The porch herb garden

There's nothing like fresh herbs! They smell better, they taste better, and they look better...sitting in a beautiful little huddle on your porch or spilling bountifully out of a window box in your kitchen. Herbs are hardy, pretty, and oftentimes make excellent planter fillers, ground covers, and container gardens.

Since I have yet to create an "actual" garden yet, I am content to enjoy my porch herb garden. I tried having them in the house, but, honestly, our kitchen just doesn't get enough direct sunlight to make those voracious plants happy. So we settled on the porch, after one or our seemingly healthy rosemary plants in the front yard kicked the bucket after a hard winter.

By leaving them in pots, close to the house, they seem to stay warm enough over the cold season to come back healthy in the early spring. Not one of our herbs (besides the basil) chose to give up the ghost this year.

So here's the current family: lemon thyme and oregano thyme (a new one for me this year), oregano (two varieties, I'm not sure which, though), African Blue basil (the only type I seem to be able to keep alive), rosemary, chives, sage, mint (several types), lemon grass.





Mint: This plant is beautiful...spreads like mad and would make a great ground cover (as long as you are willing to hack it out when it gets out of control). It'll grow pretty much anywhere and takes very little care. I've thrown plants out I thought were dead, only to have them sprout up in the garbage. If you have a black thumb, this might just be the plant for you. It's the philodendron of the outside plant world. Anyone can grow this. And hey, it's great for a mint julep or mojito.



Thyme: My favorite for cooking is the lemon thyme. It makes a very pretty ground cover, stays low, and turns a light shade of yellow. This plant can withstand pretty cold winters (I had a friend who used it as a ground cover in northern Idaho). I just bought a new variety this year to add to a planter - oregano thyme. It's pretty and smells great. I don't know how it will cook up yet, since we haven't tried it yet.



Basil: This is one plant I can't keep alive to save my life. But, last season, I found a cool variety (African Blue) that seems to be quite a bit tougher than a regular basil or Thai basil. The leaves are thicker, and it grows quite a bit larger. It doesn't add the same flavor as a regular basil plant; it's a little sweeter and a bit more subtle. But, at least I can keep it alive, and it's a lovely plant. This one flowers bright purple late in the season. I would have put in the ground out with the other flowers, but, after loosing our flowering rosemary last year, I'm too chicken yet.



Rosemary: I'm not overly fond of rosemary as a cooking ingredient when it's dried, but used fresh and sparingly, coupled with the right blend of complimentary spices, rosemary can be subdued to create a perfect marinade or rub for lots of different meats. It's another one I like to have on the porch for it's beauty. Pink flowers and fuzzy leaves. Fresh is the ONLY way to go with this herb. Dried rosemary is like eating cardboard slivers or tasteless pine needles.

The best thing about growing herbs is that anyone can do it. You don't need a lot of space, you don't need a green thumb, and you don't need land or a garden. You can make a kitchen herb garden in a window, on a balcony, in a window box...you can use several small containers or one large pot.

And if you have a garden, herbs aren't only a pretty and tasty addition. They also keep pesky pests away. For example, lavender (which I want to plant this year) deters mice, moths, and ticks. Mint keeps fleas and ants at bay. Cabbage butterflies and Cucumber beetles detest oregano. So if you plant these herbs in and around your vegetables, you'll have tasty, fresh herbs AND an organic, eco-friendly pest control system.

What more could you ask for? Oh...and herbs are cheap. In fact, fresh herbs are cheaper than buying dried herbs at the store. And they taste so much better, so why wouldn't you do it? It's an easy weekend project. And it's instant gratification!