Especially if you’re in New England this winter, that familiarity is turning into a bit of an itch. We’ve got one False Spring under our belts (who remembers t-shirts? Sigh.), and we’re getting a bit stir-crazy waiting for the real one. But if we’re stuck indoors, then we’ll bring spring inside, darn it - and we’ll do it the most delicious way we know how.
Enter herb gardening.
It’s not just for wistful English grandmothers! It’s also way easier than it seems. All it takes is some basic knowledge of plant cycles and an appetite for bright, fresh salads, teas, and garnishes. Plus, it’s a super fulfilling hobby. Here’s how to get started:
No seeding pots? No problem.
The most simple, compostable way to get started seeding your herbs is planting them in eggs cartons. Some tutorials like this one supplement potting soil with coffee grounds, but if you’re a novice, then starting with water, soil, seed, and an egg carton will yield you perfectly acceptable seedlings!
Feel free to step outside the box when choosing herb varieties, too.
(There’s a whole world of Mint variations, alone, ranging from Chocolate Mint to Peppermint to Lavender Mint, that will totally new flavor profiles to your meals.)
Seedlings all set? Next comes planting -
which may need to be done in indoor pots or baskets for the time being - where you can really get creative. One of our favorite strategies is the salad bowl planter, which makes for the easiest fresh salads ever. With a wider planter and a little bit of strategic planting, you can centralize your herb garden in a single pot for easy picking. This works great for Mesclun, Spinach, Wheatgrass, and plenty of other combos.
Don’t hesitate to ask Google for some good combos,
either - it can’t hurt to know the little nuances, like that Mint can be invasive and Chives will grow like wildfire. Once the plants have matured, though, your whole salad is basically there for the picking!
With certain herbs, your key to gardening success lies in the plant’s life cycle.
Cilantro, for example, will stop producing leaves at a point and proceed into the flowering and “bolting” stage, where all its energy is then channeled into producing seeds for a new plant. To make sure you have fresh Cilantro around at all times, then, it’s a great idea to keep several plants in different stages of development. That way, you have a steady supply of fresh Cilantro leaves, and aren’t left empty-handed when the plant bolts and goes dormant.
The fun part!
Most people think “garnishes” when they grow plants like Basil and Mint, but fresh herbs are secret superheroes that can carry anything from salads to desserts to teas. You know us - we can’t help but share our favorite, so here are some great places to start:
You can always chat with your Tiny Spoon chef to collaborate on something fresh and awesome. Have some fresh Cilantro you want to use? Your chef can prep a robust Asian salad base, a rich and flavorful broth, you name it - and all you have to do is add your herbs. We’re huge fans of fresh, homegrown food, and we’re always looking for creative new ways to foster kitchen innovation and collaborate with our Tiny Spoon fam!