What are the easiest herbs to grow?

[Antau LJn]

I had herb gardens when I lived in northern Arizona. I found these herbs very easy to grow: garlic, thyme, oregano, sage, and rosemary (except that it got so cold there that the winter killed the rosemary, so bringing it inside in the winter might be a good idea).

The other herbs I grew were not kitchen herbs.

 

[dconklin]

If you are growing them in your garden with your vegetables do some companion gardening.
Like put basil close to the tomatoes and rosemary with beets, carrots, and peas.
Each time you put these things together they have a protection type thing that keep unwanted insects away or attract good insects. Watch your zone and keep in mind some herbs can and will get invasive, mint herbs are terrible at that.
I live in zone 5, I have chives growing outside in a small 1/2 barrel planter. They come back every month.
Rosemary is an annual in some zones while being a perennial in others.
Mainly grow what you use and like. I have never started from seed because I have too much trouble with that so I get the starters.
Every one that has posted here has given some good advice and some interesting too.

That is great to know that they can help keep away different insects. Do you know if basil helps keeps the greenhorn worm away? That was my biggest pest for my tomato plants - they can eat a big plant surprisingly quickly for the size of the caterpillars.

 

[gardengirl]

The basil does not repel horn worms. Dill will attract horn worms Plant dill away from your tomatoes.
This is what my paper tells me,
"Improves growth and health of cabbage. DO NOT PLANT NEAR...Carrots, Caraway, Lavender, or Tomatoes.
Best friend for lettuce. The flower heads of dill are one of the best nectar sources for beneficial insects in the garden attracting hoverflies, predatory wasps, and many more. Repels aphids, and spider mites to some degree.
Also may repel the dreaded squash bug! (scatter some good size dill leaves on plants that are subject to squash bugs, like squash plants.)
Dill goes well with lettuce, onions, cabbage, sweet corn, and cucumbers. Dill does attract the tomato hornworn so it would be wise to plant it some where away from your tomato plants.
Do plant dill in an appropriate place for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars to feed on. Even their caterpillars are beautiful".

That's what my pages tells me. I have a lot of information in them and it's great!
Hope this helps you.

 

[dconklin]

The basil does not repel horn worms. Dill will attract horn worms Plant dill away from your tomatoes.
This is what my paper tells me,
"Improves growth and health of cabbage. DO NOT PLANT NEAR...Carrots, Caraway, Lavender, or Tomatoes.
Best friend for lettuce. The flower heads of dill are one of the best nectar sources for beneficial insects in the garden attracting hoverflies, predatory wasps, and many more. Repels aphids, and spider mites to some degree.
Also may repel the dreaded squash bug! (scatter some good size dill leaves on plants that are subject to squash bugs, like squash plants.)
Dill goes well with lettuce, onions, cabbage, sweet corn, and cucumbers. Dill does attract the tomato hornworn so it would be wise to plant it some where away from your tomato plants.
Do plant dill in an appropriate place for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars to feed on. Even their caterpillars are beautiful".

That's what my pages tells me. I have a lot of information in them and it's great!
Hope this helps you.

Thank you! I usually don't cook with dill so I had not thought about growing dill. I do wish that my yard was bigger, my garden space is not big enough to keep dill far enough away I don't think. I would love to see the swallowtail butterfly tho! Maybe if I put dill in a pot on my deck

Supposedly the hornworm doesn't like marigolds, but I do not know about planting a bunch of marigolds around the tomatoes.

 

[claudine]

I love mint, I've never had any problems growing it - it's so easy. I've just planted it in a flowerpot in my kitchen and so far it grows beautifully I adore its scent. In my garden mint grows without any help.

 

[rosalinephillips]

I have done a lot of gardening as a child (with my parents) and now within the last couple years I have been growing vegetables in my own garden. I have not tried to grow herbs, except for growing garlic and I didn't start it at a good time.

I am looking to grow some herbs and don't know which ones go well in the garden and which ones are easy. I do like to cook with various herbs so this can be a range of many. I will start out easy since the only herb I remember growing when I was a child was horseradish which was a leave it and forget it kind of thing.

