Backyard Culinary and Medicinal Herb Gardens: Ideas for Adding to or Starting a Kitchen Garden

The natural result of spending time thinking about my goals and the potential opportunities which the New Year holds, results in an eagerness to implement my multitude of ideas. One area where these ideas flourish is my garden. While the weather will not permit planting my garden at this time of year, designing it is definitely in season! Whether deciding when I should be starting herb seeds for annuals like basil or adding to my perennial herb collection, now is the time for both dreaming and practical planning.

But before I go hog wild and order tons of seeds or shop for flats of plants, I start with taking stock of both the fresh and dried herbs I have in my kitchen and pantry.

1. I ask myself questions like the following to help me obtain a better understanding of both my herb gardening and usage.

• What herb plants do I currently grow?
• Are they meeting my needs both in types of herbs and amounts grown?
• What fresh or dried herbs have I actually used this past year?
• Did I have to stop using a particular herb because I will risk the health of the plant if I trim it any more?

It is not the number of plants I have of a given herb species or variety, but how often and in what quantity I use that herb. I started 8 seedling of a particular type of basil last year and although I enjoyed it fresh, I was not crazy over the dried herb, so this year I will reduce that variety to only 4-6 plants. On the other hand, I have more than 3 dozen Common Sage plants and still manage to somehow run out of sage! Those nightly cups of warm sage tea really add up! So this year I will be adding still more sage to the herb garden. Want to know more about sage, rosemary or basil? Check out our Adding Flavor with a Herb Garden series! https://heritage-river.com/?s=adding+flavor+with+an+herb+garden

Warm weather evergreens like rosemary will not overwinter in my USDA planting zone. Yet I enjoy fresh rosemary year around for adding flavor to recipes and savory cups of rosemary herbal tea. I simply relocate the small pots of rosemary that embellish my porch in the growing season to a sunny indoor location in my kitchen. This keeps a fresh supply at hand and gives the added biological bonus of freshly made oxygen courtesy of the plants’ respiratory system. I just have to keep a watchful eye out that my youngest doesn’t try to help mama by (over) watering the pots!

To extend my herbs for year around use, I dry many different types of leaves, flowers and roots. At harvest time, I dry any remaining annual herb plants. I also dry portions of my perennial and bi-annual herbs during the peak of their growing season. Although this can be accomplished in many different ways from shaded outdoor drying racks to your oven, I have found the most efficient and practical means of safely and thoroughly drying herbs in Michigan’s humid weather is to use a food dehydrator. The versatility of my Excalibur Food Dehydrator D900 with it’s low heat herb and living food setting comes in extremely handy for this task.

2. As I take inventory of my kitchen pantry noting both culinary herbs and the medicinal herbal teas, I ask more questions.

• Have I run out of any herbs?
• Has a particular herb suddenly become a favorite of one of the family members?
• Did I serve an herbal tea to my mother-in-law and end up sending her home with an unexpected satchel of herbal tea leaves?
• On the other hand, what herbs do I still have a good supply? Is this because I haven’t used it, the flavor wasn’t what I expected or because my harvest and consumption are well balanced?

I find with some herbs seasonal or issue-based utilization must to be considered. Hot herbal teas, though a stable through out the year for my family, seem to be even more frequent in the cold winter months. The quantity of medicinal teas I use for head and chest colds, will vary by year and the number of family members that willing or unwilling share colds with each other. Just because we had a healthy year is not a reason to reduce the quantity of medicinal plants grown in my herb garden. Any surplus tea leaves, flowers or roots can always be shared with friends and family.

3. The third category of ideas and questions involves adventures and discoveries to be made.

• Are there any herbs that I would like to try? This might be an herb I use, but one that I haven’t tried growing before, or a flavor I am curious about. I really like the lemon thyme I grew last year, so experimenting with orange or other exotic flavored thyme variations is on this years’ exploration and discovery list.

In addition to the culinary and medicinal uses for herb gardens, those with backyard gardens may want to consider the attracting and repelling properties of some plants in the herbal kingdom. Herbs can be used to attract beneficial insects and pollinators to your garden. Furthermore, the strong fragrances of some herbs also serve to repel unwanted pest from neighboring plants.

4. For those just starting their journey with herb friends other questions need to be considered.

• Are you planning a backyard herb garden, a porch/patio garden or an indoor collection of planters in the kitchen?
• Is your focus fresh herbs for culinary creations, are you a herbal tea connoisseur, or are you concerned with finding easy and healthy ways to add flavor to your food?
• Is it the financial saving from DIY growing or the peace of mind of knowing how and where your herbs were grown that motivates you?
• What about your personal taste, do you want to explore the bright citrus flavors like lemon thyme, lemon balm and lemon basil, or the bold licorice taste of fennel, licorice basil and anise hyssop?
• Maybe it’s a historical journey with sage, rosemary and chamomile, or a medicinal tea garden with lavender, yarrow and thyme that you envision?
• Possibly you are simply looking for a few versatility herbs to share with friends and family to encourage them to eat healthier and with more variety in their diet?

Whatever your interest and motivation, taking the time to consider the possibilities and explore options before planting time will increase your satisfaction and success.

Dreaming of the Adventure Ahead, The Homesteading Hen

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