There are over 100 different herbs that grow easily in the sub-tropics, so whatever your gourmet tastes, you can grow something to use in your kitchen.

I love cooking and I love the taste that fresh herbs and vegetables bring to food, so it was a bit of a challenge to narrow this list down to just the Top 10 🙂

The following list of herbs is in order of preference, so obviously Basil is my favourite herb to grow. In fact I cannot imagine a garden without some fresh basil growing 🙂

Let us know in the comments area which herbs you consider most important!

Number 1: Basil

Sweet Basil

There are soo many great Basil varieties, each with a different flavour to impart. I really could start and finish this list with Basil.

In fact if you separate Basil out into Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil, Greek Basil, Perenial Basil and Holy Basil you could almost make up the Top 10 Herbs to grow just with Basil 🙂

Basil is really easy to grow. All it needs is a minimum of 4 hours sunlight a day, well drained soil, food and plenty of water.

Basil is an annual, so it will grow, flower and die all in one season. To extend the growing season, and so you get to pick and eat more Basil, you need to pinch out all the flowers. If you let it go to flower, the leaves get a much stronger flavour, which some people like and obviously some people don’t!

Number 2: Coriander

Coriander

Coriander is one of those herbs that people either love or hate! It is used extensively in Asian foods, in particular Thai food.

Coriander is really easy to grow from seed. It is pretty unfussy about almost everything. I have grown coriander in really poor sandy soils and in clay soils and both have been really successful. All you have to do is water it occasionally and give it a bit of a liquid feed! The bonus is that you use all of the plant including leaves, seeds and the roots.

The downside with Coriander is that it really doesn’t like humidity so it bolts to seed in Brisbane’s summer heat, and then refuses to grow until temperatures cool down.

Number 3: Parsley

Italian Parsley

There are several different types of parsley, but they are separated mainly into curly parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley. Parsley has come a long way from the days when it was used mainly as a garnish on the side of the plate! Now it is used as an ingredient in its own right in everything from Tabouli to Parsley Pesto and Salsa Verde.

Parsley is really easy to grow from seeds or from seedlings. It will grow in most types of soil and just needs the occasional water and fertiliser to grow well.

I use it as an edging plant thoughout my garden. When it finally goes to seed the native bees have a field day and I get more self-sown parsley.

Number 4: Rosemary

Rosemary

Rosemary is such a versatile herb that adds flavour to many dishes. One of my favourites is to add sprigs of Rosemary to roast lamb and to lay sprigs across potatoes as they roast. This adds the flavour of rosemary subtly throughout the meal.

Rosemary grows either as a ground cover, with a prostrate form or as an upright shrub. It needs really well draining soil and cannot abide having wet feet. If it is waterlogged for any length of time it will die, which means it is a great plant for that corner of the garden that gets full sun but very little water.

Rosemary is a perennial and will grow for many years. I have a bush that is over 15 years old and still growing strongly.

Number 5: Mint

Spearmint

Mint is like Basil in that there are soo many varieties you can grow. Everything from Spearmint and Peppermint to Apple Mint, Chocolate mint, Basil mint and one of my personal favourites, Eau de Cologne mint.

Mint is really easy to grow. In fact many gardening blogs will tell you not to put it in the garden as it becomes a weed. I grow mine in pots and what I love is that it really doesn’t mind having wet feet. In fact mint grows alongside rivers or on the edges of ponds.

It is fabulous to use in foods. The classic Lamb with mint sauce is an all time favourite!

Number 6: Chives

Chives

Chives come in two separate varieties, onion chives and garlic chives. The onion flavoured chives are the more traditional variety and are much thinner than the garlic chives.

Chives are a great herb that adds a mild onion-like flavour to foods. Because of their delicate flavour, Chives need to be added right at the end of cooking, or even when serving. Chives are brilliant with fish as they add a subtle onion flavour without overpowering the other flavours. I also love them in mashed potatoes.

