Herb-A-Licious

I am a big herb fan! I grow Catnip for my kitties and I use Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, Marjoram, Basil, Peppermint, Spearmint, Chives, Dill, Parsley, and Cilantro in many recipes. I often plant several of each of these plants. Many will produce some beautiful flowers if you don't cut them often. I admit I usually will let a plant flower, especially the Chives! I think the Chive flower is gorgeous! The cilantro is different and I find that their flowers remind me of messy baby's breath. However, letting them flower means they will go to seed. Why would you do this? Because you can harvest the seeds which is the spice coriander. Plus any seeds that have fall to the ground will sprout new cilantro plants before fall. At that time, I harvest their leaves and preserve them for winter along with my other herbs. And if you don't preserve the herbs for the winter months, you will find that it is fabulous to have the fresh herbs in your garden so you can stroll out on a sunny day and harvest them when you need them. Of course, I buy my plants (remember my animal friends), from the local supplier and make sure they are organically certified as we use no chemicals or GMO's here. Also, most are companion plants to inhibit weed growth or bugs or to aid another plant in growing or better still they attract beneficial insects. The herbs that aide in these areas are Basil, Chives, Catnip, Cilantro, Dill, Marjoram, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme. (We'll talk about companion planting later)