Culinary Herbs: Program Recap

Published on January 14, 2025

Each type of plant requires its own special care and herbs are no different. Whether you are looking to enhance your culinary experiences, add aroma to your yard, or just enjoy their looks, the wide variety and uses of herbs make them a wonderful edition to your gardening portfolio.

Thank you to Vicki Dole from the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Hunterdon County for a fresh and enlightening presentation on herb gardening.

So let’s dig in and discover more about these little, yet very diverse plants.

What are Herbs?

Herbs are plants grown for medicinal, aromatic, or seasoning uses. Their versatile nature and smaller size make them ideal for beginners, limited spaces, or anyone interested in enhancing their culinary creations. Growing herbs can be a great way to ensure you have the ingredients you need without having to visit the supermarket. They are inexpensive to grown and most can be started from seeds. They can smell and taste enticing, bring texture and color to the most basic of dishes. They can also provide depths of flavors that can sometimes decrease reliance on salt and sugar in recipes.

Many people assume herbs are annual, but they can also be biennial or perennial. Annual herbs include basil, cilantro, and marjoram, biennial herbs include parsley, and perennial herbs include thyme, mint, oregano, and sage. Other popular herbs include bay laurel, dill, fennel, rosemary, and tarragon.

Popular Herbs

Below are some common herbs and tips for growing them.

Basil
Bay Laurel
Chamomile
Chives
Cilantro
Lavender
Mints
Parsley
Sage

Basil is a great companion for tomatoes, asparagus and other vegetables. There are a variety of types of basil, including:

Genovese
Purple (Opal)
Sweet Thai
Cinnamon
Lemon
Spicy Bush

In fact, there are between 50 and 150 different species of basil.

You can grow basil from seed or buy transplants. If you want to start from seed, be sure to plant them mid-March and keep them indoors as they are cold sensitive; you can start putting them outside after the last frost. They like full sun and should be picked throughout the season to encourage new growth and prevent seeding.

Bay laurel is great in sweet and savory dishes, often containing notes of honey, balsam, nutmeg or clove. Bay laurel is hardy in growing zones 7-10 so it is best to grow indoors from transplant. Bay laurel tends to grow slower than other herbs, but still loves full sun. Be sure to use a moisture-retentive, well-drained, and fertile soil.

Be careful of what you buy as many “bay” plants are poisonous and should only be used decoratively.

Chamomile plants produce delicate flowers that are often used to make tea. The German Chamomile tends to be sweet with a hint of bitterness while the Roman Chamomile tends to have a sweet herbaceous taste with notes of green apples.

Chamomile has very time seeds and it is best to start those plants indoors. Chamomile is somewhat versatile and adapts to most soils; however, avoid wet areas. Sunny locations are the perfect growing spot. When it does flower, it is best to pick the flowers as they open. You can also use fresh or dried chamomile in your creations.

Chives are not actually an herb but have an herbal green taste that accompany their onion overtones. Common chives tend to grow about 12 inches tall while garlic chives can reach about 2 feet.

Chives are very easy to grow from seeds, especially when starting indoors. Ensure the soil is moist, well-drained, and near neutral and place them in a sunny location

Cilantro is a polarizing herb; its distinctive flavor is embraced by some and reviled by others. The seeds, called coriander, are used is variety of savory and sweet recipes that can add a subtle, spicy flavor.

Cilantro is considered a cool, spring crop which can be planted earlier than other herbs. You can sow cilantro in early spring as long as the danger of heavy frost has passed. Cilantro can go to seed very quickly so try to plant slow bolting varieties. You can also cultivate cilantro through succession planning.

Lavender is actually considered an herb, despite it primary uses outside of cooking. It smells light and clean while also floral and seet. Besides fragrance, lavender can be used in a variety of dishes, both savory (Herbes de Provence blends) and sweet (cookies, tea cakes, custards, and ice cream).

Lavender can be grown from seeds, transplants and cuttings, germinating between 18-28 days. Lavender needs a dry environment, well-draining and sandy soil, and full sun. Lavender makes an excellent candidate for container gardening.

