When starting a garden we tend to only think about the veggies and fruits that we can harvest and create wonderful meals with, but what about our seasonings and spices? Homemade tomato sauce from the garden is amazing alone, but with homegrown basil and oregano *chef’s kiss!
Since moving to North Carolina, I’ve had to restart my herb garden, and these herbs I absolutely had to plant again in the new garden. Here’s 9 herbs everyone should plant in their herb garden, along with some of my favorite uses for each and other important growing tips.
Basil
This delicate herb can be used as a garnish to top homemade pizzas or as a bright compliment to a fresh pasta sauce. Just about any Italian dish you create will call for basil and having it fresh will only make it that much better.
Basil thrives in full sun and is a great companion plant for tomatoes and peppers, as its strong smell repels pests. Although it is considered a perennial, most plants will not survive a frost, but often reseed themselves. There are many different types available, some of my favorites are sweet basil used for cooking, Thai basil as a palate cleanser and holy basil for its medicinal properties.
Thyme
This woody and very fragrant herb adds an earthy yet bright flavor and aroma to soups and stews. I find thyme really adds a great flavor to meats I cook low and slow, like pot roast.
This drought tolerant perennial thrives in full sun and can easily be propagated as gifts for friends and family, or hung to dry for later use. There are several different varieties of thyme, even some with more citrus notes such as lemon thyme, which I am growing this year.
Thyme tea is also great to soothe sore throats and coughs. During our first real winter in years, I kept a pitcher of thyme tea brewed constantly, for quick relief from my upper respiratory infection.
Bay Leaves
Depending on where you purchase bay leaves, you may notice their woody, earthy flavor a lot or not at all. Having this small bush in your garden will ensure that any dish you need to toss these in will have the best flavor. They can be be used for soups, stews, ground, and even tossed into soaking beans to reduce bloating.
These perennial bushes are great to grow in containers and thrive in full sun to partial shade. They are slow growing and can last many many years under the right growing conditions. In my 8a garden, I have noticed they prefer morning sun and leaves will curl upwards in the heat of the afternoon.
Mint
Whether you’re making mojitos or tea, mint is something you should consider planting in your garden. Mint aids in digestion, alleviates cold symptoms and masks the bad breath we all experience at times.
There are several varieties of this perennial, most thriving in full sun to partial shade, each with their own unique smell and flavor! Spearmint & peppermint are most commonly used for culinary and medicinal use. We use Peppermint in our house to help headaches and nausea via infusions and steams. Other varieties included pineapple and strawberry mint, the latter I’m growing for the first time and I have to say, it truly smells like strawberries!
A very important note on mint. If you don’t want it to spread across your garden and yard, plant mint in a container!
Sage
Another fragrant woody herb excellent for meats such as sausage or herb crusted chicken is sage. If you’ve purchased sage from the grocery store and the flavor wasn’t strong, it’s usually because it’s been sitting for a while and over time the flavor weakens. Fresh sage on the other hand, is powerful and used correctly can add that signature earthy flavor to your food.
Sage is a perennial that does well in full sun, but benefits from afternoon shade in very hot climates. It is a great companion plant for brassicas, carrots and strawberries due to its strong smell that deters pest. Medicinally sage is said to help with sore throats and even hot flashes.
Oregano
Oregano is another perennial plant that has several different varieties. Greek oregano is know for its robust flavors that I love for homemade Italian seasoning and Chicken Broth. Sweet Marjoram on the other hand is milder and sweeter that we love fresh on pizzas and pastas.
Oregano grows well in full sun, is drought tolerant and easily reseeds it self each year. Oregano can aid digestion and oregano oil is a powerful immune booster used to fight infections.
Rosemary
Rosemary’s strong earthy flavor is great in heavier dishes such as beef stews and roasted potatoes. Additionally, I infuse rosemary into my hair growth oil to boost blood flow to my scalp to encourage hair growth.
A garden staple, rosemary is a perennial shrub that thrives in dry full sun conditions and gets bigger and busher each time you prune it. There is also a creeping variety of rosemary if preferred.
Dill
Dill is an annual light and fresh tasting herb, great in seafood dishes, pickles, and sauces. Because it is so delicate, dill is best used fresh as it loses some flavor after drying. Even the seeds are edible, and have a stronger flavor great for dill pickles.
When planted in the garden, it can attract ladybugs that eat aphids from your brassicas and cucumbers. Although it does thrive in full sun, afternoon shade can be beneficial to keep the plant from going to seed during warmer weather.
Parsley
Parsley a delicate biennial herb, shines when used fresh from the garden. Parsley was one of the first herbs I grew in my first spiral herb garden because I loved the fresh taste it added to my turmeric rice, chimichurri, and as a garnish.
Parsley is a great full sun afternoon shade companion plant for tomatoes, carrots and onions, helping to attract beneficial insects to your garden. Parsley is often used in green juices because of its diuretic properties that reduce bloating and lower blood pressure.
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