Basil
Start this plant from seed sown outdoors after danger of frost is over. You
can choose varieties having either green or red-purple leaves. The latter are so
handsome and decorative that they are used as foliage plants in flower beds.
They grow up to two feet high and should be thinned to be six inches apart. The
scented foliage is used in cooking, and is especially delicious with tomato
dishes. You can begin picking young leaves when the plants are six weeks old.
Leaves to be dried should be picked before the plant's spikes of blooms appear.
Dill
Along the coast we often see a plant that we confuse with the dill. Although
this is usually called wild fennel or wild anise, they are neither fennel,
anise, nor dill. True dill plants grow two to three feet high, with bluish-green
finely divided feathery leaves and flat clusters of small, yellowish flowers
that develop into tasty seeds. Both leaves and seeds are used for flavoring
pickles and other foods. The leaves have their best quality before the flowers
open; seeds are harvested when ripe. The plants like to grow in full sun. Start
them from seed in spring after danger of frost has past. Sow them where they are
to grow, for seedlings are difficult to transplant. Thin the plants to a
ten-inch spacing. The excess ones can be used or dried. Usually dill self-sows,
so that if you grow it once you have it forever.
Summer Savory
You will enjoy using these leaves, fresh or dry, with meats, fish, soups or
vegetables. The plant grows twelve to eighteen inches high, with small pungent
foliage on wiry stems. There are tiny white or pink flowers. Grow it from seed
started in early spring where it is to remain. Thin the seedlings to stand six
to twelve inches apart. Harvest the leafy tops as the plants come into bud, and
dry them hanging upside down.
Sweet Marjoram
While this is a perennial, it tends to winterkill so is treated as an annual
where freezing occurs. It is one of the most delightful fragrant and flavorsome
herbs, very popular for adding to poultry stuffing and sauces for fish. The
plant grows eight to twelve inches high, with small velvety gray-green leaves.
Each plant needs eight inches of space. Start with seeds; these are very tiny
and slow to germinate so are often started indoors. Soak them in water overnight
before sowing. Outdoor planting should be done as soon as possible after the
frost-free date in spring. Fresh leaves may be picked and used after the plants
are growing well.
Tarragon
Buy started plants. One or two are sufficient. They grow about eighteen
inches high and need twelve inches of space. Plants are multi-branched with
narrow, twisted leaves that have a flavor similar to that of anise. Young leaves
and tips of stems are used fresh in salads, or are used in vinegar or salad
dressing in which they are steeped. Do not dry; the flavor is lost. Plants grow
best in part shade but tolerate full sun.
