Do you grow your own herbs
- Thread starter Rascal
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Thanks for that, GG. I’d never heard of it before, the “spoons” theory. It’s a genius way to explain being chronically ill, or disabled, or destitute, or even just being old. It’s also a very poignant story.
Okay, back to your herbs, people. I hope all of you have enough spoons to get through today, and through all of your tomorrows!
Okay, back to your herbs, people. I hope all of you have enough spoons to get through today, and through all of your tomorrows!
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Every so often I go through a community of lovely homes that have boxes of flowers at each window. Have any of you home owners ever given any thought to growing herbs in window boxes? It seems to me that just open a window, pick what you need, and back to cooking would be a lot easier than having to trapes outside to a garden every time you cooked.
My mother always had a kitchen garden right outside the kitchen door when we lived on the farm. It was also where we kids would pick what we wanted for lunch. Carrots, green beans, tomatoes, etc. with a thorough rinse from the hose. One less meal my mother had to cook.
My mother always had a kitchen garden right outside the kitchen door when we lived on the farm. It was also where we kids would pick what we wanted for lunch. Carrots, green beans, tomatoes, etc. with a thorough rinse from the hose. One less meal my mother had to cook.
blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
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- 6,356
Or not.I grew that variety (Crocus sativus) when we lived in our first house. Even though they were a bit up a hill in my garden, I still had to get down on my knees, pluck the stamen out of the flower with tweezers, and then unfold my body and get back up. I was so much younger then! Now I would have to grow them in a waist-high growing box. I had only a dozen bulbs - and ended up with about 24 thin threads of saffron. Didn't last long. I wasn't heartbroken when they stopped producing a few years later.
I can see your point! I still think, while I live here, with much garden space available, it's something I ought to do. I saw a video on life in spain, it was mostly about cooking. In it the family grew large patches of these crocuses and then when it was time to harvest, they collected the whole flowers in baskets and dumped them on the kitchen table. Then the whole family helped find and pull the saffron threads. It looked so festive and fun, a bunch of people talking and laughing and harvesting that. I like sitting around a table with others doing food things anyways.
There's a reason saffron is the most expensive herb. It's not because it's hard to grow the crocuses. It's the labour. But yeah, sitting around the kitchen table, pulling out the stamens with friends does sound like fun.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
As a kid we had a neighbor who had a HUGE vegetable garden. Every time a crop was ready for picking, he would bring it up to Boston to sell at the North End Farmers Market. There were about five kids who lived close by and would get paid to help prepare the produce for sale. We would go through box after box picking out the not so pretty ones that he sold separately at a discount price. Nothing went to waste. We always had a blast. Lots and lots of laughter. Yeah, it doesn't seem like labor when you are with friends and laughter.
Cheryl J
Chef Extraordinaire
I grow a few herbs in patio pots every year - usually chives, parsley, and basil since I use them most often. Sometimes they winter over, sometimes not - it gets down into the 'teens here and sometimes I just give up on them and start again in spring.
Well, chives don't spread very fast. They also don't do well where it is too warm or maybe where there isn't a proper winter. Labour is probably also a factor in the price.
OP
OP
Rascal
Head Chef
We have some in greenhouses and also about 8 near our front door, it's a real heat trap.
Russ
OP
OP
Rascal
Head Chef
You only have like hours to pick the stamens. Looks very labour intensive. My family all gather here on a Sunday, and have dinner at the kitchen table. Great times. No discussion on politics and religion. It works here.
Russ
Russ
tenspeed
Executive Chef
If you ask people in Colorado and a few other states, they have a different idea of what herbs they grow
Back to cooking herbs, we have a short growing season here, so I'm limited in what I can grow. I have fresh basil for maybe 4 months, parsley, oregano, and thyme a little longer. Rosemary won't survive a winter, but will take some below freezing nights. Deer don't come through here very often, but I did lose a parsley plant this summer. I tried growing cherry tomatoes in pots a couple of years ago, but we discovered that chipmunks like them. Didn't get a single tomato from two plants.
Back to cooking herbs, we have a short growing season here, so I'm limited in what I can grow. I have fresh basil for maybe 4 months, parsley, oregano, and thyme a little longer. Rosemary won't survive a winter, but will take some below freezing nights. Deer don't come through here very often, but I did lose a parsley plant this summer. I tried growing cherry tomatoes in pots a couple of years ago, but we discovered that chipmunks like them. Didn't get a single tomato from two plants.
RPCookin
Executive Chef
We grow several herbs in pots on the patio in the summer, but have not had any success when moving them inside for winter, so we gave up on that. We also don't grow enough to bother with drying them... With High Plains Spice Shop in town and Savory online, it's easier to just buy during the off season. I like using several of the blends that I get from both places, and I'm not even going to try to duplicate those.
We usually have basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley. Sometimes we do cilantro too. This is how we had them in 2017. 5 pots with rosemary, chives, thyme, basil and oregano. This year we had 6 pots, including parsley and 2 kinds of thyme, but no chives.
