Many know the tiresome experience with herbs in the kitchen: you buy a pot of basil, pluck off a few leaves for mozzarella with tomatoes and the rest either hangs down bleakly after a few days or starts to mold. All beginnings are difficult – but with a few tips and a little experience, anyone can conjure up their own herbal paradise in the kitchen. And it’s worth it: because herbs not only refine many dishes. A herb garden in the kitchen also looks beautiful, spreads a pleasant scent, and about the feeling of harvesting something yourself is sure to please any amateur gardener.
Vitamins and minerals in herbs
Last but not least, herbs are full of vitamins and minerals and have beneficial effects on the organism through their essential oils. In order to preserve these, it is important to always harvest herbs as fresh as possible and only add them to dishes at the very end when cooking.
In early summer there is a wide range of potted herbs suitable for growing. Dill, parsley and chives are particularly suitable for keeping in the kitchen.
Other varieties such as basil, thyme or rosemary provide a Mediterranean flair on the balcony or in the corner of the garden. Peppermint and coriander, which bring an oriental flavor to food, are also suitable for home cultivation, as is lemon balm, which enhances many a dessert. They grow a little bushier than the representatives from the Mediterranean region.
Planting herbs: Balcony, kitchen or garden
Decisive in the selection of herbs are, of course, first of all their own taste preferences, but also what location is available for planting. A place protected from the wind with sunlight is perfect for planting herbs. If you have a balcony or a piece of greenery with many hours of sun, you can plant virtually all herbs – even the varieties from southern climes that like it hot and rather dry. These include all the typical herbs from Mediterranean countries such as rosemary, oregano, sage or lavender.
But even without a southern exposure, there is no need to throw herb dreams overboard. For in somewhat shadier places, varieties such as parsley, chives, peppermint, chervil, lovage or sorrel thrive particularly well.
Of course, appropriate arrangements can also influence the amount of sunlight on the respective plants: Special herb etagères can be just as helpful here as simple shelves, in which the sun worshippers stand properly on the top level. Shaded by it, other herbs find a suitable place further down. Hanging baskets can also be attached to lattice walls or railings, which not only increase the choice of locations, but also the planting area.
Care should be taken when combining several plants in one large pot: The plantlets should not only match each other nicely, but also have similar light, moisture and soil requirements.
