12 Herb Growing Tips

I love herbs, they are part of my every day. They are in my hand cream, shower soap, shampoo, breakfast tea, evening meal and scenting my home and patio. Now you do not need to go quite as far as I do to enjoy herbs in your garden. Here is a list of 12 tips that you can use to get you started including herbs in your garden.

1. Plant Perennials. Edible plants that come back year after year save planting time, and maintenance is usually limited to annual weeding, fertilizing and mulching. Hardy perennials like sage, lemon balm and mints will thrive where winters are cold, sorrel is a terrific perennial salad green, horseradish grows almost anywhere. And don’t forget the self-seeding annuals. You can have an easy crop of cilantro and calendula by letting them drop seed at the end of the season, just leave a marker so you do not dig up the patch before they sprout.

Calendula

2. Include Essential Kitchen Herbs. You will regret it if you skip the traditional culinary herbs even if what you want is a medicinal garden. The rewards of growing culinary herbs such as basil, dill, oregano, sage and parsley, which are easy to grow and sometimes pricey to buy, will give you good meals and something to trade with later.

mints, sage and edible flowers

3. Grow Good Things to Drink. In addition to growing what you eat, try growing tasty beverages. Making simple syrups from Lemon balm or lemon verbena makes fun lemonade and great summer cocktails. Apple and Pineapple Mint are perfectly refreshing for summer iced tea. Did you know you could make a rhubarb stalk tea that is a tart substitute for lemonade?

Lemon balm with a dragon fly

4. Experiment with Herbs you have never grown or never heard of. Look for a variety of thyme, sage or oregano that has a different color, texture or flavor, like lemon thyme, purple sage or golden oregano. They will break up the landscape as well as introduce new ideas. There is nothing more lovely than a vinegar made with purple basil and the taste is just as great as the regular sweet basil. Choose the herb of the year for 2024 Common Yarrow.

Common yarrow It will thrive in poor soil during dry periods and still produce blooms. It was introduced to America during colonial times and is considered a naturalized native plant.

White yarrow

Growing Tips 

Common yarrow is a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9 and thrives in sun but can tolerate shaded areas. Growing upright 2-3 feet tall and spreading to 3 feet, it is best placed near the back of ornamental gardens and may need to be staked in windy areas. Cutting back plant stems before flowering in late spring can help control the height of the plant.

 You can grow it in pots as well. Check out these Yarrow posts. 5. Interplant Compatible Crops. Basil is said to make tomato plants ripen better and faster, so I always interplant a few basil with the tomatoes. Other plants can be added for color or companion planting to keep away bugs and other pests. Here is a link to a post on Companion Planting.

6. Succession Sow for Steady Harvests. Cilantro is a great herb for making salsa, but many people complain that it goes to seed long before the tomatoes are ripe. Solve this problem by sowing seed two weeks apart through the end of August. This will give you a constant crop of tasty leaves. You can do the same with Dill to provide dill weed to go with all your summer vegetables.

Cilantro

7. Create Many Mini-Gardens. Just because you do not have a large garden plot or a space that gets all the required sun, does not mean you cannot make a garden for yourself. If you have a small area to the south or west that will get the needed 6 hours of sunshine, place a small patch of herbs I that space and enjoy the wonders of a good harvest. Establish deep, fertile beds wherever the sun beckons, and use large containers to make use of sunny spaces on your deck or patio.

Kitchen herb garden at Chicago Botanic Gardens

8. Try Vertical Gardening. If you have a small patio or balcony use your upward space to make the most of what is available. Create terraces with stacked pots or cement blocks, or even recycle a wooden palate for vertical space. By adding 3 to 4 inches of compost at the beginning of each new season, you can grow herbs and vegetables I a tight spot. Nasturtiums look very nice spilling from a pallet.

9. Use Herbs for Free Fertilizer. Take advantage of free, nitrogen-rich fertilizers you can craft from herbs such as comfrey, parsley and chamomile. Make a fertilizer tea by steeping leaf cuttings in water or just add these to your compost bin to enrich your spreadable compost.

compost bin

10. Weed Early and Often. Most garden crops require weeding at least three times: Plan to weed five to seven days after sowing or transplanting, again seven to 10 days later, and a third time three to four weeks after the crop has been planted. By that time, the plants should be big enough to mulch and should have plenty of leaves to shade the soil’s surface cutting back on weed growth.

