herb newbie

[the big lebowski]

hi all,this year i fancy growing a small herb garden can anyone recomend 5-15 diff herbs a newb should try growing and what they are used for ,many thanks cheers

[Jay-ell]

First of all, what herbs do you use at the moment. Some standard herbs are thyme, chives, parsley, sage, oregano but if you don't use these then you might want to grow something else.

Secondly what food do you cook? The Savories are supposed to go well with beans and tarragon with fish.

Thirdly are you looking for a perrenial bed or for annuals? Corriander, chervil are annuals.

What type of flavor do you like? Fennel, chervil and sweet cicely have an aniseed flavor, sorel a citrus flavor, herb benmet has clove flavoured roots.

How big do you want the plants? Bergamot, fennel and bay can be tall.

[Nicos]

Don't forget Rosemary and dill.

How much space do you have?
Are you considering planting in pots or in the ground?
What type of soil do you have- is it dry or exposed...all these will determine what is best for you to grow.

[Scarlet]

As the others have said it all depends on what you like to eat. The herbs I use most are - bay, (I use it fresh rather than dried)in casseroles aand stews, its green all year round. Rosemary, again you can pick this one all year round, I use it with roasted veg, toms, sauces or use to stuff Sea bass etc. Mint, from April to Oct ish - I use this for potatoes, peas, my pea and mint rissotto is a winner with the kids. Parsley, (the large flat leaf is the variety I grow) chives and garlic chives - I grow these in pots so that I can move under cover and use throughout the winter. I use the 3 all the time, again I use on fish, in salads, omelettes. Basil which is an annual - get your seeds in now (there's several varieties) lemon/lime are my favourites and are fantastic in salads or again on fish. Sage & Thyme, use these in stuffing, on veg with casseroles etc. loads of uses, a couple of sage leaves with anchovies squished in the middle and lightly battered are fantastic nibbles with a beer! Coriander is another annual that I wouldn't be without, use in your curries or with a lovely piece of tuna!
I do grow a few others, sweet cicely is a lovely plant but I've never really used it, sorrel just gets used occassionaly. I have mine as close to the kitchen door as possible so that I can nip out with a scissors while I'm cooking.

[the big lebowski]

hi thanks for the replys,i like to cook and make fajitas ,chillis,spag bolls ,home made burgers ,pizzas,stews things like that but hope to be abit more adventures and try other things too with some of the bits im growing up the lottie (going to try growing a few extra things each year and see what i like) ,im going to be growing in pots and soil in my back garden which is v sheltered and has good soil which is clay but very crumbly and workable,i think just the basic that jay-ell mentiond will be fine for the 1st year,cheers

[the big lebowski]

oh and scarlet any thing that can be had as nibbles with a beer sounds good to me !

[SkyChild]

Mint is a nice one to go with spicy stuff. (Or in summer punches/mojitos etc!)
Coriander is a good one for adding depth to chilli.
Definitely oregano and basil too for your pizzas and spag bols.
If you grow potatoes, chives is a good one for potato salad as it never tastes quite the same dried as fresh.
Nasturtiums! (I know they're not a herb, but you can eat flowers and leaves, they make an interesting talking point to the dish and taste peppery so sounds like something you may enjoy)

[planetologist]

In addition to the ones mentioned I love my lovage, alexanders and ramsons.

>chives never tastes quite the same dried as fresh
That's an understatement if I ever saw one.

[Scarlet]

I've never heard of Alexander's Planetologist. What do you use it for? Can you save seed?

[veggiechicken]

Alexanders grow wild on clifftops round here. Looks a bit like lovage - big!!. There's seed in the VSP if you'd like to grow some.
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?...nium+olusatrum

[bearded bloke]

It was very prolific in the bit of North Norfolk where I used to live, I was told by a "local" that it was introduced to the area by the Romans (there was a fort nearby) not sure if there is any truth in that though , when in flower it's compound umbels are very pretty & as VC said .. big

[chrisdb]

Three herbs I wouldn't be without:

1. sweet cicely - by far the nicest herb for tasting raw while wandering around the garden. The stems and seeds have a sweet aniseed taste like Black Jacks
2. mint
3. lemon balm

All are tolerant of quite wet and shady conditions, which is the opposite of the more commonly grown Mediterranean herbs like Rosemary and Thyme which tend to die under those conditions. So you can have both - give the most favorable site to your Rosemary, and the less favorable to your Sweet Cicely.

[cilla]

If you are into spicy food you may wish to consider a curry plant. Great for curries, stews and salads.

[ronnie888]

Just started my little herb garden. I started with mint, parsely and dill. I will be having so much more soon.