Italian Herb Garden

Italian cuisine is famous all over the world, especially because of its unique flavorful herbs that are blended with the dishes. An Italian herb garden is basically for those who love the tanginess of Italian recipes. The flavorful herbs are decorative as well, which will beautify and liven up your garden. And, you have the flexibility of maintaining it indoors or outdoors, as per the land availability and convenience.

What to Plant in an Italian herb Garden?

Maintaining an Italian herb garden is no different from that of other herb gardens. The uniqueness lies in the type of herbs that you will be planting in the garden. In case, you have a vegetable garden, chances are there that you already grow some of the Italian herbs. The following is a list of herbs that you can consider growing.

Basil: Basil is a popular culinary herb used in Italian dishes. It grows best in warm areas with plenty of sunlight. Harvest few leaves at a time for garnishing dishes. Basil is also known to increase the flavor of peppers, when planted next to them.

Garlic: Garlic is widely used for nearly all types of recipes that require strong flavor and spices. Separate each of the garlic cloves and grow them in pots or garden beds. You can use both garlic leaves and cloves (formed when mature) for adding flavor to the dishes.

Oregano: Being a multipurpose culinary herb, oregano is added in soups, salads, sauces, spaghetti and meat recipes. It thrives well in full sunlight and well-drained soil. In order to get the best flavor, harvest oregano leaves only when the flower bud appears.

Parsley: Parsley blends well with soups, salads and rich meat recipes. Grow this herb in garden sites that receive partial to full sunlight. While harvesting, gently pluck the lowest leaves along with the stem. Chop parsley leaves and stem for garnishing food recipes.

Fennel: Fennel seeds are used in preparation of Italian sausages. They are also chewed after meals for mouth freshening and proper digestion. You can sow fennel seeds in well-drained soil and place them in areas that receive full sunlight. To retain flavor, fennel requires replanting every year.

Sage: Sage is a staple herb for Italian dishes, which is best grown in areas that are exposed to full sunlight. It is used for flavoring cheese, sausage and in cooking meat recipes. You can harvest matured sage leaves before the plant reaches its blooming period.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a perennial herb that is used in making bread and chicken recipes. It is very hardy and you can plant rosemary in any part of the garden. But make sure that you protect it from heavy frost. For rosemary harvesting, pluck leaves or cut stems with a sharp knife.

How to Start an Italian Herb Garden?

The next step is to plant the same in your garden. First of all, select the plantation site; if you are growing them outdoors, a well sunlit area with good drainage is the ideal place to start such a garden. Or else, if you are planning an indoor herb garden, choose an area that receives indirect sunlight.

Once you have decided the site for growing the garden, purchase large containers or prepare garden beds by weeding. Add farmyard compost or organic fertilizers to the soil and fill the containers with potting soil. Lightly sow the seeds of the herbs and cover with soil. Water the pots or the garden beds deeply for quick germination. Maintain the herbs by watering, fertilization and controlling weed on a regular basis.

Instead of restricting yourself to the above mentioned herbs, you can also try planting other Italian herbs. For easy reference of the Italian herb types, plantation times and other gardening related information, you can go for an Italian herb garden kit. Growing Italian herbs will definitely bring life to your summer garden and unique taste to your dishes, when enriched with the aroma of varied herbs.