11. Preserve the Harvest. Much less garden produce will go to waste if you freeze the extra in small batches every few days. For example, add chopped chives diced tomatoes or squash and freeze for quick cooking later. Combine green beans with dill in a small zip seal bag and drop into the freezer when your garden gave you more than a meals worth. You can also create seasoning ice cubes by chopping herbs and measuring into an ice cube tray, top with water and freeze. Once frozen, pop the cubes into a zip seal bag and you have a winter worth of pre-measured herbs for soups and stews come winter.

12. Drying is the easiest way to preserve your herbs. Cut the stems at the peak of flavor, generally early morning after the dew is lifted and bundle with a rubber band. Hang to dry out of the sun and use to create blends, season foods and decorate and scent your home.

So go try out a few herbs in your garden space and share with us how it went!  You can share thoughts and ideas here or on our Instagram page: www.instagram.com/backyardpatch43 

Tomato Herb Tonic - Weekend Recipe

If you like V-8 or Bloody Mary you will love this herbal tonic.  It tastes a lot like a Bloody Mary but without the vodka, of course if you add some for an afternoon relaxer, who can say it is a bad thing?

Icy Tomato-Herb Tonic

Serve 4

4 cups tomato juice

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

¼ cup minced fresh lovage (substitute minced celery leaves if you have no lovage)

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 Tbls. soy sauce or to taste

celery sticks for garnish

Mix tomato juice with minced herbs, black pepper and soy sauce in a large pitcher.  Chill for several hours.  Garnish serving with a celery stick.

Strawberry Lavender Spritzer - Weekend Recipe

Before the Strawberries are all gone you just have to try this wine spritzer.  Perfect in a punch bowl at your garden party.  I am making a non-alcoholic version to serve at the Villa Park Gardenwalk next Weekend!

Strawberry - Lavender Wine Spritzer

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1 cup fresh strawberries

• 1 tablespoon fresh lavender buds

• 3 cups white wine (or one 750 ml bottle)

• 4 cups club soda or seltzer water

• 4 to 6 fresh lavender sprigs

• 4 to 6 fresh strawberries

In a blender or food processor, blend the orange juice, 1 cup of strawberries, and lavender flowers.

Transfer to a jug or bowl.  Pour wine over the blended mixture and allow to steep for 30 minutes; then strain into a punch bowl, discarding solids. To serve, fill a wineglass half full with flavored wine and top with mineral water. Garnish with a sprig of lavender and a strawberry.

For a non-alcoholic version use white grape juice or apple juice,instead of wine.

Holiday Beverages to serve and give as gifts

Prepping for the Holiday Series

We sometimes forget that the best way to communicate the season is through beverages and scents and what better way than with hot beverages.  And these make great gifts too.  You can make seasoning blends for cider, herbal teas or seasoned hot chocolate.

Spiced Lemon Tea Mix

½ cup lemon herbs (lemon thyme, lemon balm, lemon verbena)

1 Tbls. lemon peel

1 Tbls. ginger

2 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. cloves

Blend all ingredients together. Store in a sealed jar.

To use: add 1 to 2 tsp. per cup of boiling water.

Hot Buttered Rum Mix

2 ½ cups brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cloves

½ tsp. salt

1 stick real butter (unsalted room temperature)

Mix brown sugar and spices in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into 4 pieces.  Mix into the sugar well with a spoon or electric mixer.  Place in a plastic container with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator.

To use: Place 1 to 2 tsp. mix in a mug. Add ½ to 1 jigger rum.  Fill mug with boiling water.  Serve with a cinnamon stick or a Tablespoon of ice cream.  Mix will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Alternative use: For mulled wine or hot apple cider place 1 tsp. mix in a mug.  Add 1 cup red wine or apple cider.  Heat in microwave for 1 minute.  (You can simmer larger quantities on the stove.)

Cheating Cider Simmer

¼ cup powdered (sugar-free) lemonade mix

¼ cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

You can layer the ingredients in a jar or mix together before placing in jar. (If layering you must include instructions to shake well before using.). 

For decoration tie a cinnamon stick to the package.

To use: stir 1 tsp. of mixture into 1 cup hot apple juice, hot cranberry juice or hot cider.

Lavender Hot Chocolate

You can give this one for the winter holidays or save it for Valentine’s Day.

