Need an additional idea for a Mother’s Day gift? Create an herb garden for Mom! The week before Mother’s Day is National Herb Week—a perfect time to celebrate the delicious flavor and fragrance of herbs by creating an herb garden for someone who loves to feed her favorite child with delicious homemade meals. (You just want to make Mom happy, right?!) If you really want to “wow” Mom, make her dinner using herbs that you’ve grown. Trust us: she’ll be impressed! Whether she loves pasta made with homemade pesto, pizza with fresh oregano, or coq au vin flavored with bouquet garni, the fact that you’re cooking for her—with homegrown herbs—will definitely win you favored-child status.
The nicest part of growing herbs: it’s easy. You don’t need a big garden plot. Pretty pots of herbs are perfectly happy growing on a sunny windowsill inside or on a bright balcony. The second nicest thing about herbs is: they smell amazing. Even if your culinary skills need some assistance, just inhaling the scent of herbs provides soothing benefits.
But of course, the real reason most of us grow herbs is that they taste great. Homegrown herbs add much more intense flavor to your recipes than the dried or limp “fresh” herbs found at the grocery store. Plus, growing your own herbs adds convenience: just pluck a few leaves from your favorite herb plants instead of running to the store for over-priced, lesser quality ingredients. You’ll amaze friends and family when you casually mention that you need to “chiffonade the chervil.” With fresh herbs at your fingertips, you can’t help but create delicious, Michelin-star-worthy recipes!
Of course, your herbal aspirations may be as simple as a pot of homegrown basil to pair with summer’s top fruit, tomatoes. Before you begin your herb garden, take a minute and think about your favorite flavors and recipes, then select plants that you’ll enjoy. Some herbs, like basil, need warm temperatures, good moisture, and full sun, while others, like parsley, tolerate cooler temperatures and part-sun. Mediterranean herbs, like oregano, rosemary, lavender, and thyme, need well-drained soil. Make sure to group herbs with similar needs together for best success, or plant in individual pots.
Take a trip to your favorite Master Nursery® Garden Center to find your ideal herbs for your garden. If you have questions about which herbs grow well together, you’ll find great help from the experts there. Make sure to pick up Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder [Eastern & Midwestern Regions | Western Region], Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Starter Food, and Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Tomato and Vegetable Food to give your new plants a great start.
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