Starting a Culinary Herb Garden At Home

Starting a culinary herb garden, whether indoors on a windowsill or outside in a garden, offers up chance after chance for wild experimentation.

When you cultivate your own mix of fresh herbs, you'll be unconstrained by the varieties usually sold in a supermarket. The only limits are your time, patience and gardening skill. So why not maximize for variety and novelty in your herb garden? Try growing unusual varieties of standard herbs.

Try out herbs that would be hard to buy fresh where you live. If you plan to grow mint, for instance, try apple mint or chocolate mint. Like basil? Try lemon basil.

Stumped for what to plant? Here are six culinary herbs I've tried growing this year.

Sage has large, long, fuzzy-looking, frosty green leaves. Fresh sage has so much more flavor than dried sage. The flowers are a pretty purple shade, and they're edible, too.

• Growing notes: When this plant gets thirsty, the leaves droop noticeably. It likes its water regularly every day.
• Culinary uses: Try it in soups with squash.
• Also consider: Purple sage. 


Chervil tastes a little like parsley, but it's milder. The leaves are very delicate and fern-like, so it makes a pretty garnish.

• Growing notes: The leaves on this plant turn whitish easily.
• Culinary uses: It's often called for in French cooking.
• Also consider: Flat leaf parsley.


Garlic chives, with their bright green stocks and deep black tips, are a pretty addition to salads or sandwiches. They have a very strong flavor.

• Growing notes: Chives come out of the ground doubled over, with the tips facing the ground, and it's impressive to watch the stalks unfurl. Once they get going, chives need very little attention and grow quickly.
• Culinary uses: Chives are a classic topping for baked potatoes.
• Also consider: Green onions.

Frilly dill sprigs make a pretty garnish on a variety of dishes. The taste of dill always reminds me of pickles and picnics.

• Growing notes: Dill sprouts from seeds fairly easily.
• Culinary uses: Mix dill into potato salad or sprinkle over asparagus.
• Also consider: Fennel. The leaves have a similar look. 


Tarragon has a slightly sweet taste with hints of fennel. It's not spicy at all.

• Growing notes: While I love tarragon, I've been underwhelmed with the variety I'm growing.
• Culinary uses: Chop and add to salads and salad dressings.
• Also consider: Lemon thyme, which is good in salad dressings, too.


SUMMER SAVORY

This herb tastes and looks a lot like thyme, but it's possibly a little spicier. The leaves are more elongated and pointed.

• Growing notes: Without a label, I'd have a hard time separating summer savory from an alternate kind of thyme.
• Culinary uses: Soups, stews and salad dressings.
• Also consider: Winter savory.

  
  

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