I started gardening about 4-5 years ago, just on a whim, and because I love cooking. I've always emphasized using herbs and spices in whatever I cook, and because I knew the fresher the better (and because buying them gets expensive), I wanted to grow them myself. I started off with a few containers at a house I rented in North Tulsa, and now that I have my own place in Broken Arrow, I have a fully-dedicated herb garden that I've been working on for a few years now.
Flowers are all well and good, but I like useful plants. Even if you're not into cooking, herbs have a lot to offer you and your garden. They're forgiving of the mistakes you might make as a beginner gardener, and many of them offer benefits as "companion plants." Here's a few of the herbs I've grown successfully over the years.
Basil: Basil is an annual, meaning you plant it every year. However, they seed the soil around them very well, so even though your basil plants will die in the heat of the summer, "volunteers" will surface the following spring in the same spot. You can go with Italian large-leaf basil, sweet basil, globe basil, purple basil, or the anise-like Thai basil. I've grown each of these, and they're a great addition. Pair them with tomato plants, and the tomatoes get a boost from the nearby basil. The leaves are a great addition to Italian sauces and pestoes. Once basil flowers, the leaves will start to lose their flavor, so when you start to see that happening, consider harvesting your leaves then and make a batch of bruschetta.
Lemongrass: A valued ingredient in Southeast Asian food as well as a growing presence in the cosmetics world, lemongrass grows from little bulbs, kind of like tulips or daffodils. I transplanted a couple of them into my garden, and they've been easy to work with. They're nice looking as an ornamental grass. You can dry the blades and use them for crafting or cooking.
Sage: Because sage grows wild here in Oklahoma (I first discovered this on a hike through the Wichitas range), it's a native plant, meaning it will do well in your garden with less effort from you. My sage survives from season to season and comes back bigger each year (this makes it a "hardy perennial" in the Oklahoma climate). It's a great herb to use with pork dishes or spaghetti sauces. I've stuffed poultry with it. I toss some green leaves of it in my smoker or my barbecue grill to give the meats a nice, rich flavor. You can grind it up and save it from year to year. Plant some sage, and you'll always have enough.
Rosemary: Another perennial that grows from year to year, rosemary is a versatile plant. I like the way it looks aesthetically, so I don't mind planting it in my front beds next to my flowers. It has a pungent, piney scent and is a classic ingredient in Italian and French cooking (particularly the herbes de provence bouquet, along with its close relative, lavender). You can use it dried or fresh, and it's a great choice for beginners. If you're starting an herb garden, get some rosemary.
Oregano: Native to the Mediterranean and ever-present in the region's cooking, oregano recalls the smell of an Italian kitchen. However, there are a few different strains of the plant that will add different flavors to different cuisines. There's the familiar Italian oregano, the sweeter Greek oregano, and the spicy Mexican oregano, which is great to have if you cook Mexican foods. The plant actually thrives in poor soil. Some people put it in containers with potting soil designed to be used with cacti. I know from experience that it won't grow that quickly in soil that is rich. Use oregano dried, as fresh oregano is so strong that it can actually numb the tongue.
Lavender: Looking like a silver-leafed version of rosemary, lavender doubles as a flower. Later in the season, it will send up purple pod-like bunches of flowers, which you can use crushed or whole wherever you want the smell of lavender. Use the leaves in cooking or add to sugar to make lavender sugar for baking. If you want to collect lavender oil, you need specialized equipment to do so. Along with rosemary, bay leaves and thyme, lavender is one of French cuisine's herbes de provence, which lend a complex flavor to roasted poultry, soups or stews.
Cilantro: Cilantro is an herb AND a spice. Once the plant bolts in late summer (meaning it grows rapidly and develops seeds), it produces coriander seeds, which have somewhat limited uses, but are used to brew Belgian style beers. The leaves of cilantro are used in a huge variety of cooking, from Tex Mex to Middle Eastern to Cuban and Indian food — although some humans posses a gene that makes the herb taste soapy and unpleasant. Cilantro reseeds itself so readily that I've had the stuff invade my yard before.
