Five Ways (Besides Pesto) to Use Your Fresh Herbs Before They Die in the Crisper
We love fresh herbs, but their short lifespan makes it hard to get through the bunch before they go bad. Here's how to use them up.
How to Start a Container Herb Garden the Right Way
Sorry, but those lavish kitchen herb gardens you saw on IG are totally fake.
You know those inspirational photos of beautiful kitchens with pots of herbs in the windowsill, overflowing with basil or rosemary or dill? Totally fake.
Herbs don’t grow that way, a lesson you learn quickly if you try to imitate those images in your own kitchen.
Lucky for you, here in Southern California, we grow many kinds of herbs, most of which do very well in pots. But the path to success is very different from what you see in those hyper-styled spreads.
The first lesson of growing herbs in pots is to match the pots to the size of the mature plants, and that means using big pots.
Note: Every pot must have at least one ½” diameter drainage hole in the bottom.To keep potting soil from washing out and bugs from crawling in, cover the hole with a square of window screen before you fill it with potting mix.
Did you know that upright rosemary planted in the ground grows to a five or six foot tall shrub? Prostrate rosemary makes an eight foot wide groundcover. So, growing these plants in pots requires big pots – at least 30 inches tall and wide.
If you don’t have room for pots that large, choose a smaller variety, like Chef’s Choice® rosemary from the Sunset Western Garden Collection. In my garden, this beautiful blue bloomer grows happily in an 18” tall and wide pot.
Set the pot outside in full sun and fill it with cactus and succulent mix (this Mediterranean climate native needs good drainage). In a short time, its branches will cascade over the sides of the pot. Branches are clothed in deep green, needle-like leaves filled with the aromatic, resinous oils.
To harvest, snip a short section of branch and strip off the needles. Harvest year round.
Oregano is another easy-to-grow perennial herb, but one that grows low and wide.
A ceramic bowl or cylinder at least 8” tall and 18” across makes an excellent planter for oregano. Place the container outside in full sun, fill with cactus and succulent mix for good drainage, and plant.
Use the same approach for oregano relatives marjoram and thyme. Snip off branches and strip the leaves off to harvest year round.
Bay is one of my favorite culinary herbs. I was very surprised when the first bay tree I planted grew 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide! That taught me to grow bay in large pots rather than in the ground.
Choose an upright pot at least 30” tall with an inner diameter of 18” at the top – cone or square or rectangle. Bigger is better since pot size limits plant size.
Place the pot outside in full sun, filtered light, or part shade. Fill with a good quality potting soil.
To harvest, pick as many leaves as you need and use them right away. There’s nothing like marinara sauce made with fresh bay leaves!
Basil is an annual herb that grows in the warm months only. A 20” tall and wide pot is big enough for no more than two basil plants. Don’t overplant.
Site the pot in full sun, outside, and fill with good quality potting mix high in organic matter. Start basil seeds in late March, or plant seedlings starting in April. Keep the soil moist at all times.
Pinch off leaves and stems to harvest.
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