One of the very best things about growing a herb garden in literally any home, no matter how small, is that you can grow multiple herbs in just one window box. As long as your herbs get direct sunlight several hours of the day, you are good to go.
However, it is important to understand why you should only use organic soil if you want to reap the best medicinal and culinary benefits from your herbs. Check out the information on the Back to Farm website to learn how to naturally enrich your herb garden soil, to avoid chemical fertilizers while achieving amazing growth.
1. Coriander/Cilantro
Here we come to a herb widely used in Mexican and Indian cuisines. Although it is one and the same plant, it is cilantro if you use the leaves, and if you let it go to seed, you get coriander. Amazing, isn’t it? One plant with two very different uses and even the flavor differs between the leaves and the seeds.
As for medicinal benefits, cilantro is an extremely potent antioxidant as it is loaded with vitamin C. The seeds are used often in holistic medicine to relieve inflammation associated with inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, but when cooking a pot of basmati rice? Throw in a teaspoon or two of seeds along with cumin seeds and you will have the healthiest, most aromatic rice in the world. It tops jasmine rice by a longshot.
2. Sweet Basil
Whether you are Italian or not, Sweet Basil is a must-have for any herb garden. Yes, we know that fresh basil ground together with pine nuts, olive oil and garlic makes an amazing pesto sauce, and a healthy one at that, but basil also has other properties, which make it one of the most important herbs to keep on hand at all times. Sweet basil is high in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as being ultra-high in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. How’s that for a healthy blend of nutrients you can add to literally any meal?
3. Oregano
Here again, oregano is one of the most widely used herbs in Italian cuisine, but did you know that oil of oregano is a natural remedy for upper respiratory ailments? You can also use oregano to soothe upset stomachs and oregano is one of the most powerful natural healing agents for those suffering from most kinds of fungal infections. Use it in a topical paste for muscle pain or place oregano plants in your garden to repel insects. Oregano ranks right up there with lemon grass as a natural insect repellant.
4. Lavender
What can be said about one of the most fragrant herbs ever? We all know that many perfumes through the centuries have been lavender-based, but did you know that lavender has a calming effect so that even infants are able to sleep better after a bath infused with natural lavender oils? As with oregano and lemongrass, lavender is a natural bug repellant, and it is why so many holistic practitioners use lavender essential oils for a topical mosquito repellant when working outdoors.
No matter how many herbs you grow in your home herb garden, these four should always form the basis from which to build. If you grow no other herbs, these are a must-have for any home looking for a tasty, fragrant and healthy life.