Mints: Peppermint is a hybrid plant that's related to catnip and oregano. It reproduces not by seed (as it is sterile), but by sending out runners. They do this so aggressively that the chocolate mint I planted a few years back has become rather invasive in my garden. Many people choose to pot the plant rather than putting it in the ground. Use fresh mint leaves to mix up a mojito or mint julep — or else brew them to make mint tea. Mint is also a good companion plant for roses.
Chamomile: In the garden, German chamomile is a feathery plant with dozens of tiny white and yellow flowers. For an herb, it's very attractive, and some gardeners use them as borders. I like to use them as companion plants for almost anything you can name. They seem to boost every other plant in the garden that they grow nearby. I've heard that you can spray your garden with chamomile tea if you have stressed-out plants. Chamomile tea is also good for de-stressing if you're a human being too! And there's no tastier cup to be found than the one you grew yourself. Just pick the flowers and brew them. Chamomile is another plant that reseeds itself well.
Dill: I don't grow a lot of dill because there aren't many uses for it unless you make your own pickles or like fish. But the plant is easy to grow. When summer kicks in, the short, fern-like plant quickly rockets skyward on sturdy green stalks (again, this is called "bolting"). Always use the herb fresh as it is difficult to dry. Dill grows well with cucumbers, and many beneficial insects will flock to the plant once the seedheads open.
Chives: Perfect for adding a garlicky flavor to any food, chives are a simple plant to grow and tend to come back year to year. A relative of the onion family, chives sprout surprisingly pretty pinkish/purple flowers later in the season. Sometimes you can find chives growing as weeds.
Lemon Balm: This plant is practically a weed. As a relative of mint, contain it carefully or it will take over. They attract bees and other pollinating insects readily, giving a boost to your other plants in the garden. Rub some leaves on your clothes or skin to keep away mosquitoes. You can also brew it into a lemony tea.
Thyme: The French say, "When in doubt, use thyme." As important as oregano is to Italian food, thyme is equally crucial to styles of cooking that are influenced by the French — including cajun and creole dishes. I wouldn't cook gumbo without thyme. It's a perennial, and grows in a spreading mound from year to year. Thyme is available in a large variety of different types, some of which are used primarily for decoration, such as woolly thyme, silver thyme, golden thyme, variegated (or two-tone) thyme. Creeping thyme is good when you might want a plant to trail over the edge of its container for economy of space and/or aesthetics. Thyme sprouts tiny pink flowers that bees love. In fact, thyme honey is prized by people who appreciate locally grown honey.
Parsley: You might think of parsley as something chefs use for texture or color, but fresh parsley really does add a distinct, clean taste that you might not be familiar with if you've never grown it. Like thyme and basil, there are many varieties of parsley. Some have flat leaves, and some are the curly kind you've probably seen used as a garnish. The plant sends down a large taproot and establishes itself as a hardy perennial that lasts about 2-3 years. Like dill, parsley is a food source for caterpillars. Some gardeners will plant parsley for the bugs to snack on, as an "offering" to keep them away from more valued plants. The plant will also attract wasps and other predatory insects that will keep your garden free of other, more troublesome bugs. Chewing fresh parsley is also a way to freshen breath.
Note on saving herbs: Most herbs are best harvested in the early morning. Use a sharp knife or shears, and never harvest more than 1/3 of an established plant's total volume to avoid shocking its system.
If you want to dry some herbs, save a container (I use empty cans of Kraft Parmesan cheese as shakers) and put your fresh herbs into a paper sack outdoors. Alternately, gather them into a bunch and hang them in a sunny place.
If desired, you can grind them up by hand, with a mortar and pestle, or in a coffee grinder (clean before and after). When they're fresh, don't try to store herbs in a sealed container like a sandwich baggie. They will rot or grow mold.
Experiment with different blends of herbs, and try using them dried and fresh, to see what the differences in flavor are.
Most herbs I mentioned here can be brewed into caffeine-free herbal teas. Try mint, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, lemongrass and sage as teas — or try combinations.
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