Growing your own herbs is simple, and adds freshness to food

26-Jun-2010 By Kathryn McKenzie Nichols - Herald Correspondent

Not everyone has room for a vegetable garden, but if you've got even a few spare square feet of space, you can certainly grow fresh herbs. With the current upswing in home gardening and the desire to use the freshest foods possible in cooking, it's no wonder that herbs are hot items these days. The good news is that most herbs are perfect for beginning gardeners, as well as those of us with limited space.

"Instead of having an ornamental plant in a pot, you can grow herbs," said Marc Clark, executive vice president of Rocket Farms in Salinas, which grows a wide variety of plants, including herbs. "When you're making dinner for your friends, you can impress them by saying, 'I grew the basil.'"

When it comes to many green herbs, fresher is better, and growing them at home is the freshest you can get.

Basil, for instance, has a taste and aroma when just picked that is far superior to the dried version. So having fresh herbs right there at your fingertips is a huge plus for home cooks.

Rocket Farms' latest innovation is bringing potted herbs to grocery stores, where they can be found in the produce section. Rather than buying cut herbs, customers can now purchase the living plant and take it home to use and enjoy for a longer period of time. The herb can be kept in a sunny kitchen window, or planted in the garden or in a larger container outdoors.

"They're ready to eat. You just cut what you need," said Clark, and the plant will continue to grow and produce more leaves after being trimmed. Rocket Farms' live herb plants, which include basil, parsley, sage, mint and others, have been carried at Safeway stores for the past two years and within the past month have been introduced to the produce sections of Nob Hill and Save Mart, among others. Trader Joe's carries the company's basil in larger 1-gallon containers.

Of course, there are nurseries and many other places to buy either living herbs or seeds from which to grow them. Many herbs also have the advantage of being easy to start from seed.

"Herbs are perfect for container gardens," said Mike Marino, an organic farm and garden consultant in Carmel. "I'm a big fan of container gardening."

But like any other plant, it does matter where herbs are placed. Some of them, like rosemary, can survive in poor soils, but in general a rich soil with plenty of organic matter is best.

Clark said to find a sunny spot for them — providing either full or medium sun for six or more hours a day — and "they do like a lot of water," he said. But good drainage is also essential to make sure your herbs don't develop root rot and other diseases.

One advantage, too, to growing herbs in containers is that you will be able to move your container to an area that gets optimum light and heat.

Marino notes that if planting herbs in containers, it's best to place a tray or saucer underneath the pot to retain water. Containers dry out much more quickly than an in-ground garden, and that little bit of extra water may be essential to your plants.

"You can't really overwater container plants," he said. Be sure to check on container plants daily during the dry months.

The next big decision is what types of herbs to plant. There are about seven green herbs that are most commonly used by cooks — oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley, mint and sage — but there are many different varieties available within each species.

"There are 100 different types of basil, but a lot of them are more finicky to grow than sweet basil," said Clark.

Another herb that you also might consider planting is cilantro, which both Clark and Marino recommend as an easy-to-grow plant, and others to contemplate are tarragon, chives, chamomile, dill, garlic, lavender and marjoram.

One caveat about mint, though — it's infamous for taking over entire yards, spreading rapidly through underground runners. It's also devilishly hard to get rid of once established because it's hard to get each and every runner.

"Mint is the crabgrass of the herb garden," quipped Marino, who recommends that mint be planted in a container so that it can't grow wild throughout your property.

By the same token, if you have a friend with mint, you can get cuttings to plant. Rosemary, too, will root from cuttings.

As for the other common herbs, you'll want to plant them regularly and often. Clark said once an herb bolts or sets seed, the flavor "completely changes."

"But if you keep pinching back the plants, it will prevent them from going to seed," he said.

However, it's also important not to pinch too much. When trimming your herbs for kitchen use, be sure to leave at least two leaves on the stem so that the plant can grow back. Strip away too many leaves, and the overstressed plant will die.

Most herbs are annuals, which means they only live for one season anyway. Marino recommends staggered plantings so that you'll always have some available.

Another nice thing about herbs is that most can be planted and kept year-round in the Central Coast's mild climate.

You can also try growing an indoor herb garden, which some people do with great success. However, make sure your plants are getting sufficient amounts of light and heat; during colder months, an indoor grow light may need to be added for this purpose.

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