Nurturing Your Herbs
A potted herb is not a bouquet. It carries on, season after season, asking only for light, a little water, and the occasional trim. Here is what each of the twelve would like from you.
Most of these plants want one of two things. Some are Mediterranean by descent and want sun, grit and a dry spell between waterings. The rest are grown for soft leaves and want richer soil and a steadier drink. Learn which is which and you have learned most of it.
Whatever else you do, let the pot drain. Standing water is the one thing that no herb here forgives, and it takes far more of them than frost or neglect ever will.
-
Sun Lovers
Mediterranean by descent, and they never quite forget it. Give them the brightest spot you have, let the soil dry between drinks, and resist the urge to be generous. Lean and sunny is how they like it.
Rosemary · Thyme · Sage · Oregano · Marjoram · Lavender · Bay Laurel
-
Leafy & Thirstier
Grown for soft leaves rather than woody stems, so they want richer soil and steadier moisture. Water before the pot dries out, pinch them back often, and they will keep giving you more.
Basil · Parsley · Mint · Lemon Balm
-
A Group of One
Calendula is the only flower among the twelve, and it keeps its own rules: sun, moderate water, and a season rather than a lifetime. Keep picking the blooms and it keeps making them.
Calendula
-
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Love
- Sunlight
- Six to eight hours of direct sun, and warmth above all. Basil sulks below about 50°F and blackens at the first cold night.
- Water
- Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged. Water in the morning, at the base, so the leaves are dry by evening.
- Indoors
- The sunniest window in the house, ideally facing south. If the leaves stretch and pale, it is asking for more light.
- Outdoors
- Wait until nights are reliably warm before it goes out. Full sun, and shelter from cold wind.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Pinch from the top, just above a pair of leaves, and two new stems branch from the cut. Take flower buds off as they appear to keep the leaves coming.
From the Garden to the Table
Tomatoes, mozzarella, peaches, zucchini, good olive oil. Add it at the end; heat costs it its perfume.
A Simple Joy
Brush a leaf on your way past the pot. The scent stays on your fingers until lunch.
Good to Know
Never refrigerate cut basil, it turns black. Warmth is what it wants, right to the last leaf.
-
Bay Laurel
Laurus nobilis
Success
- Sunlight
- Full sun to light afternoon shade. It is easy-going about this, and one of the few that will forgive a slightly dim corner.
- Water
- Let the top inch dry before watering. Bay is patient and would far rather be dry than sodden.
- Indoors
- Very content in a pot indoors over winter. Somewhere bright and cool, away from a radiator.
- Outdoors
- Hardy down to roughly 20°F, so in a cold winter bring the pot to a sheltered wall or inside.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Pick single leaves whenever you need them. Older, darker leaves carry more flavor than the bright new growth.
From the Garden to the Table
Stocks, beans, lentils, tomato sauce, rice, anything that simmers. It works slowly, so add it at the beginning.
A Simple Joy
Drop a leaf in with the rice. You will only notice what it did the week you forget.
Good to Know
Bay grows slowly, so a small plant stays small for a good while. Always fish the leaf out before serving, it never softens.
-
Calendula
Calendula officinalis
Health
- Sunlight
- Full sun brings the most flowers, though it will bloom in a little shade with less enthusiasm.
- Water
- Moderate and regular. Let the surface dry between waterings; it dislikes sitting wet.
- Indoors
- Happiest outside, but a very bright sill will carry it through if you keep picking the flowers.
- Outdoors
- A cool-season flower at heart. It does its best work in spring and fall and slows down in high summer heat.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Pick the flowers, and keep picking. Every bloom you cut or deadhead tells the plant to make another.
From the Garden to the Table
Scatter the petals over salads, soft cheese, butter or rice. It was once called poor man's saffron for the color it lends.
A Simple Joy
Cut one bloom for the kitchen windowsill. Another will have opened before it fades.