2 tsp. dried lavender buds

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 Tbls. Dutch process cocoa powder

2 Tbls. sugar

1/8 tsp. Kosher salt

Blend cocoa powder, sugar and salt together.  Package the lavender and bittersweet chocolate separate.  Place all items in a decorative container. 

To use:

3 cups whole milk or half & half

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Pour milk into a medium saucepan and stir in lavender flower buds.  Set over medium heat and bring just to a boil.  Remove the mixture from heat and allow to steep for 3 to 5 minutes.  Strain the milk to remove lavender, then return milk to saucepan and whisk in the chopped bittersweet chocolate until melted and smooth.  Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture.  Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.  Divide among coffee mugs and serve with a marshmallow or whipped cream.

If crafting these beverages is not your cup of tea, try ours:

Cinnamon Spice Tea

Silver and Gold Christmas Blend

Holly & Ivy Holiday Tea

Winter Remedy

Wassail  blend – in a cloth bag

Spiced Cider Blend - loose

Mulled Cider Blend – in tea bags

Mexican Spiced Cocoa

Sugar-free Hot Cocoa

Traditional Hot Cocoa

Hot Orange Mocha Drink - Weekend Recipe

I was having a disucssion with the Hubby in the car the other day about recipes I had seen on Facebook.  He paused to say Mmmm!  when I mentioned a coffee and chocolate recipe.  I do not drink coffee.  I do not really care for coffee, being a tea (mostly herbal tea) woman so I often forget that he is not just a coffee drinker, but a coffee lover.  I pulled together this recipe for him.  He is watching his sugar so I used sugar substitute in this, but if you want, regular brown sugar works just as well.

Hot Orange Mocha

Steeped orange peel infuses this warm coffee drink-a delightful complement to rich chocolate. A touch of cinnamon pulls it all together.

1   orange

5  cups hot strong coffee

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½  cup packed  brown sugar substitute (like Spenda Easy Pour)

¼  tsp. ground cinnamon

                                                      ½ cup whipping cream, half-and-half, or light cream

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the orange in strips. In a large saucepan combine the peel and hot coffee. Let stand over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Remove and discard orange peel.  In a small bowl whisk together cocoa powder, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk cocoa into hot coffee until well combined. Stir in cream.  If desired, use an immersion blender to froth the coffee mixture. Ladle into mugs. Top with whipped cream, orange peel, and a pinch of cinnamon. Makes 6 servings.

Winter Holiday Beverages - Weekend Recipes

I love the smell of Christmas! To me it smells like cinnamon, cloves, oranges, apple pie and evergreens! Two of my favorite things to make for the long winter months here are a mulling spice to be used in wine or cider and a simmer recipe ( I shared my simmer recipe earlier this week, check it out.)  I’ve shared items like this in the past, but I can create any number of combinations so these are just a bit different from those I have shared previously.

Mulling Spice

2 Tbls. Cinnamon chips

2 Tbls. Orange peel chunks

4 tsp.  whole allspice

4 tsp.  whole cloves

For mulled wine, use 2 T of the spices in a tea ball or muslin bag. Add to 1 ½ quarts Burgundy wine with 2/3 cup sugar or honey. Heat to almost boiling and simmer 20 minutes.

For mulled cider use 4 T in a tea ball or muslin bag and add to 2 quarts of cider. Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Cran-Apple Mulled Punch

This special recipe was shared with me by a customer.  She created it using the Backyard Patch Spiced Cider / Mulled Wine Blend, but you can use the blend I shared above.

12 cups apple juice

6 cups cranberry juice

½ cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons Mulling Spices

Simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes.  Serve warm. Serves 20 to 25 (6 oz. cups)

Hot Spiced Pineapple Juice

I think my internet friend Mary Ellen Wilcox said that she uses this recipe at her Christmas Workshop.  I loved it because it was pineapple which is such a great juice to use at a holiday gathering.  It could also be a favorite of mine because of the rum??!

1 (48 oz.) can pineapple  juice
1 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup light rum or 2 tsp. rum  extract
Whole cloves
Lemon slices
 

Insert the wholes cloves into lemon slices and set aside.  Combine pineapple juice, apple cider, sugar and spices in a large saucepan.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in rum or extract.  Serve in tall mugs with the lemon/clove slices as garnish.  Makes 9 (6 oz.) servings.

