Basil
(Ocimum Basilicum)
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Sweet Basil is he most treasured annual herb for cooking and is a snap to grow as long as the weather is warm. Buy seedlings or start basil from seeds sown indoors four weeks before the last frost in your area. Do not transplant outdoors until all danger of frost has passed. Pinch out the tips to encourage bushy growth and remove flower buds to prolong the plant's life. There are dozens of types, varieties and colors of basil and all are wonderful.
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Dill
(Anethum Graveolens)
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Dill is an herb used for cooking and for pickeling. This easy annual is as pretty as it is edible. The fern-like plants grow to 3 feet tall and quickly produce round umbels of yellow flowers. Dill does not transplant well, so sow your seed directly into the garden or container where you want it to grow. Make successive plantings every 3 or 4 weeks to ensure a continuous supply of fresh leaves. If allowed to develop mature seeds, dill will often reseed itself, saving you the extra work.
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Rosemary
(Rosemarinus Officianalis)
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Rosemary is a woody evergreen shrub, either upright or cascading, hardy through Zone 8. Varieties 'Arp', 'Salem' and 'Hill's Hardy' survive winter through Zone 6. Grow this herb for cooking in pots and bring it indoors for winter. Rosemary can grow 3 to 6 feet tall, with narrow grey-green almost needle-like leaves and small blue or pink flowers. Start rosemary from transplants or from rooted cuttings.
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Chives
(Allium Schoenoprasum)
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Chives, with their thin hollow green leaves, offer a delicate onion flavor. Growing in clumps, they produce leaves from early spring to late fall. Established plants bear edible mauve flowers in late spring. Use the tubular leaves of this herb for cooking and add the flowers to a salad. Hardy to Zone 3, start chives from seeds or grow from transplants. Divide clumps every 2 to 3 years to rejuvenate them.
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Mint
(Mentha spp. and cultivars)
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Mint is an incredibly vigorous herb. It comes in a wide range of flavors, some with fruity overtones. A perennial that's hardy through Zone 4, mint tolerates light shade. Mints can be invasive and are often grown in pots to keep them from taking over the herb garden. Cut back plants after flowering to stimulate new growth.
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Sage
(Salvia Officianalis)
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Sage has a much more mellow, pleasant flavor when used fresh rather than dried. The leaves of this herb are used in cooking, especially the stuffing of our traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Sage is a woody perennial hardy through Zone 5. It grows to 24 inches tall. Beautiful stalks of edible purple flowers are borne in late spring. The pebbly textured leaves are grey-green and are evergreen in mild winters. There are also varieties with purple or variegated leaves. Grow sage from transplants. Propagate new plants from old ones by rooting cuttings.
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Cilantro
(Coriandrum Sativum)
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Cilantro leaves are indispensable for Mexican and Southeast Asian cooking. Resembling flat-leaf parsley, cilantro leaves are best when picked young. Cilantro and coriander are actually the same plant. The leaves of the plant are called cilantro and this herb is for cooking. The seeds are called coriander and are used as an aromatic flavoring. A half-hardy annual, cilantro grows best in cool weather and quickly goes to seed when temperatures rise. Cilantro does not transplant well, so sow seed directly into the garden or container monthly from spring until early fall to ensure a steady supply of young leaves.
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Oregano
(Oreganum spp. and cultivars)
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Oregano is a dependable perennial hardy through Zone 5 and the herb is used extensively for Italian cooking. The bushy spreading plants grow 1 to 2 feet tall with small oval leaves and clusters of tiny purple or white edible flowers. Cut plants back almost to the ground in early summer to promote the growth of new stems and leaves.
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Thyme
(Thymus spp and cultivars)
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Thyme is a versatile perennial, hardy through Zone 5. This herb is used in cooking to enhance the flavors of other herbal ingredients and is rarely used alone. Start with a rooted cutting or a pot-grown plant of a good culinary cultivar such as 'French' or 'English' or perhaps lemon, caraway or orange balsam. Thyme hugs the ground and grows only 12 inches tall. It also produces tiny edible pink, lavender or white flowers in midsummer.
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Parsley
(Petroselinium Crispum)
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Parsley comes in two forms, curly and flat. Curly parsley has finely divided and twisted leaves on 12 inch plants. Flat-leaf or Italian parsley has flat, celery-like leaves on 24 inch plants. This flat type is the herb particularly favored for cooking. Parsley is a biennial hardy through Zone 6 but it is usually grown as an annual. Buy transplants or start parsley from seeds, soaking the seed overnight in warm water before planting. Harvest individual stems as needed, picking the outermost ones.
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