Fripp Island Gardening
December 15, 2020
Local Nurseries
January 12, 2021
An herb garden is a wonderful addition to any backyard garden. Not only is it a beautiful collection of plants but also can add to your culinary delights! Herbs are relatively easy to grow from seed or small plants.Â
Great herb choices for your garden include basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, sage and rosemary. They are easy to find at your local garden center and are relatively low maintenance as they are somewhat drought-tolerant and typically resistant to insects.When to Plant
When planning your garden, it’s recommended that you plant hardier herbs (rosemary, oregano and sage) in early spring and more fragile herbs (basil, thyme and parsley) in late spring after any chance of frost has passed. Also consider the location and be sure your garden will have about 5-6 hours of sunlight each day. Check your plant tag when purchasing to see light requirements.
Prepare Soil and Plant
In preparing your garden for planting, consider the conditions locally. Here on Fripp Island where the soil is sandy, you may need to amend the soil with potting mix or other compost material. With that in mind, it is good to know that many herbs are well-suited for sandy soil conditions (thyme, sage, rosemary, chamomile, yarrow).
Once your soil is prepared, you’ll want to plant your herbs far enough apart to allow for good growing space and plenty of airflow around each plant. Your plant tag should provide the approximate distance or mature plant size.
Plant herb to the same depth as in original pot. If planting from seeds simply follow the guidelines on your seed packets.
Baby Your Herbs
Check your plants daily for watering needs, especially during the warm summer months. If you’ve planted in containers, they tend to dry out more quickly; water if the top inch feels dry. As far as pruning or harvesting, do so frequently. Using a small pair of kitchen scissors, snip the top third from selected stems. Also, trim or pinch off any blooms you see (like on basil) to keep the plant producing its beautiful leaves.
Preserving
Most herbs can be dried and stored for many months. There are a few ways to dry herbs, including hanging at room temperature or oven drying. The process of hanging herbs to dry works best with low moisture herbs such as Rosemary and Thyme. Higher moisture herbs, such as basil and oregano, will mold if not dried quickly and therefore do better in the oven.
To hang herbs, simply remove the bottom leaves and bundle 5-6 stems together with a string and hang in your kitchen or pantry. For oven-drying, place the herbs on a cookie sheet and dry them in a warm oven (180° F) for one to two hours. A microwave can also be used; place your herbs on a paper towel and cook on high for one to minutes total, turning every 30 seconds.
Follow these handy tips and you'll have a beautiful herb garden that enhances your home and your favorite recipes!
