How To Grow Cooking Herbs
By Linda Paquette, Fri Dec 9th
How to Grow Cooking Herbs
Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and flavor to yourmenus year-round!
Is It a Cooking Herb or a Spice?
The first thing to know in selecting which herbs to grow is thedifference between cooking (culinary) herbs and spices. Thecinnamon stick you put in your hot chocolate or apple cider is aspice while the parsley on the edge of your plate is an herb.1.Cooking herbs are usually the fresh or dried leaves of plantswhile spices are the ground seeds, roots, fruits, flowers,and/or bark. 2.Herbs grow very well in temperate zones, whilespices generally come from tropical areas. 3.Herbs add subtleflavor, whereas spices are generally more pungent and add morerobust flavor.
Herbs run the gamut of about 70 cultivars, broken intocategories of medicinal, ornamental, and aromatic as well asculinary or cooking herbs. To start growing cooking herbs, it'sbest first to select where and how you want to grow them.
Site Selection
Most cooking herbs thrive in just about any location that givesthem plenty of light, good drainage and nutrition. In additionto outdoor garden spots, culinary herbs can be grown in patiocontainers, as indoor herb gardens, or in greenhouses usingsoil-less growing techniques like hydroponics or aquaponics.
Outdoor Cooking Herb Gardens
For easy access, plant your herb garden as close to your kitchenas possible. Herbs grown in full sun have denser foliage, darkercolor, and higher levels of the essential oils that add flavorto your recipes. Good air circulation and drainage are alsoimportant to the success of your cooking herb garden. The sizeof your cooking herb garden, of course, depends on the space youhave available for growing. Generally, an area 20 by 4 feetaccommodates a satisfactory variety
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