Spiced lemonade - Weekend Halloween Recipe

This is the perfect blend of lemon and spices to make a seasonally flavored drink with a unique twist.  You can use fresh of reconstituted lemon juice, but it will be less bitter if you squeeze fresh lemons.  I have made this with Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend by substituting 1/2 tsp of Cinnful Dessert Blend for the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

Spiced Lemonade

1/2 cup lemon juice (the juice of 3 to 4 lemons)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
10 cups warm water

Add all ingredients to a pitcher with a lid.  Shake well.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.  Pour through a coffee filter or doubled cheese cloth into another pitcher; discard the solids.  Serve warm or cold.  Serves 8 to 10.

Mojito Mint - Herb of the Week

The Mojito, a traditional Cuban cocktail said to be the favorite of the writer Ernest Hemingway,  is made with rum, powdered sugar, lime juice, club soda and a mint unique to Cuba.  Since the true mojito mint is difficult to get “up north,” spearmint is usually substituted.  However I recommend that you grow a plant of Mojito Mint and enjoy its unique minty flavors.

Mojito mint and lemon verbena

True mojito mint known as Mentha x villosa is very different from other mints.  And worthy of being considered for an Herb of the Week

Mojito Mint’s scent and flavor are agreeably mild and warm, not pungent or overly sweet like some mints.  Like all mints it is easy to grow and will provide more than enough fresh sprigs for your mojitos. While recipes call for any available variety of Spearmint, the real mojito can only be made with the true Mojito Mint.

This culinary herb, a native to Cuba, was previously impossible to get in North America but thanks to Toronto mojito enthusiast Catherine Nasmith who visited Cuba in 2006, we now have the authentic plant from Cuba. Not just great in beverages, Mojito Mint also makes a great seasoning for meats and confections.

To Grow

Hardy in zones 5 through 9 it likes partial sun rather than full sun as it will react badly in full sun and high temperaturtes.  It requires normal water and should not be overwatered. The plant will not set seed accurately so it is best not to grow this plant from seed.  Instead gather it by root division, cutting or from a nursery plant.   They do very well in containers.  I grew it in a pot on the porch so I could make a Mojito anytime I wanted!

To Propogate from a stem cutting

This is good with many plants, like rosemary, scented geraniums, any variegated plant or hybrid variation, like Mojito mint.

You will need a mother plant, a sharp knife or scissors, plastic zip seal bags, Hormone rooting powder, growing medium, pots, a dibble (I just use a blunt pencil)

Collect only a small amount of material at a time and be sure to keep it in the zip seal bag to avoid moisture loss.  Choose a sturdy, non-flowering stem with lots of leaves. Cut a section just below the leaf joint and remove all but the top two of three leaves.  Fill a pot with moist growing medium.  Insert the blunt-end of a pencil into the edge of the pot and create a circle of holes. (Do not plant too close together or put one in the direct center of the pot.)  Dip the cuttings into hormone rooting powder, tapping off excess.  Place the cutting into the holes created with the dibble.  No need to fill the holes back in because when you water it the soil fills in itself. Be sure to water the pot lightly.  Cover with a plastic dome, or seal into a gallon sized zip seal bag.  You need to maintain maximum humidity. It will take 2 to 4 weeks for softwood cuttings like mint to root.  Once they are rooted transplant to individual pots.  Be sure to harden them off before moving outdoors.

I do this in the fall to make smaller plants to bring in side, so think about doing it now so the plants will be hardy by the time frost arrives.

If you just want to get a nursery plant, they are generally available from Richter’s Herbs at www.richters.com

To Use

Mojito Mint can be dried and used as a tea.  It has a rich flavor that is perfect with heartier herbs like rosemary and sage.  Mojito is a great herb to use to make scented oil for salves and is a nice ingredient in mint jelly.  You can also make a marinade for chicken or pork with it.  And of course it is the main ingredient in a Mojito Rum Drink.

Cuban Mojito recipethe original authentic recipe from Havana Cuba

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
Havana Club white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda

There are countless recipes for the Mojito (pronounced moh-HEE-toh), but this version is for the one Hemingway himself enjoyed at the Mojito's place of birth: La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba. If you are throwing a Cuban theme party (Havana night themed party), definitely plan on serving mojitos.

Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a "collins" glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime.

Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device with a nobby end, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn't available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also stir the club soda in as per your taste). Garnish with a mint sprig.

