Herbs to Grow at Home

Culinary Herbs

• Common culinary herbs to grow at home include sage, spearmint, cilantro, dill, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives and basil. Fresh herbs make the tastiest dishes, and have higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and essential oils than older, packaged herbs, so they are stronger, healthier for you and more fragrant. With an herb garden in the back yard or a collection of potted herbs growing on a sunny back porch, you have the freshest ingredients on hand from spring through fall when you are cooking. Culinary herbs are easy to grow from seed and you can harvest them with a few snips with scissors. Plant them in the vegetable garden, in between flowers or as borders in the flower garden, or in pots and railing planters on a sunny porch or deck. A few packets of herb seeds will keep you stocked with fresh herbs all summer long.

Medicinal Herbs

• Common medicinal herbs to grow at home include chamomile, rue, peppermint, comfrey, sweet bay, St. John's wort and goldenseal. Grow medicinal herbs among the vegetables in a vegetable garden or plant them in a separate herb garden. Medicinal herbs are used in many forms: fresh, dried, in teas and in infusions and tinctures. Many medicinal herbs are also eaten as culinary herbs and can be grown year-round in pots.

Herbs for Personal Care

• Herbs commonly used to in personal care preparations include rosemary, lavender, lemon verbena and spearmint. Rosemary and lavender are delicate perennials that are not hardy in areas with severely cold winters, but are easy to grow in containers to move inside for the winter. Lemon verbena and spearmint are annuals that grow quickly and easily from seed. These herbs make lovely scented waters, light moisturizing creams and fresh bath soaks, as well as hair rinses, soaps and body washes. Plant them in any flower border, herb garden or patio container for fresh ingredients to make natural personal care preparations for kitchen and bath.

Oriental Herbs

• Ginseng, ginger, kava kava, and red shiso are oriental herbs that are a little more exotic than common culinary herbs. These plants have very specific cultivation requirements and seeds may be difficult to obtain, but they are worth the extra effort to accommodate in the garden, grow and use. Imagine going to the backyard and digging fresh ginseng to use yourself and give to friends and family.