Good to Know
Calendula is an annual: one generous season, then it sets seed. Let a few flowers go over and you will have next year's plants for nothing.
-
Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
Devotion
- Sunlight
- As much sun as you can give it. Six hours is a minimum, more is better.
- Water
- Sparingly. Let the pot dry well between waterings; once established it would rather be forgotten than fussed over.
- Indoors
- The hardest of the twelve to keep happy inside. It wants sun and moving air, so a bright sill with a cracked window beats a warm still room.
- Outdoors
- Its natural home. Sharp drainage matters more than anything else, so raise the pot and never let it stand in a saucer of water.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Cut the stems just as the buds show color but before they fully open, when the scent is at its strongest.
From the Garden to the Table
Honey, lemon, shortbread, blueberries, roast lamb. Use a great deal less than you think, it turns soapy quickly.
A Simple Joy
Run your hand across the top of it on the way in the door.
Good to Know
Far more lavender is lost to wet roots than to cold. Prune after flowering, but never cut back into the bare old wood, it will not come back from it.
-
Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
Calm
- Sunlight
- Sun or part shade, and genuinely unbothered either way. Afternoon shade keeps the leaves tender in hot climates.
- Water
- Likes to stay evenly moist. It will wilt dramatically when thirsty and recover within the hour once watered.
- Indoors
- Easy on a bright sill. Cut it back hard when it sprawls and it comes again quickly.
- Outdoors
- Vigorous to a fault. Keep it in its pot, or it will make a bid for the whole bed.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Take whole stems from the outside and it fills back in from the middle. Youngest leaves have the cleanest lemon scent.
From the Garden to the Table
Teas hot and iced, fruit salad, fish, custard, summer drinks. Best used fresh, as it loses much of itself dried.
A Simple Joy
Crush a leaf into a glass of cold water on a hot afternoon.
Good to Know
It self-seeds enthusiastically and spreads by root. The pot is doing your garden a kindness.
-
Marjoram
Origanum majorana
Harmony
- Sunlight
- Full sun. Six hours or more keeps it compact and sweetly scented.
- Water
- Let it dry between waterings. Marjoram is a dry-soil plant and rots in a heavy, wet pot.
- Indoors
- Good on a sunny sill. Trim it regularly or it grows leggy reaching for the light.
- Outdoors
- Tender in cold winters, so treat it as an annual outdoors or bring the pot in before the first frost.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Snip stems above a leaf pair to keep it bushy. Best just before it flowers, when the oils are highest.
From the Garden to the Table
Eggs, mushrooms, carrots, chicken, soft cheeses. Sweeter and gentler than its cousin oregano.
A Simple Joy
Stir it in with the heat already off, and smell the difference that makes.
Good to Know
Easily confused with oregano on the shelf, but not in the mouth. Marjoram is the softer of the two and should be added late.
-
Mint
Mentha spicata
Virtue
- Sunlight
- Part sun to part shade. One of the few that genuinely prefers a little shelter from fierce afternoon light.
- Water
- Keep it moist. Mint is thirstier than almost anything else here and will tell you plainly when it is dry.
- Indoors
- Very obliging indoors. A bright sill and regular cutting is all it asks.
- Outdoors
- Keep it potted. Given open ground, mint travels by underground runners and takes the bed.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Cut whole stems rather than picking single leaves; it branches from the cut and comes back thicker.
From the Garden to the Table
Peas, lamb, yoghurt, cucumber, chocolate, iced tea. Add it fresh and late.
A Simple Joy
A sprig standing in the water pitcher all through the summer.
Good to Know
Never plant mint in open ground unless you truly mean it. In a pot it is a delight; loose, it is a long-term commitment.
-
Oregano
Origanum vulgare
Strength
- Sunlight
- Full sun. The more it gets, the stronger the flavor, which is the whole point of it.
- Water
- Let it dry out between waterings. Lean, dry conditions concentrate the oils; rich wet soil makes it bland.
- Indoors
- Fine on a very sunny sill, though the flavor is milder than a plant grown outside.
