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Parsley overwintering indoors.

As I was digging up my Rosemary the other day I noticed my parsley:  green, healthy and happy in the cool fall weather with a fresh flush of new growth from recent rains.  I decided to try overwintering my parsley indoors under lights alongside the Rosemary.  After all, it’s a four foot fluorescent light.

I never would have considered overwintering parsley, but another gardener told me about the parsley she has kept for two winters that is now in its third summer, without going to seed.

Overwinter parsley under similar conditions as Rosemary.  Put it in a clay pot with indoor potting soil.  Keep in a cool place in front of a south-facing window or under lights.  Parsley likes more moisture than Rosemary, so water when soil begins to feel dry.

I was all ready to cut back the parsley I potted up but so far the leaves are not drooping with transplant shock.  If they do droop, I can always cut the older, outside leaves and leave the newer, center leaves closer to the growing crown.

A former neighbor of mine had a perennial patch of parsley.  Every year she had a mixture of one- and two-year-old plants.  The two-year-olds would flower and set seed and the one-year-olds she would use in the kitchen.  “The ones with flowers are too bitter,” she told me.

Every summer the new seeds would ripen and naturally scatter in the bed.  A few would germinate that summer but many more would overwinter and germinate the following spring.  Most of the one-year-old plants would survive winter, become two-year-old plants and then set seed.

Her patch was of curly parsley, originally grown from a single plant that survived winter to set seed the following year.  She never covered her perennial parsley bed.

Remembering all of this as I potted up the parsley to bring in the house, I decided to try keeping alive until spring the remaining parsley plant in my garden.  Usually I grow parsley in a container near the back door.  The container freezes solid in our bitter Minnesota winters, killing the parsley, so consequently I’ve never grown parsley into a two-year-old plant.

Next spring I’ll report whether or not each plant survived winter and whether or not it appears to be going to seed.

Two-year-old Rosemary potted up for overwintering indoors.

I dug up my Rosemary plant today to pot up and overwinter indoors.  Last night was our first frost of the season.  I covered the Rosemary last night but don’t want to chance forgetting it when it invariably freezes again in a few nights.

This particular Rosemary is two years old and has doubled in size each year.  Last summer it grew in a clay pot sunk into a larger container garden of herbs.  This summer I planted it into the ground in a corner of a flower bed whose soil has never been amended.  Two years ago the flower bed was a patch of struggling grass overrun with weeds.

This Rosemary grew so much I don’t have a clay pot large enough for it so it’s temporarily in plastic.  Rosemary overwinters indoors much more successfully in a clay pot.  They don’t like wet feet or soggy soil.  At the same time, if they dry out they’re dead.

Last winter I put my then-one-year-old potted Rosemary in a south-facing windowsill with blinds that were pulled up daily.  New growth was spindly and weak until late March, when its new growth became more robust as the days lengthened.

To pot up Rosemary for wintering indoors, select a clay pot one to two inches larger than the root ball.  Use regular indoor potting soil.  The addition of a little sand will be helpful; Rosemary prefers sandy soil.

Drive a spade into the ground all around the plant before lifting out of the ground.  This will sever the longer roaming roots and minimize tearing many more roots.  (Note to self and others who like to plan ahead:  about two weeks before you plan to dig up your Rosemary, drive a spade into the ground all around the plant.  You will sever the longer roots and the plant will produce a compact root ball directly beneath its main growth stem.  This will make the Rosemary easier to dig up and it will suffer less transplant shock.)

When transplanting, make sure to fill in all air pockets with soil.  The roots will dry out quickly if they are not in contact with the growing medium and the plant will die.  Tamp bottom of pot on a hard surface several times firmly to further fill in the air pockets.  Gently firm the top of the soil with your hands.

Water thoroughly with tepid water and place in a cool part of the house with good light for a few days.  When it looks like it is recovering from transplanting, move it under grow lights or to a south-facing window.  Avoid dry, overheated rooms which cause the soil moisture to evaporate quickly and the leaf tips to turn brown.  The ideal conditions for Rosemary are cool, sunny and slightly humid.

I’ve kept and lost several Rosemary plants over the years.  Invariably the ones I’ve lost have been the ones whose soil dried out too much.  Water when soil feels dry to the touch.  Remember:  If it dries out it’s dead.