The Nojito

Here is a non-alcoholic recipe from recipezaar.com.

crushed ice

8 mint leaves

3 ounces lime juice

1-1/2 ounces sugar syrup

2 ounces club soda

garnish with mint

Fill a pint glass 1/3 full with ice, add mint leaves, lime juice

and sugar syrup. Lightly mash the leaves in the liquid using a

blunt instrument, taking care not to tear the leaves. Fill the

glass with more ice, add club soda, and garnish with mint.

Mojito Marinated Chicken

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup light rum (2 tablespoons)

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (finely)

6 tbls. Mojito mint syrup

1 tbls. vegetable oil

1 tbls. kosher salt (coarse)

6 chicken breast halves (with skin and bones about 5 pounds)

3 limes (quartered lengthwise)

1 sprig fresh mint

Directions:

Whisk lime juice, 1/2 cup rum, and next 4 ingredients in bowl. Place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over; seal bag. Turn bag to distribute marinade. Chill 4 hours, turning bag twice. Place lime quarters in shallow bowl. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons rum over, tossing to coat. Let stand at room temperature. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Grill chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Grill limes until soft and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Garnish platter with mint sprigs. Squeeze grilled limes over chicken and serve.

Mint Syrup

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

8 mint leaves

Directions

Combine water and sugar in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling and the sugar has dissolved (creating simple syrup), remove from heat. Rip the mint leaves into small pieces and combine with the hot simple syrup immediately after removing the pot from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool until the pot is cool to the touch. Now, it will be ready to add to a drink or recipe! Refrigerate the left-overs.

Herbal Beverages for Summer

Summer has finally decided to stay in Illinois. (We were not sure for a while there.)

My sister-in-law and her husband were just in for a visit and she & I had to go shopping for flavored selzer water because she cannot get her favorite brand since moving to Wisconsin from Chicago.  That got me to thinking about summer-time drinks.  I tend to drink sugar-free fruit drinks in the winter, but come summer I lean to iced teas and lemonade.

Lavender Lemonade

Lemonade is a summertime classic. We dress it up and make it unique by adding lavender to the recipe. Start by steeping a handful of lavender flowers in 2 cups water for about 10 minutes. Strain out the buds and use the remaning liquid with water as you make lemonade.   And that can be any kind of lemonade, both freshly squeezed lemons and sugar or the powdered stuff. To make it special, garnish the glasses with a sprig of lavender.  I have also used Backyard Patch Lemon Lavender Splash Tea to do this as well.  Just make 2 cups of tea and continue as above.  The Lemon Balm in the tea only enhances the Lemonade.

Quick Gingerale

A homemade ginger ale is simple to make and tastes better than what you can buy at the store. Make a simple syrup by combining one cup of water and one cup of sugar and bringing it to a a boil. Chop one large rhizome of ginger root into small pieces add it to the syrup, then simmer for 15 minutes. Allow the syrup to cool and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. If you prefer to strain out the ginger pieces, do it while the syrup is still warm. However, leaving the pieces in will continue to intensify the flavor. Add 2 tablespoons syrup to a glass filled with ice.  Fill the glass with club soda and stir. Store the syrup in the fridge for up to a week.

Flavored 7-up or Gingerale

My husband loves gingerale.  A dash of bitters in a tall glass of gingerale with ice and he is quite refreshed.  If you want to add a colorful, flavorful items to store bought 7-up or Gingerale, try this:  Add 3 or 4 tea bags of your favorite fruit tea to a bottle of gingerale. Be sure to tighten the top of the bottle back down to keep the carbonation in the soda. Allow to steep for at about an hour. Serve over ice.  I have used Citrus and Cinnamon Black Tea to flavor gingerale.

Best Backyard Patch Iced Teas

Not all herbs give great flavor when iced, but mints, flowers and sweet herbs tend to work best.  I have experimented with all my herbal teas, trying them hot, cold and as a syrup.  The results include these three best summer-time iced teas: Rest Easy, Calming Spirit and Rose Blush.  We even market them as Sun Teas in large tea bags for summer brewing.

Syrup Iced Tea Base

If you or your family prefer traditional iced tea, try making a simple syrup of equal parts honey and water.  Place the honey and water in a sauce pan and heat until the honey is dissolved and liquid.  Add herbs or tea bags to steep in the syrup after removing it from the heat.  While it is still warm, strain out the herbs or tea bags.  To use the syrup add 1 to 2 Tablespoons per cup of water and ice. You can also add a splash of lemon juice to the glass for added flavor.  The syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for about 1 week.