Chives are really easy to grow and will grow from seeds which can self-sow if you allow your chives to flower. The flowers are an attractive mauve, much favoured by bees.

Number 7: Lemongrass

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is one of those really useful herbs if you want a subtle lemony flavour. It is used extensively in Asian cuisine, especially in Thai and Vietnamese foods.

It is almost too easy to grow, and has definite weed potential. As I have learnt, it is best if you restrict it to a large pot and prune hard on a regular basis to stop it from going to flower and setting seed.

Apart from its use in foods, it makes a refreshing herbal tea. And its use isn’t restricted to the kitchen. I use the dried fronds in the chook house to stop fleas and mites from attacking the chooks. And for some reason, my dogs love chewing lemongrass more than pet grass!

Number 8: Thyme

Thyme

Thyme is a herb that is used extensively in mediterranean foods. It imparts a lovely flavour to stews and sauces and is one of the herbs known as a pizza herb as it is great added to pizza toppings.

Thyme is an attractive groundcover plant that is used as a lawn substitute. It is also great growing in rockeries and on the edges of paths where it emits a lovely perfume when trodden on.

Thyme flowers constantly throughout the year with attractive mauve flowers that are attractive to bees and other beneficial insects. It is easy to grow, preferring a sunny position with not too much water.

Number 9: Oregano

Oregano

Oregano is another herb that is used extensively in mediterranean foods. It is used in Italian foods to add flavour to tomato-based sauces and is one of the herbs known as a pizza herb as it is great added to pizza toppings.

The Greeks use oregano more as a salad herb, adding it to dressings. I love oregano in a fresh dressing over Haloumi cheese.

Oregano grows easily and can be an attractive grouncover plant, if it is pinched out regularly, which helps it to thicken up. It is also great growing in rockeries and on the edges of paths where it emits a lovely perfume when trodden on.

Number 10: Pandan

Pandan leaves

Pandan is probably the least known of the Herbs covered in this Blog.

It is a tropical plant and although it can grow as far south as the central coast it needs to be grown in pots so that it can be moved indoors during winter. It has broad-blade leaves that are added during the cooking process, but which are removed before serving.

If you are a fan if Asian cuisine you have probably tasted Pandan, but not known what it is. It adds a lovely nutty flavour to Jasmine rice, and is used extensively in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Pandan plants are grown from cuttings or potting up offshoots from the mother plant. It prefers semi to full shade and reasonable water.

As you can see, I love cooking with fresh herbs because of the variety and flavour they add to food. These are my picks of the Top 10 Herbs.

I chose these herbs as I love Asian and Greek/Mediterranean cuisines. Perhaps you prefer more European cuisines, in which case Herbs like Sage and Tarragon would rate higher on the list. Whatever your choice, next time you are cooking why not try adding a different flavour using a home-grown herb. You might even find you can reduce the amount of salt you add to your foods and thereby improve your health and well-being.

Let us know in the comments area which herbs you consider most important!

Happy Gardening from Rohanne, Your Personal Garden Expert 🙂

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I was down the market the other day and saw that they had lemongrass for sale – 3 stalks for $5.00!

Honestly, if you don’t know how to grow lemongrass you would think at that price that Lemongrass was a precious, hard to grow herb. In reality, growing Lemongrass is easy!

You can grow lemongrass from seed or seedling. It can even grow it by buying one of those stalks and allowing it to take root in a glass of water!

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is not fussy about soil, water, fertiliser. In fact, it’s not fussy about much. I even had a clump growing in a crack in a concrete driveway!

Actually, I would say there are more “Do Nots” when it comes to growing lemongrass!

My list of “Do Not’s” when growing lemongrass include:

1. Don’t plant it directly in the garden, unless you have a massive yard or a corner where absolutely nothing with grow! Always keep it contained in a pot.

2. Do Not plant it in a small pot. I would recommend a fairly large pot as the plant can be large when established so can look top heavy or even break a smaller pot.

