Posts Tagged ‘growing herbs’
Growing Chives
If you like to use the flavor of onions in your meals, you will definitely benefit from growing chives. ‘Chive’ does actually mean onion in Latin! This useful herb is a perennial plant so you can enjoy chives all year. Chives are a hardy plant and there are uses for every part of the herb.
It is not widely known, but chives were brought back by Marco Polo after his venture to China. The Chinese have been cultivating chives for their cuisine for hundreds of years. The chive that the Chinese use is slightly different to the pecies we know and love, and possesses a hint of garlic. The herb grows wild in most parts of the world. Easy to look after, the herb is not fussy over particular soil types, and are suitable in sunlight or half-shade.
Growing chives in full sunlight and rich, well-drained soil produces healthy plants to dress up any herb garden with their purple tops. And then, after only three months of growth, the herb is ready to eat, and add it’s delicate flavor to your favorite meals.
Tips for growing chives-
Growing chives is relatively easy. You can purchase chive plants from a nursery or buy seed packets. Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are best grown by separating the bulbs of existing plants and replanting. A distance of around 9” should be maintained between each plant.
Growing chives indoors or outside-
Chives is one of the hardiest herbs; it can grow inside or outdoors with minimal care after germination (This is like a plant’s graduation.). Moist soil is better, but it cannot be too wet. Start the chive seedlings with basic potting soil in empty egg cartons. You will transplant the herb into larger containers after it has sprouted a few inches.
If you’d prefer the chives to be outside, use well prepared, good quality soil. Seeds should be planted in rows with about a foot distance between. You’ll notice that when the seeds begin to sprout, they’ll look like blades of grass – try not to mow them… Keep chives weeded but watch out you do not pull the wrong plant!
Benefits of growing chives-
Chives have high levels of vitamin A and C and essential minerals. Another healthy benefit to growing chives in your garden, it helps keep away undesirable seedy characters such as plant lice, apple scab, and mildew.
Growing chives is an ideal decorative edging for a flowerbed. When the chive’s purple flowers begin to appear, select a few chive clumps to use for garnish.
The bulbs can be pulled up and used like onions for their subtle flavor. The bulbs can also be chopped the same way as small onions.
Trim off flower heads to allow for vigorous new growth of leaves. However, leaves should be about 3” long before clipping for garnish. When it comes to this, trim the leaf down until there is half-inch left. This can be repeated all over the plant, or at least until you have enough for the dish you’re cooking.
Growing chives for recipes-
Fresh chives go well with a variety of dishes from salads to meat. Soups perk up when you add chives on top. A well known favorite is sour cream with chives as a tasty dip. How about chives with butter on spuds? Yum. Try sprinkling over ‘just-cooked’ baked potatoes, or mix with mash for a little kick in taste.
Another decorative idea is to place on a kitchen window. Growing chives is very easy. The herb takes up very little space, and the whole plant can be eaten, so there is no waste.
Enjoy the experience of having the convenience of fresh chives to hand, whenever you want it.
How to Be a Home Herb Gardener – Start With These Easy Herbs!
If you’re a beginner when it comes to herb gardening, you might be worried about which types of herbs you should grow. There are many different herbs available, and some are more difficult to grow than others. However, there are a few varieties that are especially easy for beginners. These are generally more hardy plants that don’t require a lot of fertilizer or special work.
Parsley – A hardy, easy to grow herb is parsley. You can grow curly leaf and flat leaf parsley easily, and they grow wonderfully without you having to give them a whole lot of care. They do well in either light shade or full sun, and they prefer moist soil that is nice and rich. However, it’s important to note that parsley doesn’t do overly well in the heat.
Cilantro – Also known as coriander, this annual herb doesn’t need exceptionally rich soil, and isn’t extremely particular about sun and shade. It can do well in full sun or light shade. It is relatively easy to care for, and does well in almost all zones.
Chives – Chives are herbs that will grow in just about any conditions and almost any type of soil. In fact, they barely need any tending to grow. They prefer to have full sun on them, and rich soils make them do better; however, they survive just about anywhere. They have a wonderful flavor that is a bit like onions and they are tasty on baked potatoes.
Oregano – Oregano is probably one of the most popular herbs to grow in an herb garden and it is tasty with a variety of foods. You can use it in many dishes, including pork, chicken, and pasta dishes. It is an herb that does great in just about any area. It should have soil that is well drained and also likes full sun, but it will even grow in soil that is rocky and poor.
Thyme – Thyme is a perennial herb. It is hardy in zones 4-6. It’s a small, shrub-like herb that requires full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It is quite hardy in its standard zones, and doesn’t require much care at all.
Basil – This is another herb popular with Italian cooking and can easily be grown indoors. It does not take long for basil to grow and the leaves can even be eaten raw. It does well in many places, but for the best flavor, it needs to have conditions that are hot and dry. The soil should be very rich and a bit moist and it should be kept in full sun. Between waterings, the basil should have time to dry out.
Bay – Bay leaves are used in a variety of dishes, especially Mediterranean cuisine. You can crumble up dried leaves and put them in dishes or use them whole and remove them after you have absorbed the flavor in your cooking. It is a very hardy herb and does well in many zones. It needs soil that is rich and not overly wet. However, it does fairly well in most conditions.
Remember to be careful about the zones. Although many of these herbs are hardy, they do much better when kept to their hardiness zones. As long as you grow them in the zones in which they do best, most of these herbs will be very easy to care for, and shouldn’t need a whole lot of extra work to take care of them. Herbs make a wonderful addition to any vegetable garden.
