My Herb Garden

by Nancy
(Boston, MA)

I grow my herb garden in containers on my deck, which makes maintenance very simple. I’ve grown a number of different types of herbs, but I’ve been most successful with basil. The basil plants usually produce throughout the summer, and they re-grow new tiers of leaves quickly after I’ve pinched off the leaves. I dry the leaves on wire baking racks, and then I store them in paper bags. They make great gifts at Christmas, as they really evoke the summer months. My sister-in-law takes quite a bit of it every year to make pesto.

The herb that I’ve had the least success with is dill. I suspect it's an issue with water, but I’m not sure if my plants are too wet or too dry. I use self-watering containers, so in theory, the plants should be getting exactly the right amount of water. My original thought was that they were getting either too much or not enough sun, but I tried varying their location without any luck at fixing the problem. The dill generally starts out fine, but the plants yellow quickly and lose their scent and flavor. Dill I prefer to use fresh, usually in cucumber salads with my cukes from my vegetable garden, but I do dry some of it. When I dry it, I do it in the microwave, as I find that it keeps the flavor better. The key is to get the dill off the plate quickly after microwaving it, because otherwise, it tends to stick to the plate and is very difficult to get off without completely mangling the plant.

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