Harvesting & Using Fresh Herbs from Garden Beds & Containers

Fresh Herb Preparation Techniques

Always use fresh herbs in recipes. Tender herbs (mint, parsley, basil, cilantro): gather in bowl, snip with scissors—fastest, safest chopping. Hardy herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme): use stripping method—hold branch upright, run fingers down stalk to release leaves. Homegrown herbs deliver most intense flavor—absolute freshness.

Integrating Herbs Throughout Your Landscape

No longer confined to "herb gardens." Incorporate into flower beds, along walkways, porch pots. Ambitious gardeners find creative integrations.

Flowering Herbs for Beauty & Function

Many gardeners overlook flowering herbs' beauty. Stunning blooms: purple coneflower, catmint, bee balm, yarrow, pinks, lavender, pot marigold, borage, feverfew, nasturtium (lovely in salads). Parsley's spectacular foliage complements any flowers. Plant purple basil around red/blue flowers for artistic arrangements.

Herbal Ground Covers

Low-growing herbs as fragrant ground covers: oregano, chamomile, woolly/creeping thyme, mint, rosemary. Beautiful and aromatic. Caution: mint family spreads aggressively.

Container Gardening Advantages

Containers offer portability, instant changeability. Fill bare spots seasonally. Sunny windowsills for easy harvesting. Bring indoors over winter for continued culinary/medicinal harvest. Author's eBook "Container Gardening Secrets" available at ContainerGardeningSecrets.com.

Containing Invasive Herbs

Plant aggressive spreaders (mint) in pots, then sink pot-and-all into ground—easy containment trick.

Fragrant Entryway Plantings

Container near door with cherry-pie-scented heliotrope (blue flowers) plus rosemary, thyme, basil—delicious scent every passage.

Rock Garden & Path Herbs

Rocky-hillside natives (thyme, oregano, lavender) thrive in flagstone cracks, walls, rock gardens. Hot, dry, well-drained conditions. Some believe these conditions produce superior flavor.

Planting Design Principles

Consider color, height, texture when planting. Visually pleasing gardens improve your cooking too!