Learn how to grow French tarragon in a few minutes. Tarragon—often called French tarragon—is a rich but delicately flavored herb with an anise flavor. It is one of the four sweet or fines herbes favored in French cooking—along with chervil, parsley, and chives. Tarragon is particularly compatible with eggs, fish and shellfish, tomatoes, chicken, and […] More
Sweet potatoes are tender, warm-season perennial plants grown as annuals. Sweet potatoes are commonly grown from rooted sprouts called slips. -purchased at the garden center or from a seed catalog. Sweet potatoes require warm, frost-free weather to grow. The time to put sweet potato slips in the garden is after the soil has warmed to […] More
Use mint fresh or dried to flavor vegetables—cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. You can add fresh mint to cold and hot soups and beverages. There are all types of mint to choose from spearmint, peppermint, pineapple mint, orange bergamot, and apple mint to name a few. Mint has a striking aroma, […] More
Chayote is a warm-season, tender perennial. Plant the whole fruit 3 to 4 weeks after the last average frost date in spring when the weather has warmed. Chayote grows best where summer temperatures are very warm to hot, in tropical or subtropical regions. Chayote requires 120 to 150 frost-free days to reach harvest. Here is […] More
Rutabaga is a hardy, cool-weather biennial vegetable grown as an annual. Rutabaga is grown for its large swollen root which has a purple or creamy brown or combination of both skin and yellow or white flesh. It is larger, denser, and sweeter than a turnip. Rutabaga has a rosette of smooth, deeply lobed, deep green […] More
Southern peas are tender bushy or vining annuals. Southern peas are also called black-eyed peas, crowder peas, and yard-long beans. Southern peas are sometimes called cowpeas or field peas. Southern peas are more beanlike than pealike. The best-known Southern pea is the blackeyed pea. It is white with a distinctive black mark at the hilum […] More
Basil is easy to grow in warm sunny conditions. It is also easy to grow indoors. Basil is as aromatic in the kitchen as it is in the garden. Cooks around the world turn to basil. It is perhaps most popular in Mediterranean and Asian dishes. It is a great addition to most vegetable, fish, […] More
Melons grow best when summers are hot, dry, and almost always sunny. The best-flavored melons will come from the hottest-growing regions. Both cloudy and rainy weather will slow and all but stop melon growth. Melons grow best when both the soil and air temperature are at least 70°F (21°C). You can sow seeds directly in […] More
Chervil is a demure herb with a delicate myrrh-like fragrance. Use the finely divided leaves fresh in salads and as a flavor enhancer for fish, chicken, and egg dishes. Dried chervil leaves are an ingredient of fines herbes, the French culinary staple that also includes chives, parsley, and tarragon. Chervil can be used in place […] More
Sweet bay is an aromatic herb that grows as a large shrub or tree. Bay leaves are used to flavor soups, stews, vegetables, and meats. Sweet bay is also called laurel leaf and bay laurel. Here is your complete guide for growing sweet bay. Where to plant sweet bay When to plant sweet bay How […] More
Scented geraniums are colorful tender perennial herbs with a variety of aromas. The scent of these flowering herbs includes rose, peppermint, lemon, nutmeg, apple, and chocolate. Scented geraniums are not true garden geraniums like their common name infers; they are pelargoniums, mostly hybrids created for their bright colors, beauty, and fragrance. The leaves, flowers, and […] More
Bee balm is a tall perennial herb native to North America. Bee balm is also called by its botanical name—Monarda, and is also called bergamot (because the scent is similar to the citrus fruit bergamot, an orange), and is also referred to as Oswego tea (the Oswego Indians made tea from the leaves). It has […] More
Stephen Albert