Mints smell and look good, making appearances in a variety of foods and drinks. There are many different kinds of mint, including:

Garden mint
Spearmint
Apple mint
Basil mint

Chocolate mint
Ginger mint
Mint julep
Pineapple mint

Mint is easiest to grow from seeds and can be planted indoors or outdoors. Mint can thrive in both full sun or some shade, making it very easy to plant in a variety of situations, including containers. However, mint can spread rapidly so it requires constant attention and maintenance if not contained.

Parsley is a biennial plant, meaning that it will not flower until the second year. Parsley can be grown from seeds, transplants or cuttings, germinating between 14-28 days. Parsley can be grown indoors or outdoors and should be paired with other plants that can provide cover. Parsley prefers a dry environment, well-draining and sandy soil, and full sun. It also makes a wonderful container plant.

Parsley is one the most common and recognizable herbs. There are two types of parsley; curly parsley grows about 8-14 inches tall and is used in cooking while Italian flat leaf parsley grows between 2 and 3 feet and is used more for decorative elements in foods due to its stronger and sweeter flavor.

When getting parsley plants, be sure to go through a nursery rather than from the wild. There is Fool’s parsley that looks and smells like parsley, but is poisonous.

Sage is herbaceous with note of camphor and eucalyptus while also producing edible flowers. Your can grow sage from seeds or propagate from cuttings. Sage can thrive in full sun or partial shade. Like other herbs, sage grows best in well-draining soil in a dry environment. It also makes a plant for container gardening.

Growing Tips

While some herbs can be hearty and can be grown in a variety of environments, they are generally smaller than other plants, which makes them very susceptible to strangling by weeds. Be sure to keep your herb garden or containers weed free. Some herbs can bolt quickly so it is important to prune some varieties (basil, cilantro) to stop them from going to seed. Twice a year during the growing season, be sure to fertilize them.

Since many herbs are more delicate or smaller in stature, be sure to water them at the base of the plant to prevent disease or damage from direct watering. One consequence of direct watering can be downy mildew, especially with Genovese basil. If you discover this condition, you must remove and destroy any plants that have it; home pesticides are not effective. You can buy Rutgers resistant varieties (Devotion, Obsession, and Passion) or increase the distance between plants for air movement and quick drying after rain or dew.

Some herbs can be grown by propagation from cuttings, including mint, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. First, select your cutting from healthy stems with fresh growth. Next, carefully remove lower limbs by cutting the stem just below the leaf node and then plant the cuttings by gently pushing them into your growing medium until the leaves show. Cover the cuttings and keep moist; rooting should take place in 14-21 days.

Herb Garden Design

When determining how best to integrate herbs into your garden or creating a new garden just for herbs, be sure to consider line, form, color, texture, and scale. Different herbs have different heights, widths, colors, and texture which can make it possible to create beautiful and complimentary clusters with other herbs or plants. You can plant with your vegetables or other plants, but be sure that you leave them plenty of space to ensure enough sun, air movement for drying, and room to grow.

Consider what type of design you want – formal or informal. Herbs can make nice borders next to a wall, path, fence or hedge. You can also use herbs in traditional, straight gardens or use them to provide depth and contours to curved gardens. Herbs also make excellent plants when creating an island garden, which you can terrace to accommodate different herbs.

Cooking With Herbs

All types of culinary creations can be enhanced with herbs, making them common elements in all forms of cooking. Generally, you want to add fresh herbs near the end of cooking:

Delicate herbs (basil, chives, cilantro, parsley) – about 1-2 minutes before the end of cooking
Robust herbs (oregano, rosemary, and thyme) – in the last 20 minutes of cooking. Also, the longer you cook them, the more earthy tastes are infused in your dish

When planning what form of herbs to use, remember that 3 teaspoons of fresh herbs is equal to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs and 1 quarter teaspoon of powdered herbs. Herbs can be used to create flavorful sauces and marinades for all types of meats, including poultry, lamb, fish, beef, and even eggs. If you are looking for other uses in the kitchen for herbs, especially if you want to preserve them, you can make herb butter or herb vinegars that can last a few months.

More Information

If you want more information about herb gardening or any aspect related to gardening, please reach out to your county office of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension. If you are interested in becoming a Rutgers Master Gardener or taking classes on specific topics, please visit the NJAES Office of Continuing Professional Education.

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