3. Do Not plant it in a mixed pot with other herbs. It will smother the other herbs.

4. Do Not let it get out of control! Prune it regularly, and hard. It responds well to being controlled.

5. Do Not let it go to “flower”! Its flowers are more like a fluffy fringe similar to most grass flowers. If you let it go to seed, the wind and birds will disperse the seed and you and your neighbours will have it everywhere. In fact, lemongrass has become an environmental weed in many parts of Queensland.

6. Do Not fertilise it. The more you fertilise, the larger the clump will grow and the more flower spikes it will send up!

7. Do Not ignore little seedlings that pop up in your garden. These seedling are not cute, as they grow into massive clumps!

So Why Grow Lemongrass?

Well, it is fabulous in curries, stir fry’s, laksa and many Thai and Asian-based soups.  And it makes a really refreshing tea!

If you do use it in cooking, then its better to grow it than pay $5 for a small bunch!

To use lemongrass if you are growing it, just go to the base of the plant, find a thick stalk and twist to break it away from the mother plant. It should come away fairly easily. Be careful with the leaves as they are razor-sharp on the edges. Cut the top of the stalk off, leaving about 20-30cm.

Trim the base, peel off the outer layers until you reach the softer whitish centre. This can then be sliced into thin rings, pounded with a rolling pin or crushed in a mortar and pestle.

lemongrass stalk

If you are buying a stalk, choose stalks that feel heavy. Otherwise, it may have been picked too long and allowed to dry out, leaving it less tasty and woodier in texture.

Lemongrass adds a lovely mild citrusy flavour to many Asian recipes, but I find that the woody texture is an acquired taste. It’s better to cut the stalk into 6 cm pieces and just bruise it with a mallet to release the oils.

I then add the bruised lemongrass pieces to the soup or curry early in the cooking process, and remove the stalks before serving. If I want to add it to a stir-fry, I slice it into thin rings and bash it in a mortar and pestle.

It also makes a refreshing tea. Just add the bruised stalks to a pot or teacup, cover with boiling water and let it infuse. Remove the stalks and drink the tea.

Alternatively, use lemongrass to add a lovely citrus flavour to a bottle of vodka for cocktails. Just peel and bruise a lemongrass stalk, put it in a nearly full bottle of vodka, allow to steep for 3-4 days, shaking occasionally and remove the stalks.

lemongrass plant

Like many herbs and spices, it is high in vitamins including vitamins A, C and traces of B group vitamins. It is also high in minerals including magnesium, folate, iron, potassium, copper, phosphorus and manganese. The human body needs the vitamins and minerals to function effectively.

Lemongrass has an extensive history of use in Asian countries for its medicinal properties including its anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and it is reported to reduce the symptoms associated with colds and flu’s.

It has been called fever grass for its ability to reduce raised body temperatures and is also said to be good for arthritis and joint pain, lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and delaying age-related chronic diseases!

So why not grow some lemongrass today?

Happy Gardening

Rohanne, Your Personal Garden Expert

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Here are a few things you need to know about how to grow Turmeric

Turmeric is an attractive plant with wide, bright green leaves and beautiful flowers. The flowers look like they are made out of silk. Growing Turmeric is easy!

turmeric plant

To grow your own Turmeric, all you need to do is get a piece of Turmeric root from your local market and plant it in a good quality potting mix. Keep it moist, but not wet in a warm, sheltered location protected from frosts and cold mornings.

I prefer to grow my Turmeric in a pot as it makes it easy to move around the garden and to harvest the corms. However, if you are going to grow Turmeric further south than the NSW central coast, or anywhere where you get cold winters, this becomes more of a necessity.

By growing your Turmeric in pots you can start growing it under shelter. Move it outside as the weather warms up.

I find mine does best with some shelter from the hot afternoon sun in summer. It takes about 8 months to grow a crop. This might seem a bit excessive but at $50 or more per kilo you soon see the benefits. Especially as you will probably find that it has pretty much filled the pot in this time!

