Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
Proverbs 15:17
If you have been cooking for any length of time you probably know that a love for cooking can be a very expensive endeavor. Being a newly wed and having to share a budget for the first time I have discovered this firsthand. However, there are some ways you can save money on your groceries. As for me I use coupons (I'll be doing a post about this soon), stock up on meat when it's on sale, and try to come up with creative meals that use what I already have. However, one of the things that I have found myself spending a lot of money on lately is fresh herbs. Buying fresh herbs from the supermarket can be very expensive especially since they don't last very long. While dried herbs can add the flavor there is something about fresh herbs that I just love. So my newest challenge for myself is going to be to plant an herb garden on the very small porch of our condo. Growing up my mom always had a huge garden every year where we would get everything from beans and lettuce to corn and okra. Unfortunately I do not have the space to cultivate all of my veggies but I thought I'd start with the easier herb garden. So for today I thought I'd share some inspirational photos, tips on planting herbs for your area and get some feedback on success and failures you've had with gardening.
Below are some beautiful herb gardens that would in no way, shape or form fit on my porch but they are so gorgeous they inspire me to start a garden. I would love to just wander through one of these dreaming up new recipes!
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| What a beautiful garden! |
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| This herb garden is even complete with the chicken for fresh eggs! |
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| I love everything about this: the fence, the simple wooden name, the field, everything! |
Ok, since I told you it had to be a small condo-sized herb garden let me get back to reality with some inspirational pictures I found.
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| cute window herb garden, love the clean simplicity of this |
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| An herb garden made from an old shoe organizer? I wonder if I could convince the husband to rig me one of these on the porch??? |
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| I love the mismatched cans in this picture |
And now my favorite!
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| An herb garden from old tea bins... perfection |
As for me mine will probably consist of some sort of reused kitchen accessories. I'm not sure quite yet but I will definitely post pictures once it has been completed. As for which herbs to grow I found a very useful chart, especially if you are growing them all in 1 large container.
Herb Heights and Sizes: found on the culinary herb guide website here
Small: 1- 1 1/2 feet or less in diameter and less than 1 foot tall
Parsley, Chives, Cilantro, Fernleaf Dill (other dills grow to 3' tall), Cuban Basil, Thyme
Medium: 2 feet to 4 feet wide, less than 2 feet tall
Marjoram, Basils (except African Blue), Tarragon, Savory, Thyme, Chocolate Mint and Peppermint
Short but Large: 4-6 feet wide, less than 1 foot tall
Oregano, Spearmint, Orange Mint
Large: 4-6 feet wide and tall
African Blue Basil, Rosemary, Lavenders, Sages, Lemon Verbena, Pineapple Sage Sweet Bay Laurel (This is actually a tree but it makes a great central point of interest to your herb garden (whether potted or planted in the ground). It grows very slowly but will eventually reach 15-20 feet tall.)
Small: 1- 1 1/2 feet or less in diameter and less than 1 foot tall
Parsley, Chives, Cilantro, Fernleaf Dill (other dills grow to 3' tall), Cuban Basil, Thyme
Medium: 2 feet to 4 feet wide, less than 2 feet tall
Marjoram, Basils (except African Blue), Tarragon, Savory, Thyme, Chocolate Mint and Peppermint
Short but Large: 4-6 feet wide, less than 1 foot tall
Oregano, Spearmint, Orange Mint
Large: 4-6 feet wide and tall
African Blue Basil, Rosemary, Lavenders, Sages, Lemon Verbena, Pineapple Sage Sweet Bay Laurel (This is actually a tree but it makes a great central point of interest to your herb garden (whether potted or planted in the ground). It grows very slowly but will eventually reach 15-20 feet tall.)
As for me I will be growing my herbs in sunny (AKA hot!) florida so I need very hardy herbs that can withstand high temperatures. The suggested herbs I found were Arrugula, basil, rosemary, Italian parsley, chives, dill, oregano and various mints. I am also going to have to add on some of my favorites including thyme and cilantro.
How about you? Do you have any tips for gardening in small spaces or planting an herb garden? I'd love to hear them!
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