Knot Enough Thyme

Herb of the Month - Summer Ideas

 

 Basil - The Basil in the container on the porch is getting close to being able to harvest. This puts it right at my fingertips for using fresh in the kitchen.  I start my basil from seed and thin it to about 3 inches apart.  I pinch back the top leaves when they are about 5 inches tall to prevent flowering and keep basil flavor at its best.  No matter how much I plant, it is never enough.

Chives -  I moved my onion and garlic chives to my new raised bed this year. The onion chives have already bloomed and have been cut back to about 2 inches to start a new batch. I am using the onion chives a one end of the container for  a border and garlic chives athe the other end. Both grow easily in clumps. You will need to separate clumps about everyother year.  Just use these to start a pretty edging to your flower bed or in the kitchen in your favorite dish that requires an onion or garlic flavor.  Onion chive's purple flowers are edible and make a nice addition to any salad.  Garlic chives mature at a slower rate, so they don't come back as fast.

Cilantro - A great companion herb for chives.  Since I was starting a new bed this year, I had to reseed.  Normally it reseeds itself, so beware of future growth where you may not want it.  If you let it go to seed, you have coriander.  I use the leaves all summer and in the fall let them dry out, pull them up, and place in a brown paper bag to collect the coriander seeds.  If you like Tex-Mex flavor, you will love using cilantro.

Dill - Our home page contains a picture of dill growing in a patch of oregano.  Since dill self seeds, you must be conscious of where you put it in the garden.  It grows to a height of about three feet, so is great in the center of a container.  It doesn't especially like hot, humid weather.  If you pinch off the flowers all summer long, you will have more leaves to use.  It is pretty enough to use in your flower garden, but remember the self seeding.  Both the leaves and the seeds are wonderful additions to many foods.

Hint of the month: Short on space, plant some onion sets in with the sage.  By the time the sage is ready to expand, the green onions will be ready to pull.