The Kitchen Garden

Growing Culinary Herbs

The kitchen garden is often close to the house and is where vegetables and culinary herbs are grown, often in raised beds, which are easier to work. This means you can just step out of the back door and harvest what you need for dinner. Some salad leaves, tomatoes and a few snips of herbs and you have a fresh salad in moments.

Make your own compost

The kitchen garden is often the area where compost is made. Composting is a good way to put organic nutrients back into your soil. Some people like to have a compost heap while others prefer to keep things tidy and have compost bins. A two chamber compost tumbler will allow you to have one chamber breaking down into crumbly compost while the other is being filled with scraps from all over the garden and keep the work to a minimum.

Recently, locally grown and seasonal foods have become more popular and more people are now looking for fresh, organically grown, culinary herbs to enhance their cooking. These herbs not only make your food smell and taste wonderful, but many of them also aid digestion. Growing your own culinary herbs means you will have instant access to them when cooking instead of having to buy them in the supermarket.

On this page I will detail the most common culinary herbs to show how to grow them and use them. You will notice that for some of the culinary herbs, I have suggested putting in young plants instead of sowing seed. This is because some herbs are tricky to grow from seed or would be best started off in a greenhouse. If you have the patience and the facilities you can grow these from seed.

I use the companion planting method to grow many of my culinary herbs. More about companion planting here.
I also employ the gardening by the moon method of sowing and planting which may be of interest to you.

Culinary herbs

	Garlic - Allium sativum Parts Used - bulb Soil – light and well drained Planting time – most commonly in early spring Nutritional Benefits - protective Culinary Uses – to enhance the flavour of many foods Can be crushed and added to food during cooking or roasted whole
	Chives - Allium schoenoprasum Parts Used - leaves Soil – any soil and situation Planting time – dies back in winter and comes up again in Spring. Nutritional Benefits – high in vitamin C and iron Culinary Uses – in soups, salads dressings and omelets. Also as a garnish.
	Dill – Anethum graveolens Parts Used – leaves and seeds Soil – well drained, moderately rich Planting time – late May Nutritional Benefits – aid to digestion Culinary Uses – in salads, poultry and fish dishes. Dill pickles
	Horseradish – Armoracia rusticana Parts Used – leaves and roots Soil – well prepared, rich Planting time – plant root - early Spring or Autumn Nutritional Benefits – aid to digestion Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads, sauce to accompany roast beef
	Caraway – Carum carvi Parts Used – leaves and seeds Soil – well drained, sandy Planting time – sow seed in Spring Nutritional Benefits – rich in Vitamin C Culinary Uses – add to cheese dishes, bread and goulash. Also good with lentil dishes
	Coriander – Coriandrum sativum Parts Used – leaves and seeds Soil – well drained Planting time – sow seed in late Spring Nutritional Benefits – aids digestion Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads and on poultry dishes. Use in salad dressing
	Fennel – Foeniculum vulgare Parts Used – leaves, stems and seeds Soil – well drained, fertile Planting time – sow seed in Spring Nutritional Benefits – aids digestion Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads and as a garnish. Try seeds in fish dishes or stir fries. The bulb can be cooked whole and eaten as a vegetable.
	Peppermint – Mentha piperita Parts Used – leaves Soil – moist, in partial shade Planting time – young plants in early Spring Nutritional Benefits – promotes digestion Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads and as a garnish. Try leaves in boiled, drained new potatoes. Mint tea.
	Basil – Ocimum basilicum Parts Used – leaves Soil – fertile, in full sun Planting time – sow seed in late Spring Nutritional Benefits – Vitamins A and K Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads and with tomato dishes. Used to make pesto.
	Oregano – Origanum Parts Used – leaves Soil – well drained, in full sun Planting time – sow seed in early Spring Nutritional Benefits – antioxidant Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads and with tomato dishes. Good with lamb and fish.
	Parsley – Petroselinum crispum Parts Used – leaves Soil – well drained, moist Planting time – sow seed in early Spring Nutritional Benefits – Vitamins C and K, iron Culinary Uses – fresh leaves in salads and as a garnish. Use in sauces and dressings.
	Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis Parts Used – leaves, stems Soil – well drained, full sun Planting time – young plants in early Spring Nutritional Benefits – Vitamins E, antioxidant Culinary Uses – Good with lamb and in stews.
	Sage – Salvia officinalis Parts Used – leaves Soil – well drained, full sun Planting time – young plants in early Spring Nutritional Benefits – Calcium and iron Culinary Uses – Good with lamb and in stews.
	Thyme – Thymus vulgaris Parts Used – leaves Soil – well drained, full sun Planting time – young plants in early Spring Nutritional Benefits – antioxidant Culinary Uses – Use in soups, meat and fish dishes.

   










































    






























  
















































    








































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