7 Key Herbs for Container Gardens

Oregano in my recycling bin on our balcony.

One of the benefits of having your herb garden in containers is the ability to bring them inside when the weather turns cold.  Fresh herbs are a necessity in the kitchen.  Keeping them on hand will not only save time and the hassle of going to the grocery store, but money.  I don’t know about your store, but mine charges $1 per small bundle of fresh herbs.  The plants I bought at my local nursery were $1.99 and have lasted me 10 months now.  Another good reason to keep your herb garden containerized is because some have the tendency to overtake their area once they get started in a good spot in the garden.  For instance my thyme that I allocated about a 12″ x 12″ area for in the garden is easily 18″ x 18″ now and my mint is sprawling out all over.

7 Herbs I can’t live without

Here are just a few herbs that I started growing in March and now can’t imagine living without.

1. Thyme
2. Oregano
3. Marjoram
4. Basil
5. Mint
6. Bay Laurel
7. Garlic Chives

I usually use thyme, oregano or marjoram in the same general cooking practices.  Be it creating a marinade for my grilling, or cooking with my black eyed peas for flavor.  When creating a meal  I usually theme everything I’m cooking around an herb or combination of herbs.  Even though thyme, oregano and marjoram all have different flavors, to me they fall into the same general category and I use them interchangeably as well as together to create variations when cooking the same grilled veggies.

Basil is always fun to use.  Its an awesome addition to the frozen cheese pizzas we buy.  I usually try to keep about 3 or 4 different types around so I can make different flavored pestos for pastas and sandwich spreads.

When cooking soups, beans and peas Bay Laurel is a necessity.  I just wish I had bought a bigger plant to start because it grows so slowly.

Garlic Chives are fun to have around for garnishing baked potatoes and soups with.

Since I had such good luck and fun with these 7 herbs last year I am looking forward to expanding my herb repretoir in this gardening season.  This weekend I plan to order seeds and start some of my own transplants for my garden, some clients and friends.  I am looking at The Herb Bible by Peter McHoy & Pamela Westland, Heirloom Herbs by Mary Forsell, and trying to remember what some of the chefs’ gardens I saw last season were growing.

Permaculture

I’ve always thought that Permaculture was a practice that you needed land to do.  I have to admit that I never really looked into it much because of that assumption.  Then I was at work the other day and a book on the coffee table caught my eye.  Gaia’s Garden, Second Edition:  A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway.

Home-scale permaculture, what’s that?  Don’t you need pigs, chickens and cows for permaculture.  I thought the whole idea was about a rotation on a wider scale.  To naturally fertilize the land by rotating where you grow the crops and where the animals graze.  Now technically I’ve never read a word about the subject, so you’ll have to forgive my ignorance.

I decided to sit down with the book at lunch.  I just flipped through it for a bit, but its obvious that I need to learn more about this subject.  I ordered the book today.  This will be my introduction into a subject that I have a new found excitement for.