Peppermint flowering in late summer

Who can imagine facing morning without refreshing mint toothpaste?  What’s better on a hot summer day than a tall glass of iced tea?  Answer: A tall glass of iced tea garnished with a fresh mint sprig.  Mint has been considered a sign of hospitality since ancient times and has been used medicinally since before recorded history.

With over 3500 species, the Mentha family is home to the mints as well as several other culinary herbs, like marjoram, sage, and rosemary.  The most well-know members of the mint family are Mentha piperita (peppermint) and Mentha spicta (spearmint).  Other varieties include apple mint, orange mint, chocolate mint, and pineapple mint, to name a few.  Many varieties of both peppermint and spearmint exist, each with a distinctive scent, leaf shape and leaf color.

Mint is native to the Mediterranean, classified as a hardy perennial, and grows in Zones 3 to 11.  Specifically, peppermint is hardy in Zones 3 to 7 and spearmint is hardy in Zones 4 to 11.  Mint grows 12 to 18 inches high and 18 to 24 inches wide, but will spread much further.  As long as it gets plenty of water, mint will grow in nearly any type of soil.  It is so prolific it is recommended that you plant your mint in a bottomless container to keep the roots from spreading and overtaking the rest of your garden.

About midseason, cut your mint back by 1/3 to 1/2.  The time to do this is when the stems grow longer and the leaves grow shorter.  You can stagger this over several weeks by cutting back one plant at a time.  Use the cuttings fresh, or dry or freeze them for later use.  In any case, it’s best to pick or cut mint early in the morning, before the dew evaporates.

Mint makes a good companion plant to carrots, cucumbers, onions, parsley, peppers and tomatoes.  It also attracts bees, butterflies, and birds.

Must be a symbol of hospitality for all species.

Garlic Chives in bloom

Gathered since ancient times and cultivated since Medieval times, garlic chives have been used as a seasoning, vegetable and medicine.  Their subtle garlic flavor enhances many dishes.  Asian cooks give garlic chives a starring role—cooked whole in stir fries or cut in large chunks in a simple soup.  Asian cuisine also features garlic chives as a seasoning.  Whatever way you use them, garlic chives are an asset to any cook’s seasoning repertoire.  Oh, and they’re really easy to grow.

Allium tuberosum is its Latin name.  Allium is Greek for garlic and tuberosum describes the tuberous rhizomes from which it grows.  The leaves of garlic chives are broad and flat, unlike the onion flavored chives, with their round, hollow leaves.  Garlic chives produce white star shaped flowers in late summer, while onion chives produce lilac colored flowers in late spring.

Garlic chives are usually started from root divisions in spring or fall.  You can start from seed, but it can take an entire year for a clump to get established.  Plant in fertile soil in full sun, although garlic chives will grow in partial shade.  Keep moderately moist but don’t over water the first year, to give the plant a chance to produce a strong root system.

Whether your clump of garlic chives is new or established make sure you cut the whole thing down to the ground several times during the growing season.  Older established leaves become tough and stringy and cutting down the entire plant causes it to produce tender new leaves.  If you can’t use the garlic chives you just cut from the plant, feed your compost pile.

Garlic chives are prolific re-seeders.  Gather the seeds before they drop and use to grow sprouts.  Garlic chive seeds produce a sprout that’s peppery yet delicate in flavor.  Or cut the flowers before seeds form.  Chinese cooks dry the flowers and grind them into a garlic-flavored powder.  If you’re not that ambitious, cut the garlic chive flowers with long stems and include in your late summer/early fall flower bouquets.  Their light airiness makes a nice accent flower.  Or simply toss the fresh, individual flower petals into a green salad.

Garlic chives grow much faster than regular chives and you’ll need to divide them every three years.  Less hardy than regular chives, garlic chives need extra protection in colder areas.  The way they re-seed themselves pretty much assures you of always having a clump of garlic chives in your garden.

Tarragon drying

Its common name is tarragon but its botanical name is Artemisia drancunculus, which means “dragon” in Latin.  “Tarragon” is thought to be a corruption of the Arab word “tarkhum” meaning “little dragon.”  In fact, most languages refer to tarragon using a form of their word for dragon, most likely because the root system is suggestive of small dragons.

There are actually two types of tarragon.  French tarragon is preferred for culinary use.  It has a more refined flavor, very smooth dark green leaves and is a native of southern Europe.  Russian tarragon lacks the peculiar tartness of French tarragon and has leaves that are less smooth.  One source claims the stems of Russian tarragon can be harvested in early spring and eaten as a substitute for asparagus.  Russian tarragon is a native of Siberia.

