Fresh herbs
Fresh herbs are some of the easiest edible plants to grow in containers. Many (but not all) herbs are perennial plants, meaning they will continue to grow year after year. Here are the perennial herbs I have in my container garden:
Chives
Chives grow readily from seed or you can purchase a pot of them pre-sprouted from the nursery. Since purchasing ours in 2006, we have not had to replant them. They just keep thriving, year after year, regardless of how much I neglect them. On my patio, they begin sprouting quite early, usually in February or March. There is usually enough to pick by April. When they flower, I often pick the flowers to put in a vase and let a few dry on the plant then shake the seeds out on the soil to keep building up my clump of chives. I find that they tend to die down in the heat of summer, but then perk up again in Fall.
Lavender
I have a pretty little fragrant Munstead lavender, which is a dwarf variety that I have had for several years now. I actually don’t do anything with it other than enjoy the blooms and watching the bees that come with it. I suppose you can bake with lavender or pick and dry the flowers just before they bloom. It is very low maintenance, and has done very well in its container through the winter. I generally just trim the flower stems some time through the winter, and provide some new compost at the top of the pot in Spring.
Mint
Mint is essentially an invasive weed, so be very careful where you decide to plant it. It develops an extensive and hardy root system that takes a long time to dig out. This is a plant that you definitely want to keep in a container, whether or not you have a large garden. On the plus side, it is easy to care for and thrives under almost any conditions. It’s nice to have a mojito with fresh mint from your garden in the summer, or make a yummy watermelon, mint and red onion salad.
Oregano
Oregano is a lovely plant with soft fragrant leaves. It spreads nicely and shares a container with Rosemary and Thyme. Unfortunately, this container has had a spittle bug infestation over the last couple of years, and my oregano has been a particularly favourite home for them. Spittle bugs secrete a bubbly mass from their bums, so I tend not to eat this oregano. However, it flowers and attracts bees to my garden, so I’ll keep it around for now.
Rosemary
Rosemary has been quite simple and low maintenance. It is an evergreen and handles our winters well. We use some fresh sprigs for roasted chicken or lamb. This is a handy herb to have around, even though dried rosemary is pretty good too. It has remained a low growing, woody plant in the container. I’m not sure if it is supposed to be more bushy, but it seems to be healthy enough.
Thyme
Thyme is also an easy plant to grow as it just comes back year after year. It flows over the edge of the container nicely, and the sprigs dry easily. We have gone many years now not needing to purchase dried thyme because all we need comes from the garden. It too flowers nicely attracting bees to our little garden.
What hasn’t worked too well
I have tried to grow Basil, but I don’t have enough sunlight for it to thrive. It needs a lot of sun and warm temperatures. Cilantro (or Coriander) is also an easy one to have in the garden, but mine have always bolted, or gone to flower and then to seed, much too quickly. Neither of these are perennials, but they may grow well for those with sunny, bright and warm balconies and patios with no sunlight restrictions. Because my patio faces the inner courtyard, the east and west wings of our building cut off the sunshine in the morning and evening. This also cools off our patio in the evening whereas plants like Basil like their roots to be warm as much as possible.
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