To harvest your Turmeric, wait until the leaves have died down then dig up the plant. Pull the roots away from any stem that remains. Wash off the dirt and it’s ready to use.

Turmeric corm

When dealing with fresh Turmeric you need to use gloves, or you will have yellow-stained fingers for quite a few days. Turmeric adds a warm, earthy peppery flavour to many Indian and Asian recipes, especially when used fresh.

I usually grate mine and use in curries or stir-fries. Its also great in a Turmeric latte heated with almond milk and organic honey and then strained.

Otherwise, you can dehydrate thin slices in an oven or food dehydrator and then crush into a powder when dry.

If you are used to cooking with ground turmeric spice, take care when using it fresh as it is much stronger in taste and you will only need a small amount to really add its peppery zest to a meal. I find the fresh Turmeric a much nicer flavour than the dried powders.

Like many herbs and spices, Turmeric is being welcomed as a super-food and it seems that many of its claims are being supported by science. It is high in an anti-oxidant called curcumin, which is being promoted as having anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer properties.

A number of the claims being backed up by science. These include it being very good for arthritis and joint pain, lowering the risk of heart disease and delaying age-related chronic diseases, as well as being helpful in the prevention and treatment of some cancers!

Some of the information that you read says that there may not enough of these health giving properties in the natural food, and that you have to take it as a supplement in order to get the benefits. However, it seems this is not completely true (surprise, surprise the supplements manufacturers aren’t telling us the full truth).

It has been used for thousands of years in Chinese and Indian medicine without needing to be concentrated, although research has shown that, when Turmeric is heated with fats and other spices, particularly black pepper its effectiveness is increased by up to 2000 percent.

So why not try to grow Turmeric today.

Happy gardening!

Rohanne, your Personal Garden Expert

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What is Echinacea?

Echinacea

Echinacea is a herb that helps our immune system protect us from catching colds and flu.

It also plays a role in shortening the duration of sickness if you do catch a cold. These health effects have been supported by research.

Echinacea is also known as the purple cone flower and is a perennial plant that is really easy to grow. It grows up to 140 cm or 4 feet.

Echinacea seeds

How do you grow Echinacea?

All you need to grow Echinacea is a well-drained soil with a neutral pH, some seeds or a piece of Echinacea root and a full sun to part shade position. I find in the sub-tropics that my Echinacea needs some protection from the hot afternoon sun.

Plant the seeds (see photo) and they will germinate in around 14 days and, if planted in spring will flower in the first year.

What are Echinacea’ benefits?

Most of you would be aware of Echinacea and its health benefits.

Did you know however that you can get all the benefits of Echinacea from the actual Echinacea plant? This may even be better for you, given that researchers have found that over 10% of commercially available Echinacea pills contained absolutely no Echinacea!

All you need to do is make and drink echinacea tea.

To make Echinacea tea, finely chop a few echinacea leaves, then squeeze the pulp through a strainer to yield about half a teaspoon of juice. Dilute in hot water and drink.

Adults can take this dose three times per day, making a fresh batch each time.

As with many herbal remedies, it is not suitable for people who are pregnant and breastfeeding, are taking immuno-suppressive medication or are allergic to other members of the Asteraceae family.

Echinacea is a perennial which means that the plant will die back in winter, which is often when you need the plant’s health effects most!! Don’t worry.

You can use some grated root to make a tea or you can dry the leaves when it is flowering abundantly and use the dried leaves to make the tea.

Happy gardening

Rohanne, your Personal Gardening Expert

The post How to grow Echinacea plants? appeared first on Delectable Garden.

I was down at my local farmers market on the weekend, and I noticed some Galangal root for sale.

This is great, as it can be hard to find in the shops and local markets at this time of year. I grow my own Galangal and it will soon be in flower and after the leaves die down it is ready to harvest.

Galangal root

If you haven’t tried Galangal, it is a member of the ginger family ginger. And, like ginger, is used extensively in cooking.

