If you're looking for an easy summer project, it’s time to give herbs a try. Growing herbs in your own backyard will offer a spicy, exciting twist to your food and drinks, adding flavor to your salads, vegetable dishes, and meats and sauces. They’re also great for attracting “good” insects to your garden and enhancing its fragrance.
That said, here's a list of our favorite herbs to grow in summer.
Chives
Chive is a low-maintenance, high-yield plant that you can use on almost anything. While you can grow chives anywhere, they mostly do well under the sun.
Its bright purple blossom will add beauty to your garden while attracting pollinators.
To harvest chives, take your shears and snip the leaves about one to two inches above the soil. And you're free to add fresh chives to your yummy summertime salads, compound butter, or omelets to serve your friends and families.
Basil
One of the most popular herbs to grow is basil. It's a favorite of many not only because it's super easy to grow but also because of its fragrance and flavor. You can add basil to many recipes to elevate them. After all, who doesn't love pesto?
Besides pesto spread and pasta, you can whip up Caprese salad or summertime pizzas with basil abounding in your garden. Or, you can serve your friends with soda water infused with basil and strawberries to relieve them from the summer heat.
To encourage your basil plant to grow, make sure to pick leaves often.
Dill
Unlike many herbs you can transplant well, dill is best grown directly from seeds. But if your dill plant has four to five leaves, you're free to harvest them—just pluck out the leaves or cut them with shears.
A sun-loving plant, dill will elevate your recipes with its pleasant aroma—best coupled with fatty dishes like cream-based dips or butter-based sauces.
If you love experimenting and pickling, you can add dill to your pickles!
Rosemary
Another one of the favorite herbs to grow in summer is rosemary which loves the full sun. Rosemary shrubs grow lovely blue flowers that add a pop of color to your garden. Here’s a tip: Snip the stems while they're young to have flavorful rosemary.
Rosemary adds aromatic flavor to your grilled steaks or roasted potatoes. Or, you can serve rosemary oil with freshly baked bread as you and your friends sip your favorite wine.
If you're fond of inviting guests over, you can also garnish your charcuterie spreads with rosemary.
Mint
You cannot have a list of herbs to grow in summer without including mint. Mint is a fragrant herb that adds a burst of fruity flavor to your recipes! Whether under the shade or full sun, mint grows well, making it a favorite herb all year round.
Just like rosemary, the younger the leaves, the more flavorful they are. So feel free to snip yourself some mint as soon as it grows. Consider mint as your best friend for summertime gatherings—you can use it to elevate and garnish your fruit salad, juices, and summer cocktails like mojitos!
Or you can serve your guests a simple refresher of soda water infused with mint.
Thyme
Thyme just loves the summer heat—it's a low-maintenance herb because of its ability to tolerate drought. If you want to attract bees to pollinate your garden, leave your thyme to blossom.
To harvest thyme, snip off the herb's top five to six inches. And to encourage growth, it's best to trim them regularly.
From roasted vegetables like summer squash, zucchini, or tomatoes, thyme will liven up your summer recipes with its depth of flavor. You can also serve your family and friends easy meals like omelets, baked potatoes and soups with thyme.
How To Plant Summer Herbs
Before anything else, decide where you want to grow your summer herbs—indoor or outdoor. If you plan on planting outdoors, pick an area near your kitchen so you can easily access your herbs.
But wherever you decide to grow your herbs, they should get at least four hours of sunlight a day.
Some stuff you'll be needing to plant summer herbs:
- Plastic or clay pot
- Fertilizer or compost
- Good potting soil
- Herb or its seeds
Once you've got everything you need:
- Turn the soil with a garden fork
- Add fertilizer or compost
- Dig a hole
- Remove plants from their starter pot
- Place the plant in the hole
- Gently fill the hole with soil and pat the edges
- Water the plant immediately
Make sure not to skip turning the soil as this prepares the soil and helps the water drain more quickly, making room for the roots. Plus, to avoid overwatering, only water when the soil feels dry to the touch.
Get Your Summer Herbs With The Growers Exchange
If you're ready to fill your summer garden with the herbs listed above, look no further because The Growers Exchange provides the finest summer herbs.
You can place your orders online or call us at 888-829-6201 if you have any questions.