Make It: Gourmet Summer Herb Garden

Yes, you can buy herbs at the grocery store, but there are a couple of problems. One, who ever remembers to pick up fresh dill or chives to go with the fish and potatoes? I think of those things when I'm actually cooking, not when I'm shopping. Second, those cute little plastic boxes that herbs are commonly packaged in are, well, plastic. And plastic isn't as cute and friendly in a big pile in the landfill. Third, one word: pesticide. As in, pesticidal. As in, suicidal. As in, eating too many things coated in these chemical concoctions isn't healthy, for you or for the land. It's not always possible to find organic herbs.

Those are the drawbacks of depending on standard grocery-store herb selection for your summer cooking. Now for the positives of having your own gourmet private herbal get-away right outside your back door:

• When the need strikes for lemon-dill marinated fish, you've got dill.


• When you want to make fresh salsa, you've got cilantro.


• When you want a great baked potato, you've got chives.


• Pesticide-free!


• Looks pretty.


• Grow something obscure and win an automatic promotion to gardening goddess.


• Makes your mama proud!


• You won't be using little plastic boxes as often.


• You can share!


• You can make your own tea out of your own herbs. How self-sufficient of you.


• Some herbs discourage insects like flies and mosquitoes. Natural bug repellent.


Now for the how to. First, you'll need to figure out your space. Herbs need sun, so a cool, shady spot under a tree will not work. My herb garden is off my patio; it gets full morning sun but no afternoon sun, and my plants are green and happy. So find a spot, preferably near a door that is near your kitchen.
You don't have to have dirt, persay. You can go for a container garden if you don't have actual earth to dig in. Once you've figured out your spot, you'll need containers (for the container version, not for the in-the-earth version), potting soil, and herbs. The containers do not have to be big plastic garden pots. Any kind of container of a reasonable size will do, so look around, get creative, and use something you already have.
If you use containers, make sure you have some drainage holes in the bottom, add a layer of pebbles, shells, or hulls, and then put in your dirt. Carefully settle your herb plant into the dirt. If it's in a biodegradable peat pot, be sure to peel it away a bit so the roots don't have to work so hard. If you're planting in the earth, you might put a layer of pebbles, shells, or hulls over the dirt around the plants to discourage weeds.

That's it! Water frequently (every morning or every evening is usually good), use often.

Image Credits: me, Nate Steiner.