Galangal is found primarily in Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines. It has a hotter, more peppery taste than ginger with under-notes of pine and citrus.

To use it, add it to soups such as Thai Chicken and Coconut soup. Its also an important ingredient in many Thai curry pastes.

Depending which recipes you read, some say if you don’t have Galangal you can substitute ginger. Other recipes say that it is different and that ginger and galangal cannot be used interchangeably. I am in the latter camp as to me they have different flavours to contribute.

Galangal is closely related to Ginger and, as such, has many of the healing and medicinal uses attributed to ginger. It is said that consuming Galangal on a regular basis can help with digestion, reducing bloating, constipation and vomiting.

Like ginger, Galangal helps reduce motion sickness and nausea. It has proven anti-inflammatory properties, which means that it can help treat arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Galangal has been shown to improve blood circulation, improving oxygen supply and nutrient supply to the extremities including the hands and feet. As such it has been credited as assisting with hair growth and to treat baldness, although this is not proven.

It can also help respiratory problems. A mixture of Galangal and lime juice can be used as a tonic for coughs and colds.

As Galangal is high in anti-oxidants it helps to minimise the damage caused by free radicals and other toxins in the body.

Galangal is a tropical plant, although it grows well in Brisbane, and can be grown as far south as Melbourne with a bit of care.

It is an attractive plant, very similar to ginger with quite narrow strappy green leaves. I prefer to grow my Galangal in a pot as it makes it easy to harvest, but this becomes more of a necessity if you are going to grow Galangal further south than the central coast.

This way you can start growing your Galangal under shelter and move it outside as the weather warms up.

Galangal plant

Galangal is really easy to grow and is seldom bothered by insects or disease.

All you need to do is get a piece of Galangal root from your local market and plant it in good quality potting mix. Keep it moist, but not wet in a warm, sheltered location.

I find mine does best with some shelter from the hot afternoon sun. It takes about 8 months to grow a crop. But in this time you will be probably find that it has pretty much filled the pot, depending on how big a pot you started with of course!

Yes, that may seem a while but at between $30 to $50 per kilo it’s worth it! So why not try growing some today?

Happy gardening

Rohanne, your Personal Garden Expert

Related Posts

How to Grow Turmeric in Australia

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How to grow Coriander in Brisbane?

Coriander

A friend was complaining to me the other day that she had been unsuccessful growing coriander in Brisbane at the moment. The seedlings either died as soon as they were planted or bolted straight to seed.

I advised her that you can’t grow coriander in Brisbane in summer. She said she had been able to buy the seedlings so had assumed it was okay! Also, all the gardening sites she had looked at said it grew well in the sub-tropics all year round.

This raises a couple of issues. To start with, just because you can buy plants or seedlings or even bulbs in Brisbane, doesn’t mean you can grow that plant here. I have seen peonies for sale up here and they almost need snow just to stay alive!

Many large chain stores have centralised purchasing divisions. These divisions purchase all products centrally in order to gain the maximum savings. They then send the same goods to all their stores across Australia, regardless of whether that product is needed in that region. (You can actually buy snow gear in Cairns!)

I have noticed that a lot of gardening advice on the internet comes from overseas. Even if it is on an Australian website, many people just do a cut and paste without understanding subtle differences in climates, weather patterns, plant availability etc. Sometimes it is really hard to tell that the advice isn’t written for, or even correct for, Australia and for the region you are trying to grow plants in.

How to grow Coriander?

Coriander seeds

Finally, and getting back to growing coriander, it is best to grow coriander from seed.

Plant the seeds where you want it to grow.

I always leave one or two coriander plants to go to seed.

This gives my native bees and other beneficial insects a big feed. As a consequence, I get coriander seeds to use in cooking and some of the coriander will self-seed and find its most desirable spot to grow.

As a result I get a really strong coriander plant next season. Most of my self-seeded plants really like growing in a rocky, sandy path with poor nutrients but reasonable water from the adjacent veggie patch!

