thyme ,basil , marjoram) can be grown in flat bowls, those with extended roots (lemon balm, tarragon) - in containers with depth 20-30 cm.
Pots or boxes can be plastic, clay or wooden, it is important that they have a drain. When choosing a dish, also consider whether the herb is annual (basil, coriander, savory, chervil) or perennial (rosemary, lovage, sage, lemon balm, mint, tarragon, oregano, thyme). Note: Marjoram and parsley come in one-year and perennial varieties. The latter need to be moved home before winter, so the containers must not be large. Rosemary and lovage can spend the winter outside, but it is worth keeping them. Lovage, due to its expansive
development, better to grow in the garden, choose the largest pot for balcony cultivation.
A mixture of clay soil and peat is suitable for most herbs, garden soil may also be suitable. It is important that it is plump and with a lumpy structure (you can add ground bark for this purpose). Do not use universal flower soil -it contains too much fertilizer that the herbs don't need. At the bottom of the pot, place drainage (gravel or broken pots). Plants can be planted individually or in groups - this creates a favorable microclimate for their development.
Herbs need light and water
Place the containers with herbs on the balcony or external window sill (then you need to attach them well) on the south or south-east side, but never in full sun - herbs prefer partial shade. If you want the plants to develop evenly, turn the pots from time to time. Otherwise they will turn towards the sun.
Herb care is limited to watering. If the soil dries out a lot and becomes hard and cracked, just dip the pot in water. Watering will not make sense in this case, because the water will not soak into the heavily dried soil. Water less frequently on cool or rainy days, e.g. every other day. If the water is very hard - which can be seen from the white sediment on the ground - use rainwater.
Herbs should be fertilized
In the period of intensive growth, perennial herbs should be fertilized (with natural fertilizer, eg Humus). For annual plants, the fertilizer contained in the substrate is sufficient. It is usually possible to recognize whether the herbs need supplementation - this may be indicated by a change in the intensity of the color of the leaves. On the other hand, the excess of fertilizer is indicated by brown, distorted leaves, the appearance of lichens and mosses on the ground.
Herbs are best added at the end of cooking
Already at the beginning of the growth of tarragon, mint, thyme, rosemary and sage, remove the tops of the main shoots - then they will spread out to the sides and not only grow upwards. The crops are harvested on an ongoing basis - as needed, you tear off the leaves or cut off the entire twigs with scissors.
Herbs from home cultivation are simply rinsed under running water, dried and chopped. The leaves can be crushed with a sharp knife (a blunt knife will crush them, making them lose their flavor and aroma) or with a herb chopper. It is important to do it on a hard board (the juice will soak into the soft wood). Tear large leaves (basil) in your fingers. It is best to add them at the end of cooking, then they retain the aroma and nutritional value. Those with intense aromas (rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley) can be cooked together with the dish.
Herbs can be frozen and dried
At the end of the season, use unused herbs to stock up on winter supplies. They can be dried - in a well-ventilated, dry and shaded place, hang the plants in bunches by the ends of the stems or spread them on nets. When they are dry, put them into airtight containers. Fresh herbs can be frozen - put in small containers or foil bags. It's worth it tooPut the chopped herbs into ice cube containers, add water and freeze. These herbal ice cubes tossed into a soup or sauce will give them a beautiful aroma.
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