Growing a Container Herb Garden (plus 5 Herbs I Rarely Kill)

Thyme is pronounced “time,” which lends itself to all sorts of terrible puns.  Let’s be honest, though–we could all use more a little more thyme.

I add fresh thyme to Italian Orzo Chicken Soup, my Instant Pot Potato Soup, and a bunch of other recipes. It’s a perennial that dies back in winter, then puts out new growth in spring.

If you harvest a young thyme stem that’s tender and flexible, just chop the whole thing up and add it to your dish.  If the stem is tough and woody, grasp it by one end, slide your finger and thumb along it to strip the leaves for your recipe, then throw the stem away.

Basil

This tender annual can’t survive extreme heat or cold, but I replant it every spring because it adds great flavor to Italian dishes and Basil Chicken Curry.

In autumn, when the weather report calls for our first sub-freezing night of the season, I harvest a bunch of basil, then make a big batch of Basil Pesto without Pine Nuts before Jack Frost sends my basil plant to the big compost heap in the sky.  Pesto keeps well in the fridge or freezer, and it’s a nice addition to pasta.  It also tastes great in a ham sandwich, or even on scrambled eggs with a little freshly-grated Parmesan.

Green onions

Don’t you hate it when a recipe calls for just one green onion, then the rest of the bunch goes bad in your fridge? Plant the rest of them straight into your garden instead!  Some of the outer leaves will wilt after a day or two, but the rest of the plant will take root and grow happily in your garden until winter.

You can chop off all but the bottom few inches of a green onion, and it’ll grow right back. I usually just snip off the biggest spiky leaf or two, though.  I figure it’s easier for the plant to thrive (and produce more leaves for its gardener) if I don’t keep chopping it down to a little stub over and over.

Italian Parsley

I only use Italian Parsley occasionally, but I invite this annual herb to my garden party each spring because it’s easy to grow, and because I’d rather snip a bit from my garden when I need it than buy a big bunch at the store that won’t get used up.

Italian Parsley teams up with thyme in Instant Pot Potato Soup.  It’s also a key ingredient of tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad made with bulgar (cracked wheat), tomatoes, and fresh herbs.  Mediterranean cuisines often pair parsley with garlic, possibly because parsley acts as a breath freshener (garlic breath–ew!).

Most kitchen gardeners prefer to grow flat-leaf parsley instead of the curly version.  Curly parsley is prettier, but it’s harder to wash and chop.  Its flavor also tends to be more bitter, which is why it’s mainly used as a garnish at restaurants.

Fun Parsley Fact: When I was a missionary in Uruguay, I had a friend who was nicknamed “Parsley” because whenever she attended a party, you could always find her near the food. 🙂

Mint

I like putting fresh mint in tabbouleh and some of my smoothies.  I also appreciate that mint is nearly impossible to kill. My current mint plant has been through two cross-country moves, and it has bounced back from two harsh winters when it looked completely dead. Mint takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

It has no concept of personal space, though, so you’ll want to plant mint in its own pot. Otherwise it will send out runners and eventually crowd your other plants.

Substituting Fresh Herbs for Dried

When you cook with fresh herbs (from your garden or the store), a simple ratio can tell you how much to substitute for dried herbs in recipes.  If a recipe calls for dried herbs, use three times as much of the fresh herb.  For example, if the recipe calls for a teaspoon of dried oregano, use a tablespoon (which equals 3 teaspoons) of fresh oregano.

One exception to this dried/fresh rule is ginger.  If your recipes calls for the ground up version, use four times as much fresh ginger.

3 Rules for Growing Herbs

The first rule of container gardening is to make sure your plants get enough water (but not too much!).

1. Buy pots with drainage holes in the bottom, so excess water can drain out.  Cover the hole with newspaper before you add soil, so the water can escape but the soil won’t.
2. Recognize that plants need more water as they grow bigger and the weather gets warmer.  A watering routine that is perfect in April might not work in July.
3. If you’re new to container gardening or have trouble keeping plants alive (been there!), I suggest you feel your soil at least once a day to make sure it’s moist (but not soggy). If the soil is starting to feel a bit dry and crumbly, add water. A friend in California (who actually grew corn in pots on his apartment balcony) checked his soil twice a day during scorching hot summers.

1. Even hardy plants can wither if they’re left in the blazing sun all afternoon.   During summer, consider placing them where they’ll get some shade during the hottest part of the day.
2. If a cold snap is forecast, bring your pots indoors before temperatures drop below freezing.  Or just decide that you’re done gardening for the winter. 🙂

Last but not least, a seasoned gardener I know says to visit your garden every day.  From a practical standpoint, that helps you identify small problems (aphids, dry soil) before they turn into big ones.  From a warm-fuzzy standpoint, gardens are like children–you’ll enjoy them more if you spend time with them and share their little milestones.

I’d love to hear what’s growing in your garden this year!