In my experience, you can start sowing seeds from around St Patrick’s day. The seeds will germinate when the weather and soil temperatures suit them.

If you use a lot of coriander you might want to sew some more seeds a few weeks later and continue this through to around August. This way you will always have some coriander in the garden during its best growing period.

If I only want a few stalks of coriander, I pick from the centre of the plant. Otherwise, I collect the whole plant, roots and all, to use when I am making a Thai curry. If I don’t want to use the whole plant I find the roots in particular freeze well for later use.

Finally, this post is dedicated to my fabulous sister, Bron who just loves coriander!

Happy gardening 🙂

Rohanne, your Personal Gardening Expert.

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The post Growing Coriander: The Tips on How to Grow it in Brisbane appeared first on Delectable Garden.

I have a real problem in my front garden. Several neighbours have cats that are allowed to roam freely, and they all seem to like using my front garden as their toilet.

Now I don’t wish the cats or my neighbours any harm, but I really don’t like having to clean up the cat poo! I think even cat lovers don’t enjoy the kitty litter job!

Anyway, it turns out that the herb Rue is a natural deterrent to cats. The leaves have a very pungent citrusy type smell, that apparently cats hate. So, on the weekend I purchased Rue plants and transplanted them in the middle of the garden that the cats favour most!

Rue

A bonus is that the Rue plants also deter many insects, including fleas and mosquitoes. It is also a magnet for butterflies! I can’t believe I haven’t had this wonderful herb in my garden before now!

Other herbs with similar repellent properties include lemon thyme and penny royal. So I will be planting these nearby, and hope that the cats find somewhere else to use as their toilet.

If you have a similar problem with cats pooing in your garden, then why not try one of these natural repellents in your garden! They are easy to grow and not overly fussy in their requirements.

A word of caution:

Rue plants, like all herbs contain essential oils. However, some people can be sensitive to the Rue plant. This can result in nasty skin blisters. So always use gloves when handling Rue plants or weeding around Rue plants.

Happy gardening 🙂

Rohanne, your Personal Gardening Expert

Related Posts

Top 10 Must Have Herbs To Grow in Your Garden

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I know I have!

It turns out that there is a really simple way of separating Herbs and Spices.

Basil is a Herb

Generally speaking a Herb is the green parts of the plant, and its mainly the leaves that are used.

A Spice is generally the berries, fruits, pods, bark and stems of the plant.

So Herbs are plants whose leaves we use such as basil, sage, thyme and even stevia. Meanwhile cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg are all spices.

Both herbs and spices can be dried, but most spices are used only when they are dried.

Herbs and Spices

Most herbs are better when used when they are as fresh as possible. Some of the essential oils that make them so valued in cooking can be lost during the drying process. They are often best added toward the end of the cooking process so that you don’t lose the essential oils and thus the flavour. There are exceptions to this rule, like with fresh rosemary which is added early on in the cooking process as it is fairly woody.

As a generalisation, spices are added at the start of the cooking process so the flavour can infuse through during cooking.

So, what is the difference between a herb and a vegetable?

A herb is used in small quantities to add flavour to a food, whereas a vegetable is used in larger quantities as part of the substance of the dish.

By this definition a vegetable can sometimes be a herb, or vice versa. For example, wild rocket used in a pesto is a herb, but used in a Rocket, Pear and Parmesan salad is a salad vegetable. Confused? I hope not!

Rocket

Below I have included one of my favourite recipes using the herb Rocket as a vegetable. I hope that you enjoy it!

Rocket, Pear and Parmesan salad

2 firm pears, cored and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 Lemon
125g baby rocket leaves, washed
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shaved parmesan

Method: Sprinkle the pears with a little lemon juice to prevent them browning. To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and cracked black pepper in a jar and shake well to combine. In a large bowl mix the rocket, sliced pear, pine nuts and dressing and gently toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with shaved parmesan. Serve

Happy gardening 🙂

Rohanne, your Personal Gardening Expert

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