Herb Gardening in Your Apartment
Your days of gourmet dinners filled with the aroma and flavor of your hand-grown herbs are just around the corner. You have all your supplies and have carefully chosen a selection of herbs for your kitchen. Here’s how to plant and tend your garden:
Before planting the seeds, soak them in water or place between wet paper towels in a plastic bag for two to four hours.
Plant seeds by sprinkling them over the soil and then covering them with 1/4 inch additional soil.
Have Popsicle sticks or another form of writable material on hand for labeling the seeds as you plant them. This will ensure you don’t get them mixed up as they grow.
Water the plants until moisture comes out through the drainage holes. The plants will thrive in a warm location (on top of the refrigerator works well for many apartment-dwellers). Leave them there until they sprout, watering them only when the soil is dry to the touch. When the herbs germinate (meaning when they first sprout), transfer them from their cozy warm location to a sunny place where they can grow. Continue to water them whenever the soil gets dry. You may have to snip out some of the plants using scissors or gardening shears if a large number germinate. This is necessary to avoid overcrowding in your garden. You can harvest your herbs as soon as they are established. Just be sure to leave a sprig behind so that they continue to grow. Trimming your herbs will allow them to grow bushy and continue sprouting new crops.
When cooking with your herbs, you can take them right off the stem and into your dish. You can also preserve your herbs by drying or freezing them. Freeze chives and cilantro by removing the stems and placing them in zip-lock freezer bags. Dry oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme; store them in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Either method will work for basil, parsley and tarragon. Dried herbs lose their potency after about one year and should then be discarded. Because the sun dries out the flavors in herbs, it is best to pick them just before they bloom to preserve their aroma and flavor. If you harvest your herbs in late September, you’ll have a good stockpile to last you through the winter. Herb gardens are proof that you don’t have to live in a sprawling home with a giant backyard to enjoy the fruits of your gardening labors.
Bon appetit!
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