We usually have basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley. Sometimes we do cilantro too. This is how we had them in 2017. 5 pots with rosemary, chives, thyme, basil and oregano. This year we had 6 pots, including parsley and 2 kinds of thyme, but no chives.
roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
My wife isn't good at taking care of our raised bed herb plantings so the only plant that survives year after year with zero care is our 8-foot diameter rosemary bush in our yard.
blissful
Master Chef
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I think maybe you should still keep her. It was a raised rosemary herb bed with assorted extra plantings.
pepperhead212
Executive Chef
Nothing like fresh herbs from the garden! Or fresh anything, for that matter. I always have a large number of herbs - tarragon, sage, chives, garlic chives, and mint, are the perennials, that I don't have to think about, as they just come back, year after year. Rosemary requires more attention in my area, as it does not survive below about 20°, but I built a hoop house to cover them, and if it got severely cold, I'd stick a heater under it! Lost both of them last winter when the cover blew off, and I couldn't go out and re-cover it, as I had just had knee surgery. I got 3 more plants from Richter's in spring, and one in a large fabric pot grew to over 1 1/2 ft in diameter by fall, and it's on the back porch now. I'll cover the others in the garden, and see how they do. I also got some mammoth sage, silver thyme and Syrian oregano from Richter's in that order; the sage grew to twice the size of my old sage, and the oregano got HUGE in a jr. Earthbox, needing trimming several times. That is also on my back porch, with the thyme and rosemary.
I also have two Kaffir lime trees, a curry tree, and a bay laurel, which I bring indoors in October, and put back out in May. The old kaffir lime is at least 15 years old, and the curry tree 10 years old.
The ones that I start from seed are parsley, dill, basil, Thai basil, and red epazote. I also start some rao ram and green perilla every spring from a pack of herbs from the Asian market - just stick some sprigs into my cloner, and they are rooted within a week! And I usually start my basils this way for the spring, as I grow basil and Thai basil in hydroponics for the off season. Right now in the hydro I have the basils, red epazote, dill, chives, garlic chives, parsley, and some greens, plus I tried a cutting of that Syrian oregano, which is doing great - I may have to trim it soon!
As I said, there's nothing like fresh herbs! And it's easy to get addicted.
Edit: one that I forgot is the herb that I use the most - cilantro! Unfortunately, it will not grow outside for me - it bolts, when there are almost no leaves. I've tried every brand, and even tried sprouting some of the Indian coriander (the oval, greenish one), to no avail. Fortunately, every store in this area now carries it, so I don't need to grow it.
I also have two Kaffir lime trees, a curry tree, and a bay laurel, which I bring indoors in October, and put back out in May. The old kaffir lime is at least 15 years old, and the curry tree 10 years old.
The ones that I start from seed are parsley, dill, basil, Thai basil, and red epazote. I also start some rao ram and green perilla every spring from a pack of herbs from the Asian market - just stick some sprigs into my cloner, and they are rooted within a week! And I usually start my basils this way for the spring, as I grow basil and Thai basil in hydroponics for the off season. Right now in the hydro I have the basils, red epazote, dill, chives, garlic chives, parsley, and some greens, plus I tried a cutting of that Syrian oregano, which is doing great - I may have to trim it soon!
As I said, there's nothing like fresh herbs! And it's easy to get addicted.
Edit: one that I forgot is the herb that I use the most - cilantro! Unfortunately, it will not grow outside for me - it bolts, when there are almost no leaves. I've tried every brand, and even tried sprouting some of the Indian coriander (the oval, greenish one), to no avail. Fortunately, every store in this area now carries it, so I don't need to grow it.
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OP
OP
Rascal
Head Chef
Our cilantro grows well here in about - 6 month period. We've found it doesn't like direct sunlight. We freeze when it's ready as well. That and basil.
Russ
Russ
pepperhead212
Executive Chef
Russ, I've tried full sun, partial sun, and full shade, and nothing works. I think it's because of the heat waves we get here, even in the spring, which seems to trigger them. Yet, when everyone in the past has told me that it prefers cooler weather, I ask them how is it that the areas that used it originally in their cuisines are pretty much in the tropics? It makes no sense!
I had the best success growing cilantro indoors, under 16 hr/ day lighting. The less time I would keep the lights on, the sooner they would bolt. I was experimenting about the time (maybe 25 years ago) it started being sold much more, so I stopped, and grew other things under the lights.
Dave
I had the best success growing cilantro indoors, under 16 hr/ day lighting. The less time I would keep the lights on, the sooner they would bolt. I was experimenting about the time (maybe 25 years ago) it started being sold much more, so I stopped, and grew other things under the lights.
Dave
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Cilantro originated in the highlands of the lower mid-latitudes, not really the tropics.
OP
OP
Rascal
Head Chef
I guess every area is different, my wife planted in about 4 different sun areas. Best is about full sun an hour or so a day. That was by far the best result. Same with basil , planted between tomatoe plants, good results, picking every day to freeze for winter pasta sauces. Good luck with the rest of your herbs Dave.
Russ
