Why You Should Grow Herbs
I love when I can walk through a garden and brush against herbs.
I love the fragrance that wafts over everything and lingers on me even when I leave the garden; it makes me smile every time.
But you know what I love even more?
How awesome fresh herbs are. Store bought cilantro and basil are only a shadow of the complex fresh flavor your fresh cut herbs will yield. The same is true of the home grown and dried herbs.
If you’ve been on the fence about growing herbs or adding to your herb garden I’m here to talk you into grown as many herbs as you can cram onto your place.
Why?
Because they will make you happy. They will transform your simplest cheater meals into gourmet dishes. They make me smile and I think they will make you smile too.
Those aren’t herbs but I needed pictures, so just pretend “Armenian” is some kind of fancy basil.
They will be cheaper
Have you actually looked at how much herbs cost?
Yikes! And if you want organic they cost double or even triple that.
When you grow your own you will only have to buy them once a year, or once ever for many kinds. Let’s face it, eating real food can be expensive.
Like crying-because-you-just-want-to-feed-your-family-well-but-can’t-afford-organic expensive.
These are the sorts of things you can easily do at home to stretch your food budget.
They will taste better
They will, and they will make your food taste better. When they taste better that also means that more of the health benefits are intact. Which is great in general but super important if you use herbs for home remedies.
They are easy to grow
I should maybe say instead that they are hard to kill.
Alright, you have a black thumb? Buy already started plants and it will be even harder for you to kill them.
Yes, there will always be something you can’t grow where you live but there will be lots of other things you can grow and you aren’t going to know what they are unless you get out there and experiment.
Most herbs are relatively pest free meaning that growing them organically won’t be a struggle. Extra bonus.
Many are perennial or will self seed
You can plant tender perennials like rosemary in pots and bring them inside during the winter. There are plenty of other herbs that are tough as nails and will come back every year. Others, like cilantro and dill, will reseed themselves if you lightly cultivate the area they grew in the year before in the spring.
What does this mean?
If you mulch plants, save seed and plan a little you can avoid buying herbs or replacement plants for a very long time. Which will save you even more money.
They can be great habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects.
You will notice right away how much the bees love your herbs.
You will notice right away how much the bees love your herbs.
Many have lots of tiny nectar rich flowers that feed all your pollinators and lots of other beneficials you want hanging around your garden to help control pests.
Oh, and those flowers make awesome edible garnish.
They will make you smile. The bees will thank you, your food will be awesome and you will save money. Alright I’m out of reasons. Comment, share why you grow herbs!
This post is participating in the HomeAcre, Savory Saturdays, Green Thumb Thursday and From The Farm blog hops, check them out to find other great blogs like ours!
12 Comments
Missy Homemaker · March 27, 2014 at 1:15 am
We’re going to be able to plant our first garden this year in a while. I can’t wait to grow some cilantro. To me, nothing smells better than that!
Emily Swezey · March 27, 2014 at 2:08 am
How awesome, you will really appreciate the garden after not having one for a while, I know I do. I agree, cilantro smells great!
gentlejoy · March 27, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Growing and using herbs is wonderful…………and they can be dried for winter use also……so many good ways to use herbs. Thank you for posting this. 🙂
Emily Swezey · March 27, 2014 at 6:00 pm
Home dried herbs are so much better than store bought! Thanks for stopping by, I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Lil'Suburban Homestead · March 30, 2014 at 1:22 am
I have been a huge fan of herbs for years! You have a lovely herb garden and I enjoyed your post! Thanks so much for linking up to the “From The Farm” Blog Hop this week!
Emily Swezey · March 30, 2014 at 2:00 am
I will pass the compliment along 😉 the photos are of my mom’s garden. Thanks for stopping by!
vickie morgan · March 30, 2014 at 11:34 am
Your right herbs do make you happy. Lavender is so nice to brush past. Your Mom has a beautiful garden.
Yuliya Fruman · March 31, 2014 at 12:16 pm
Love this post 🙂 We have a few herbs growing in pots, but we’re moving soon, so I haven’t planted them yet. Pinning this post 🙂
Eva Worthing · April 4, 2014 at 12:46 am
Great post! Thanks for linking up with Savoring Saturdays!
Emily Swezey · April 4, 2014 at 7:09 pm
Thanks for stopping by!
B Nickerson · June 26, 2014 at 9:31 pm
I love growing herbs! I like drying them. I like growing dill and parsley specifically for Swallowtail caterpillars. This past winter I discovered growing my own garlic! So easy and tasty!
Emily Swezey · June 27, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Oh, you had swallowtails on your plants, how cool! Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you around again!