Why You should be Growing Your Own Organic Herbs From Seed
Personal bounty of fresh herbs in a 12" container
Fresh culinary herbs are like delicate flavor-bombs. It's hard to believe how such pungent taste can be packed into each tiny leaf. While some varieties are ubiquitous and well-loved (basil, parsley, dill), many may be unfamiliar to most people (sorrel? bronze-fennel?). Others, are straight-up controversial (cilantro, we're lookin' at you). Regardless of your experience with herbs, there's thousands of varieties to expand your palette and diversify your plate.
When fresh herbs are incorporated into home cooked meals, the end result is a complete, flavor game-changer. The simplest addition of chopped fresh parsley to finish off a pan of spaghetti carbonara, or julienned-basil sprinkled on top of hot homemade flatbread, are easy ways to make your scratch cooking instantly restaurant-quality.
Fresh Basil on Caprese Flatbread
If you've ever searched for fresh herbs at the grocery store, you know the selection is unpredictable, but mostly, pathetic. Not only is it impossible to get the specific varieties you really want, but the quality is incomparable to anything homegrown.
Find out why your produce isle days (and mundane dinners) are over, especially when it comes to fresh herbs. Get ready to grow your own and and live your best chef-life.
1. Don't buy those Herb-Plants! Start your own Seeds.
Six varieties of healthy, organic herbs
The first mistake when searching for fresh herbs is buying plants sold at the grocery store- like basil or cilantro- in the little square pots. Sure, it may seem like a better choice than the containers of smashed leaves, but let's look at this option from a few angles.
First and foremost, these plants are already stressed out! They've traveled far distances from some kind of *mystery greenhouse* of origin, and now overgrown and nutrient-deficient in that 4" container.
Second, who knows how many chemicals have been sprayed on the foliage since that plant was just a seed (yikes!). When herbs are raised in commercial greenhouses, they are treated with massive doses of herbicides and pesticides to ensure that the plants stay unaffected before being shipped to far away grocery stores.
Lastly, when purchasing potted herbs (already growing), you've missed out on many valuable harvests. The tender, baby leaves are long gone, and now the plant is closer to maturity (producing flowers and seeds) which takes away from the sweetness in the leaves.
It may take an extra ounce of pre-planning to get started, but once your 12" container of herbs are up and growing, fresh cuttings are just a few weeks away. Plus, you can ensure that the plants you grow are treated organically every step of the way, from seed-to-harvest.
Herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, onion greens and sorrel are fast-growers and can be first harvested after about 3 weeks, once they're about 6” tall. In good growing conditions, they will continue to produce weekly harvests.
2. Save Space AND Money: Make your Herbs Garden Your "Living Pantry"
Now, for some real talk. The fridge is some of the highest value real estate around (nobody wants a warm LaCroix). You'd be lying if you said you've never pulled out a box of moldy herbs from the back of the fridge, lost in the seltzer-shuffle. We've ALL been guilty of this tragedy.
These wasted herbs were probably grown in energy-intensive commercial greenhouses, treated with mystery pesticides, and then harvested and packaged up into little plastic boxes. They sat on refrigerated trucks for days, only to land on the grocery shelf for weeks, and then into your shopping cart. A few leaves might have made it into one of your home-cooked meals, but now we've found the remaining evidence, wilted and rotten in the back of the fridge.
With this predictable routine of wasted excess herbs, think of how much those dollars actually add up. It's like getting a second triple-grande-soy-latte in one day. Ever tried buying basil to make pesto? That's no cheap endeavor either (you need a LOT). With fresh herbs stored in your personal container garden, trim your grocery budget (or justify your second latte).
Front stoop herbs garden
Grow your own herbs from seed, not only to save *precious* refrigerator-real estate, but also cut down your carbon footprint AND save $$$. When a recipe calls for a few leaves of basil (like the Caprese Flatbread), only harvest what you need from your personal supply. When #TacoTuesday rolls around and you need heaps of cilantro for Rainbow Tacos and Cilantro Crema, the freshest bounty will be right at your fingertips.
Think of your herbs garden as a "living pantry". The remaining herbs will stay ALIVE on the plant, growing and happy, until you're ready for more.
3. Grow A Continuous Supply of Your Favorite Fresh Herbs
Purple Basil Seedlings - 1 week old
If it's difficult to find lush dill or fragrant basil when searching for ingredients at the store, you'd be even more hard-pressed to find funkier varieties to try cooking with. Any seasoned gardener knows, that having your personal supply of fresh herbs is invaluable, and you're no longer at the mercy of sparse store shelves.
Did you know there are different types of basil? Plant some Purple, Thai or Sweet Basil for a unique twist on pesto, or simple syrups for cocktails.
Start seeds with enough sunlight, water, and nutrients (high-quality soil), and herbs will continuously produce new leaves for weekly harvests. Herbs are the type of plants that actually like getting a good haircut every week- it keeps them fresh and able to produce new growth.
To keep the plants growing strong once mature, it's always a good idea to use some organic fertilizer. Add this to your watering can once per week to boost the nutrients for your plants. If you're going to grow a garden, flavorful, aromatic herbs are the best (and most delicious) bang for your buck.
Check out the curated kitchen-Herbs Seedsheet, or the Custom Seedsheets catalog with an all-star lineup of varieties that will grow fast in small (or large) spaces. There's no mistaking the difference in taste between a homegrown bunch of basil versus the clump from the last-ditch trip to the store before dinner.
Herbs Seedsheet, 1 week of growth.
When it comes to the potential flavor of your home-cooked meals, don't settle for sub-par herbs.
Grow your own culinary Herbs Seedsheet,
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Personalize your own Custom arrangement: