Growing culinary herbsBy B.J. JarvisPasco Horticulture Agent and Extension Director
Edible gardens are gaining in popularity as Floridians prefer a landscape that is both functional and beautiful. Gardeners and cooks look to fresh culinary herbs to add a little spice to the dinner table as well as the garden.As a group, herbs generally are not fussy plants and can be grown in the vegetable garden mixed into flowerbeds, in a separate herb garden or tucked into pots on a porch or balcony. Culinary herbs adapt amazingly well to Tampa Bay area’s typically sandy soils, thriving in sunny locations. When grown in richer or wetter soils, flavorful essential oils are diluted, so consider our relatively poor soils a bonus when growing herbs. Herbs thrive on neglect, preferring only moderate amounts of fertilizer. When grown in containers, herbs will need a bit more fertilizer than those grown in the ground, but don’t get carried away with fertilizer even for container-grown ones. Potted herbs require ample drainage from a porous, but high quality potting soil. Herbs, like other plants in pots, need to be watered more frequently than herbs growing in the ground as they have limited access to moisture than those planted in the ground. A full herb grown in a bright sunny location will likely require watering every day. Just keep an eye out for water stress.Be creative on where you can place for culinary herbs as they don’t have to be relegated to the vegetable garden or a garden of their own.Adding herbs in containers can soften a porch or container planting with oregano spilling over the pot’s edge or as a centerpiece of bright purple-leaved basil. In the garden, parsley and chives make great border plants. Rosemary makes a beautiful, hardy evergreen shrub that tolerates regular clipping for kitchen use. Growing between 2 and 4 feet, culinary ginger makes an attractive plant for the back of the garden border. Harvest the root-like structure in the fall, dry and use as needed through the winter. Another benefit of herbs is they are generally pest free. One exception is that dill, fennel and parsley are favorite foods of juvenile butterflies. Plant extras if you want to enjoy watching butterflies such as the elegant swallowtails and the brightly colored Julia flitting by, as they are expert at finding culinary herbs. Fresh herbs can turn an ordinary meal into an extraordinary culinary experience. You can easily grow your own herbs at home even if you have limited space for plants. Additional information about growing herbs in Florida gardens can be found at the University of Florida’s electronic database at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/VH/VH02000.pdf.
-B.J. Jarvis is horticulture agent and director of the Pasco Extension Service, a part of the University of Florida and Pasco County government. She can be reached at .