- Outdoors
- Thrives on a little neglect. Poor soil and full sun suit it better than kindness.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Cut stems back by a third just before it flowers, which is when the leaves taste strongest.
From the Garden to the Table
Tomato, pizza, grilled meat, beans, feta. Robust enough to go in early and cook.
A Simple Joy
Hang a cut bunch in the kitchen to dry. It holds its scent right through the winter.
Good to Know
Oregano is one of the very few herbs that is better dried than fresh. Let a bunch hang for two weeks and see.
-
Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Festivity
- Sunlight
- Sun to part shade. In hot climates a little afternoon shade keeps it from bolting.
- Water
- Steady moisture and rich soil. Parsley is a leafy crop and drinks like one.
- Indoors
- Reliable on a bright sill through the winter. It grows slowly from seed, so patience early on.
- Outdoors
- Hardy and unfussy. It will often stand through a light frost and carry on.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Take the outer stems at the very base, never the crown. The center keeps producing all season.
From the Garden to the Table
Almost everything. Tabbouleh, gremolata, potatoes, fish, lentils, stock. Treat it as a vegetable, not a garnish.
A Simple Joy
Chop far more of it than the recipe asks for.
Good to Know
Parsley is a biennial: in its second year it flowers, turns bitter and stops. Start a new pot each spring.
-
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
Remembrance
- Sunlight
- Six to eight hours of direct sun. It is the sunniest-natured of the twelve and will not pretend otherwise.
- Water
- Let it dry out properly between waterings. More rosemary is killed by kindness with a watering can than by any winter.
- Indoors
- Needs sun and moving air. Still, warm rooms invite powdery mildew, so give it space and an open window when you can.
- Outdoors
- Hardy to somewhere near 15 to 20°F depending on the variety. Sharp drainage matters more than shelter.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Snip the soft green tips rather than the woody stems. Take no more than a third of the plant at once.
From the Garden to the Table
Potatoes, lamb, focaccia, white beans, roast chicken, lemon. Strong enough to stand up to long cooking.
A Simple Joy
A sprig in your coat pocket on a cold walk, crushed between finger and thumb.
Good to Know
If in doubt, do not water it. Rosemary forgives drought far more readily than wet feet.
-
Sage
Salvia officinalis
Wisdom
- Sunlight
- Full sun keeps the leaves silvery and the plant compact.
- Water
- Let the soil dry between waterings. Once established it is genuinely drought tolerant.
- Indoors
- Manageable on a bright sill, though it wants more light than most houses offer in midwinter.
- Outdoors
- Hardy and long-lived in a pot. Good drainage and an airy spot are the whole recipe.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Pick individual leaves as needed. Go gently in the first year and let the plant build itself first.
From the Garden to the Table
Brown butter, squash, pork, white beans, stuffing. Fried whole until crisp, it becomes something else entirely.
A Simple Joy
Fry a few leaves in butter until they crisp, and eat them standing at the stove.
Good to Know
Sage turns woody after three or four years and slows down. Take a cutting in spring and you need never buy another.
-
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Courage
- Sunlight
- Full sun, all day if you can manage it.
- Water
- Very little. Thyme is the most drought tolerant of the twelve and the quickest to rot in a wet pot.
- Indoors
- Wants the brightest sill you own. Keep it on the dry side and it will sit out the winter quite happily.
- Outdoors
- Hardy, low and spreading. Grit in the compost and a pot that drains freely are all it needs.
Gathering Your Sprigs
Shear whole sprigs with scissors rather than stripping leaves. Trim after flowering to keep it from going woody.
From the Garden to the Table
Chicken, mushrooms, root vegetables, stock, eggs, lemon. Add the sprigs whole and pull the bare stems out later.
A Simple Joy
Let it flower once, and watch how quickly the bees find it.
Good to Know
Sharp drainage matters far more than feeding. A hungry thyme in gritty soil tastes better than a pampered one.