This year is going to be different - I say that every winter/spring. And, I actually still believe me....But this year, over the winter, I collected a few books about herbs and read quite a bit online about growing herbs. So, this really might be the year...the year of different. While there is still some snow on the ground, my gardening soul begins to speak to me - spring is coming, yes, spring is coming. Hallelujah. I gather up my gardening notebooks from years past and begin to sketch this year's plan. I can't wait to get to the store and stand in front of the seed packet display. I used to be excited about looking at clothes & shoes, then toys and kids clothing, now it's seeds and bird feed. When I arrive at the store, there were already other gardeners standing in front of the seed racks. We all smiled at each other as we step up to the rack of dreams. I'd have to say that some of my favorite conversations have been right there in front of the seed racks. We all feel the same. Winter is long and difficult for us gardeners to not see anything green, growing or blossoming. I have a lot of indoor plants that sort of help tide me over. But there's nothing like walking in my gardens each morning checking to see what happened when we weren't looking. New buds, new leaves, flowers opening.
So, I begin my favorite shopping - seed shopping. Usually, I just grab everything that looks pretty and interesting to me. But, this year, I am going to choose by category. I'm going to start with my favorite, most often grown and used herb seed packets. It is early in the season, too early to start my seedlings outside, unless you have a heated greenhouse (we're working on that). I'm going to start some of my favorite herbs indoors - just to get the feel of winter out of my bones and start feeling a bit 'springier'. I plant and label all of the seeds and check on them every morning. And, low and behold, they start coming up...what a great feeling. I feel like shaking off the winter dust and take a run outside and start turning over some soil. But that will probably have to wait until the snow is gone.
I start my herbal garden by planting basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, peppermint, oregano, chives and cilantro. I'm not using the little starter trays for these - I'm putting them directly into medium sized terra cotta pots - because I may always keep them in the house. Hard to know when I can begin planting outdoors because living in the UP, Michigan can be unpredictable. I start dill, lavender, summer savory, tarragon, lemon verbena in the starter kits, water the seeds, put the plastic clear top over the little guys and place them on a table in front of the window. In the next month or so, when they have plants at the stores, I will look for the different varieties like garlic chives, pineapple and orange mint, of course, my favorite chocolate mint, lemon thyme and lemon, purple and cinnamon basil.
The mints, chamomile and lemon verbena will be continually snipped and dried for my favorite soothing teas. Freshly grown and dried are so much more delicious and potent than store bought. Basil and oregano are a must for the large number of Italian dishes that I make. Cilantro, one of my favorites is used in Mexican dishes and our all-time favorite, white bean chili. I grow flat leaf parsley for soups, it has so much more flavor than curly. Curley is good as a garnish. Lavender is a tough one to grow and maintain - so, whenever I have any fragrant purple blossoms, I pinch them off, put them in a fabric bag and just sniff them as often as possible - nothing like the scent of lavender. Dill will be for my cucumbers, potato salad and fish. Sage, rosemary and thyme will be for when I roast or bake chicken. I'm reading and learning how to use all of the other herbs. Mostly I love to walk by my plants, inhale deeply, rub their sweet little leaves and take in their strong, delicious fragrances.
I bought these little jars, made by Ball with a screw on top that you can also turn to a sprinkle side. They are great for storing dried herbs and then being able to dispense them as desired.
Living in Zone 4 - it is highly unlikely that any of the herbs planted in the ground would make it through the winter and come up next year, but I will mulch them well and we'll see what happens.
So, my plan this year was to plant my herbs mostly in bigger pots and in window boxes. A few in the ground - dill, thyme, sage and chamomile. I read that some herbs do better growing alongside certain other varieties. Parsley, sage and chives do well together. So do lemon verbena, dill and cilantro. Basil and rosemary are two of the most popular herbs, but they do not make good companions. Mint and rosemary shouldn't be planted together. But planting oregano alongside basil & tarragon will help prevent pests. So much to learn...and, I'm loving it.
I used to just buy plants, plant seeds, water and hope for the best. Now, I really enjoy reading about their special needs and really nurturing them. We'll see how that all works this year....Happy Gardening.