Hello dconklin,

I would have to say most herbs seem to be pretty easy to grow, but I'll start with maybe considering first planting perennial herbs. What makes these easier in my book is the fact that the perennial herbs return each year without you replanting and these herbs are pretty simple to grow. The perennial herbs are sage, thyme, mint, lavender, and chives. These herbs will return each year without you doing anything, once they return, you just water, give them sun, and they'll be back the next year for another herb eating summer.

Other great herbs to grow and sort of easy to grow are basil, rosemary, cilantro, dill, and parsley, but be warned and make sure you are watering these only when they need water and be careful not to give them too much sun. When they are in sun all day, you definitely need to watch them in terms of how often you need to water because when they need water, they will certainly show you by wilting and be sure not to let them wilt too much or you could be on the verge of losing them from drying out. Just keep an eye on all herbs and you should be okay, herbs seem to be very forgiving.

 

[warmweatherwoman]

I had a friend that had mint in her yard and it overtook the whole area. I would love to grow garlic..have never tried that yet.

 

[dconklin]

I had a friend that had mint in her yard and it overtook the whole area. I would love to grow garlic..have never tried that yet.

Garlic seems to be pretty easy just takes a while to grow. I didn't have as much luck with mine only because I planted cloves I bought from the store and planted them at the wrong time of the year. But the plants did grow nicely and easily, just not like they would have if I had done it correctly

 

[EmberxDoll]

Oregano in my opinion grows very easily. Indoors and outdoors. I have my first small herb garden, and it is my best plant. It was actually the first to sprout. I can not grow it in my yard, so I had to start it inside then move it to pots outside. Even with those conditions, it has survived and it is striving.

 

[dziomek]

You just reminded of mint! My step mother used to have mint growing in the yard. I don't remember her having to do anything special at all with it so it must be easy to grow in our climate. I forgot all about that.

Be careful with mint - it will take over if given the opportunity. It is best to sink a pot into the ground and put it in that; that way the roots have less opportunity to spread out. I had some mint in a window box, and even with it being in its own pot at one end, I still ended up with mint at the other end. It is very sneaky.

 

[dziomek]

As for other herbs, I have cilantro, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, chives and sage all in a planter right outside my kitchen. I just go out and snip off what I need.

 

[dziomek]

As for other herbs, I have cilantro, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, chives and sage all in a planter right outside my kitchen. I just go out and snip off what I need.

 

[ACSAPA]

I agree basil is very easy to grow..After suing the leaves in your cooking just take the stalks and plant them in little containers.. use a spray can to keep soil moist.. or cut a clear plastic soda bottle and use the bottom half to cover your container and keep the humidity and moistness of the soil intact. These plants grow like crazy.. you could also start them from seeds.
Rosemary is also easy to grow from fresh stalks. Sage also grows well from cuttings.
Thyme can be raised from seeds. I love to use thyme in cooking.
However, my most favorite herb is the cilantro. I grow them from seeds the way we grow any other plant from seeds.

Something is chewing on the leaves of my basil plant again.
I know I asked this before, but I can't find my old post. Is there something natural that you can spray on herbs to get rid of pests without making the plant inedible?

 

[Oakster]

Does anyone have any tips for growing coriander?
I've tried a couple of times with absolutely no success, or is it not very newbie-friendly?

 

[maddie]

Something is chewing on the leaves of my basil plant again.
I know I asked this before, but I can't find my old post. Is there something natural that you can spray on herbs to get rid of pests without making the plant inedible?

Look for caterpillars or bugs.. remove them by hand.. usually they seem invisible, but come to light with a thorough check.
You can spray a few drops of neem oil mixed with water on your basil.. the deter all bugs and worms..but make the leaves bitter. However, they are safe to eat. You may have to soak and wash the leaves thoroughly to get rid of the bitter taste of the neem oil.
@ Oakster, All that cilantro needs is a good amount of sunshine and lots of water. They thrive under full sun. The soil needs to be well drained though. Make sure that the seeds you are using are not older than a year. keep the soil moist.. best is give the soil a thorough wetting by putting the container in a bucket with some water. the seeds need to be sowed half an inch below.. if you sow them too deep they do not grow. Maybe you could use a plastic bag with a couple of tiny holes or a soda bottle bottom to cover your container. It helps maintain the right temperature for germination.