Interested in growing herbs but not sure where to start?

I ALWAYS TELL BEGINNING GARDENERS TO START with growing herbs! Herbs are one of the most forgiving and giving plants in the garden and in our growing zone (7B) you can grow and harvest them all year long! Let’s say goodbye to wilty, expensive grocery store herbs and hello to your own fresh herb garden! There are five major herb families. Once you understand their needs, gardening suddenly shifts from impossible to possible!

Parsley, dill, fennel, and cilantro are some favorites.

Dill will grow nearly three feet and often attracts the swallowtail butterfly.

Cilantro grows best from seed but is not tolerant of hot weather nor does it like to be transplanted.

In this family, we have onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives.

Chives are perhaps the simplest plant to grow and can be started from seed or grown successfully from a nursery transplant.

Garlic will require at least six months in your garden (it’s best to plant garlic in the early fall)

Shallots and green onions will thrive in most conditions in your garden and take up minimal space.

This family includes almost 90% of the herbs we enjoy in our kitchen, from basil to rosemary and oregano, not to mention sage, lavender, thyme, and every kind of mint.

Basil is the easiest of the mint plant family to start from seed.

Mint can be cut time and again with its continuous harvest spurring on more growth. Thyme and oregano are often the easiest to grow and keep alive through the year while sage and rosemary can be a little more temperamental.

This family contains a lot of medicinal herbs as well as flowers.

Stevia, a natural sweetener, and a favorite tea: chamomile.

This family also includes many gorgeous flowers such as marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, and coneflower.

Fennel leaves can be harvested almost as soon as they begin to grow but the bulb is harvested once it reaches about the size of a tennis ball.

All the plants in this family will start to spread out and produce flavorful leaves and must be harvested often.

Plants in the Apiaceae family prefer cool weather and perform best in typical spring and fall conditions under 75 degrees.

In our climate onions and chives will remain green through winter and when temperatures warm up, they are the first to start growing again.

Bay Laurel is a beautiful and fragrant herb; most soup or stew recipes will call for a bay leaf.

The laurel family also includes the avocado and cinnamon plants.