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Posts Tagged ‘herb gardening’

You can open up some wonderful opportunities by growing herbs in an Italian herb garden. Italy has some of the best and most well known herbs in the world.  And herbs have an important role at least in a small way to contributing to popular Italian dishes.

One well known Italian herb is Basil and it is useful in many recipes. Basil will not only add flavor to many Italian cuisines, it is useful in the garden to other plants. Did you know that planting them beside tomatoes and peppers will improve their flavor?. Plus, basil will also repel flies and mosquitoes. Click here for more: italian herb garden

Parsley, while slightly harder to grow will find it’s way into many Italian recipes as well as other types of cuisine. Many generations ago before their were breath mints it was found that eating fresh, raw parsley after a meal eradicated the bad breath left over from enjoying a flavorful cuisine. The tradition arose to serve parsley on a small dish after the meal.  That is why today many of us use parsley as a garnish to our food.

Oregano is as decorative as it is flavorful.  The mature plant will show little purple flowers.  Oregano should not be harvested until it has flowered because this is when the plant is most flavorful.

Fennel is famous for its seeds that grace and enhance the flavors of Italian sausage.  Fennel, unlike Oregano, looses its essence with age. It is a perennial plant that should be divided and replanted every few years to savor its flavor. For more visit our blog: Herb Gardens Blog

Rosemary is another Italian herb, much like Basil, that is valuable to other garden plants.  IT sprouts little blue flowers and grows into a large shrub. It also finds usefulness in attracting pollinating insects like bees. Although it is a tough evergreen perennial, it is sensitive to frost.

Probably the most used herb in Italian cuisines is garlic. An Italian herb garden would simply be incomplete without this useful herb.  Garlic cloves can be planted and will thrive in just about any garden with very little attention. They can be stored to be used at a later time after they are harvested by freezing them or pickling them to store in the refrigerator.

Sage is used in a variety of Italian dishes from meats to salads. New shoots of the plant contain the most flavor so it is recommended not to let sage plants to get to woody by keeping them trim. Therefore, new shoots will be encouraged to grow.  Sage can be harvested after it blooms.

While there are many more herbs that canbe put to good use in your Italian herb garden, it is important to think about which ones you will use. Think about the growing conditions each plant needs and consider whether or not you can provide them. Yes, Italian herbs add flavor to food but they should also be looked at as more then that. Take their scenic role in landscaping. They can be particularly useful for their smell and color.

By planting Italian herbs amongst other plants, you will be graced with the sweet aromas straight from Italy. It will be like taking a stroll on a Italian hill side. Click here for more: Herb Garden Guide

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.