Herbs
Top 12 Must-Have Herbs To Grow In Your Kitchen Garden
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Want to have an herb garden that your friends and neighbors will “oooh” and “aaaah” at? Peruse this list of the top 12 must-have herbs for your kitchen garden to learn how to plant, grow, and use the best and most popular herbs around!
Sweet Basil is one of the most popular kitchen herbs around the world. Known for it’s anise-like flavor and intense clove-like aroma, Dried or fresh, basil is great for cooking or for creating an invigorating atmosphere anywhere in your home. Basil also offers several medicinal uses, including as a deodorizer, anti-arthritic, topical antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and insect repellent. When eaten, Basil provides us healthy doses of vitamins A, K, and C, as well as magnesium, iron, potassium, and calcium.
Grow your own basil from seed by sowing indoors in the early spring, then transplanting outdoors at least two weeks after danger of frost has passed. Basil can also be easily grown from clippings. To get the most fresh basil leaves from your plants, be sure to remove the flower stalks from mature growth when they appear. (Alternately, you may want to leave some flower stalks as basil blossoms smell wonderful and will attract pollinators to your garden.)
| Germination: | 5 – 10 days |
| Hardiness: | Annual (very frost sensitive) |
| Light preference: | Full sun / Morning sun, afternoon shade (hotter climates) |
| Soil conditions: | Rich, moist, well-drained, pH 6 – 7 |
| Fertilizer: | Incorporate compost or blood meal at time of transplant high-nitrogen (2:1:1 ratio) every two weeks thereafter. |
| Height: | 24 – 30” |
| Spacing: | 12 – 18” |
| Time to Harvest: | 10 weeks |