Even though tarragon loses some of its essential oils when dried, enough remain to make it an attractive addition to the spice rack.  The sweet licorice flavor goes well in salads, dressings, vegetables, eggs, sauces, seafood and poultry.  It’s best to use fresh tarragon to make classic tarragon vinegar and French cooks use tarragon vinegar to make Dijon mustard.  Try a variation of traditional tarragon vinegar by combining fresh tarragon with fresh chives, fresh lemon balm, shallots and garlic.  The classic French herbal blend called “Fines Herbs” combines tarragon, thyme, parsley and chervil.

Tarragon does best in hot dry situations with unimproved soil.  Heavy loam soils that retain a lot of moisture are conducive to winter kill by frosts—cover well before freezing weather sets in.  You should divide tarragon every 2-3 years or it will die from the center out.  Tarragon helps any vegetable planted near it grow healthier and more robust.  Legend says that a flax seed put into a radish root and planted will grow a tarragon plant.

Unlike most other herbs, tarragon was not used by ancient peoples and did not become known until the 13th century when it began to be used medicinally.  Because fresh tarragon contains an anesthetic compound called eugenol (the same compound found in cloves), it temporarily relieves pain and it was used to “cure” toothaches.  Fresh tarragon also has antifungal and antioxidant properties.  Tarragon did not become widely used until the 16th century.

Seed catalogs say tarragon is hardy to Zone 3.  I’ve lost several in my Zone 4 garden, most likely due to inadequate protection from our brutal Minnesota winters.  The tarragon plant currently in my garden survived last winter under eight inches of leaves.  I’ve learned from that and now look forward to fresh tarragon every year without buying a new plant.

Sweet Basil

Summer wouldn’t be summer without fresh basil. This most popular, versatile herb goes hand in hand with summer’s other most popular item in the home garden:  tomatoes.  Grown in proximity to one another, tomatoes and basil will both grow bigger, better, more lush, and more delicious.

Originally from India, basil has migrated around the world and is prominent in the cuisine of many cultures.

It’s botanical name is Ocimum basilicum from the Greek basileus, meaning “King.”  With more than 150 known varieties, basil truly is the king of all culinary herbs.

It’s hard to chose a favorite between caprese salad and pesto, two classic and popular ways of using fresh basil.  The former pairs it with its garden companion, tomatoes, and the latter is a versatile sauce used in everything from pasta to pizza to mayonnaise to topping grilled meats.

The many flavored varieties of basil produce delicately flavored and colored jams, jellies, vinegars and even teas.  In fact, herbal medicine uses basil tea to calm menstrual cramps.  According to folklore, if a man gives a woman a sprig of basil she will fall in love with him and never leave him.  I wonder if there is a correlation between the two…

Grow basil in a pot on your deck and it will repel flies and mosquitos.  They have an aversion to the smell.  Your basil will have a stronger scent and flavor if you don’t fertilize it too much, but do fertilize it.  Unlike most other herbs, basil likes a slightly rich soil.

Make sure to pinch the growth tips several times thoughout the season.  The benefits of this are twofold:  first, it will encourage the plant to branch out and become bush-like; second, basil plants are programmed to produce flowers when there are six leaves on a stem.  Once the flowers produce seed, the plant will stop growing.  We want them to grow lots of leaves.

Basil flower bracts mix well with cut flowers, such as zinnias

Another thing I like to do with basil is put it in flower arrangements, particularly with flowers that have little or no scent of their own, like zinnias.  I usually pick the tips of branches with flower bracts, open or not, along with at least the top two sets of leaves.  They add vertical interest to the flower arrangement and a surprising amount of fragrance.

The later in the day that you cut your basil, the longer it will keep fresh in the house.  Store in a glass of water on the counter, but remember to change the water every other day.  It will keep for a couple of weeks and may even grow roots in the glass.  You can also store sprigs of basil in perforated plastic bags at room temperature for a week or more.  If you store basil in the refrigerator it will only keep for a few days.

Because basil loves hot weather so much it will be one of the first garden plants to succumb to cold weather.  Dig one up and put in a pot on a sunny windowsill, it should keep for a few months.

Basil is one of the most beloved culinary herbs and deserves a place in every garden.  I’m already planning on adding a couple new varieties next year.  What unusual varieties of basil have you grown?