When you cook as much as I do, having fresh herbs to use is so nice and elevates even a simple meal into something delicious. Oregano, basil, chives are common herbs that are easy to grow and adds immense flavour to your recipes. All of this is why I am so excited to finally have a small herb garden of my own! So, let’s talk planting herbs.

If you’ve been following along in my “Grow with Me and Wile’s Lake Farm Market” series, you know I have planned my garden, got my soil ready, planted some cool weather crops and thought about companion planting. It’s early June and while there are a few herbs I am going to wait on planting…hello basil…it is time to plant some herbs, or in my case establish a small herb garden.

You can watch our Facebook Live video where Elspeth gives me great tips and advice on growing herbs…and we have a good laugh over why cats love and need gardens too! 😉

I have in the past grown some chives and oregano, just in a big pot…which keep coming back each year. However I really wanted to establish a small herb garden, close to my vegetable garden that I could keep an eye on and would be close for harvesting and snipping when needed. My garden space is very natural so we just used some rocks we found around our property and planned out a small space for my herb garden. I then filled the space with some good quality soil and added some compost to it. Then it was time to decide on what to plant. 🙂

My daughter and I took a trip back out to Wile’s Lake Farm Market where they have an amazing selection of herbs…

In fact if you don’t have space for your own herb garden, you can plant some in pots or even pick up one of these Herb Planters they have at Wile’s Lake Farm Market all ready to go!

I picked up some things I know I will be using in my recipes this summer and fall. Here is what I bought and transplanted…

Rosemary: Rosemary is great with chicken, fish, pork, roasted potatoes, cheeses, oils, vinegar and in some breads and muffins as well. I love the smell of fresh rosemary!

Garlic Chives: Chives can replace onions in some recipes and are good in egg dishes, pasta, etc.

Thyme: Thyme makes a great seasoning for all meat. Also goes well in dressings, soups and sauces.

Mojito Mint…this mint is most often used to make a Cuba-inspired, Mojito cocktail. Refreshing on a hot summer day! This is planted in a separate pot as they have a tendency to take over.

Curly Leaf Parsley:Parsley has so many uses! You can use this in salads, with vegetables, soups and pasta, It will be so great to have this fresh all summer!

Lemon Coriander: I planted lemon coriander from seed.I’m really interested in this as it has a lemon taste and fragrance and is good is soups, casseroles and stews. Mmmm!

I also planted Dill from seed, and will be transplanting some Oregano and also will be planting Basil next week. Exciting!

My herb garden is just a small rock garden, but I am really looking forward to having fresh herbs to use in my meals.

I planted a combination of Sweet Valley Herbs transplants, and seeds from Suttons and Halifax Seed, all of which are available at Wile’s Lake Farm Market. If you are new to gardening, a pot of herbs on your deck or a small herb garden of your own is a great and fun way to start.

As the fall approaches, I hope to learn and share some techniques to harvest and dry them. Stay tuned! 😉 If you do grow herbs, leave a comment and let me know what your favourite herb is to grow and what you do with it!

“Grow with Me and Wile’s Lake Farm Market” is sponsored by Wile’s Lake Farm Market located in Wileville, Nova Scotia. They carry different varieties of seeds and transplants to assist with planting and growing herbs. Their knowledgeable staff is also available to answer any questions you might have.