Dirt Cheap, Fine Dining
Grow a budget-friendly herb garden for delightful summer dining
Image courtesy istockphoto
Growing herbs is a great way to enhance your cooking while you trim your food budget.
"For the price of a tiny packet of [fresh cut] herbs in the grocery store, you can buy a small plant," says master gardener Joe Lamp'l.
However, with so many herbs to choose from - including more than 200 varieties of basil - -you may wonder what to include in your garden or patio planter. Your first consideration should be the herbs you prefer to cook with, says Lamp'l, host of "Fresh from the Garden" on the DIY Network.
Ease of growing is another factor that may determine your selection. Fortunately, the top culinary herbs are relatively carefree, according to gardening experts.
Although it's tempting to buy the largest herb plant available, go small says Lamp'l.
"Smaller plants can more quickly establish themselves in the soil. Herbs grow so fast, there's no need to buy the bigger plant," he says. You'll also pay less since plants are priced by size.
Here are four to shop for in your local farmers market or gardening store.
Chives
"An unsung hero," says Lamp'l, who gardens near Winston-Salem, N.C.
Chives do well in a pot on a sunny patio. Select a pot with good drainage, fill with potting soil and let the soil dry out before the next watering. Chives provide a beautiful floral display that may be too tempting to eliminate.
Mint
This herb is maintenance-free, indestructible and so pervasive it may creep into the house and change the television channel, jokes Mike McGrath, author of the kit and guide "Kitchen Garden Box: Save & Sow Seeds of Your Favorite Vegetables" (Quirk Books, 2009).
If you've got sun, you'll do fine with mint.
Mint also comes in several popular varieties. McGrath recommends prolific peppermint. As for this perennial's notorious spread: "Laugh and enjoy the peppermint," says McGrath.
Rosemary
Think of the sunny Mediterranean when adding this herb to your garden.
Rosemary needs direct sunlight and relatively dry conditions. And be stingy with water. In warm climates, the herb is a perennial that can be kept outdoors; in colder areas, rosemary should be brought in by Thanksgiving.
The herb may be challenging to grow indoors. But if you're successful, you may be treated to a flowering, scented herb sitting in a sunny window, according to McGrath, who describes himself as a rosemary fanatic.
Basil
Think pesto, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella salad and minestrone soup. Basil is essential to those dishes and more.
Grow basil in a spot that gets at least five hours of sunshine a day. Unlike most herbs, basil can tolerate frequent watering. But the annual plant really thrives if you frequently cut it back to prevent it from flowering.
Gardeners know that to keep basil healthy and growing, it's important to pinch off the flowering buds as soon as they form.
That's a painful step.
"The flowers on basil are sensational," says Mike McGrath. Those tiny clusters of basil flowers are also beneficial, attracting bees.
You can compromise as McGrath does and buy several basil plants, allowing some to flower. Cardinal Basil from W. Atlee Burpee & Co., is one of McGrath's favorites because it forms lovely clusters of ruby red blooms.
Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
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