As we learned in the first of these two posts on putting together an herb garden, there are many basic and common plants that will serve you well in the kitchen when you grow them yourself. With both convenience and economical reasons in mind, growing your own herbs can be quite helpful to all kinds of cooks. Here is a second look at several more essential herbs to grow in the garden, and some tops on planting and harvesting your herbs.

In the garden or in a pot, you’ll find that most herbs grow themselves — they’re hearty and can be weed-like in their growth habits, especially when it comes to things like mint. They tend to not bring pests and bugs into the garden, and very few need to be divided and replanted to ensure good health over a period of years.

With plants like basil, make sure to prune back the white flowers that grow in order to guarantee a long-lasting plant that will produce several hearty basil leaves over time.

Harvesting is a simple process for nearly all herbs in the garden — you simply just trim and include the herbs in your cooking after a light washing in the sink. For herbs like rosemary, oregano and sage that are perennial and have woody stems, you can trim branches, tie them together, and hang them upside-down until they dry. To preserve herbs, harvest before flowering to make sure the maximum amount of oil is present in the leaves.

Parsley
Italian parsley and common curly parsley both make great additions to the garden and can be used as garnish for your dinner parties, or as salad like tabouli, or in soup like chicken broth for when you are experiencing a cold. Parsley will live in the garden for only two seasons, so replant from seed every other year.

Rosemary
Another perennial, rosemary also comes in a few different varieties, from ones that creep along the ground to others that grow upright like shrubs. Make sure your rosemary bushes get a ton of sun. Excellent flavor for breads and meats alike.

Sage
Yet another perennial herb and one that comes in a multitude of varieties; can be used in classic Thanksgiving stuffing dishes to really bring out the flavor in the ingredients.

Tarragon
This perennial herb will remind you somewhat of the look of rosemary, and perhaps the flavor more like basil, with aromas that tend toward licorice or anise. The narrow, soft leaves are thin and feel grassy to the touch. Excellent when used with poached salmon.

Thyme
Rounding out the classic list from 1960s era songs, thyme is another great addition to the garden of herbs. The leaves tend toward gray in color and are also very good when preserved. A bit more finicky than other herbs and will need to be replanted and cut in half every two years. Add to your roasted chicken before you put it in the oven, and enjoy.

(Image Via: PolitiCook)