Pretty Garden Tips

It is undeniable that herbs are grown for this primary reason: to enhance the flavor of food. Herbs are commonly used in special dishes and cuisines. No wonder many people turn to this magical plant as an additive to their everyday cooking. More people resort to growing kitchen herbs for the love of it.

Herbs have really several varieties. Among all these, growing kitchen herbs that are most common will be most appropriate. There are those you can frequently add to your dishes. Take basil for instance, a staple herb in any garden. It is popular in pesto pasta, as the main garnish. It is also added to soups and salads, and has a sharp, distinct taste that just go well with any tomato dish. This herb is a tender annual, and is very susceptible to cold. It has to be indoors during winter. It definitely loves the sun and can be planted through its seeds.

Chive is also a sun-loving herb that thrives in rich soil. It is a hardy perennial with tall and slender dark green leaves. It has a mild onion taste and goes well with baked potatoes. You can plant this herb by seeds or root divisions. Plant this in the fall or spring, and give them a lot of breathing space, about 9-12 inches apart. Apply mulch around it to keep out weeds.

Dill is a popular flavor enhancer to fish, meat and poultry, with a strong and slightly bitter taste. Both the leaves and seeds can be used for seasoning. Dill can also be added to soups and salads. It prefers a soil with pH level of 5.8 to 6.5, slightly acidic. It prefers full sunlight and inclined to sandy or loamy well-drained soil. Dill can be planted during early spring. Sow the seeds in a 1/4 inch deep soil, with a spacing of 9 inches in between plants.

Fennel is a close relative of dill, but has a sweet flavor. The seeds though, have a little sharp flavor than the leaves. Like dill, it makes a fine seasoning to fish, meat, soups and salads. Planting is also similar to dill, only that spacing between plants should be one and half feet. Place this herb in full sunlight, and add lime once the pH level is below 6. Never interplant with dill, as this may cause cross pollination.

Another herb that must not be missed out is parsley. This has been used for ages in special cuisines and even in ordinary stew. It can also spice up salads and omelets. Though it prefers full sunlight, it can live in partial shade. In planting parsley, it is advisable to buy young seedlings from the nursery. Transfer your tender plants in mid spring or mid summer.

Growing kitchen herbs is a rewarding experience, especially if you get to harvest and cook what you personally tended.

Herb gardening is a great way of getting more out of your home space, the kitchen is just one way to start growing herbs.

Tags: growing kitchen herbs

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