4 Easy Herbs

Every Beginner Should Grow

Growing herbs is one of the easiest ways to start gardening. You don’t need a large garden, fancy raised beds, or enough land to get lost on. A few pots will do just fine!

Herbs are especially rewarding because many are easy to grow and useful. You can walk outside, snip a handful for dinner, dry some for later, or learn how herbs have traditionally been used in teas, salves, infused oils, and other simple home remedies.

If you are new to growing herbs, rosemary, oregano, basil, and lemon balm are four great places to start.

Rosemary

Rosemary loves sunshine and well-draining soil. Once established, it is fairly drought-tolerant and does not appreciate constant watering. In fact, loving your rosemary a little too much with the watering can is often worse than occasionally forgetting about it.

In the kitchen, rosemary is wonderful with roasted potatoes, chicken, breads, soups, and vegetables. A little goes a long way, so one healthy plant can provide plenty for the average kitchen.

Rosemary has also been traditionally used in herbal preparations, including infused oils, hair rinses, and aromatic steam. It is a great anti-inflammatory! I take it daily in tincture form.

In warmer climates, rosemary may grow into a surprisingly large shrub. That adorable little plant from the nursery can eventually become a rosemary monster. A delicious-smelling monster, but still.

Fun fact: the smell of rosemary can help keep away stray cats. This can be useful if you have an indoor cat that you are trying to keep from being harassed.

Oregano

Oregano is another sun-loving herb that is easy to grow once established. It can spread enthusiastically, which is gardener language for “You might want to keep an eye on that.”

Because of its spreading habit, oregano is a great candidate for containers or an area where you do not mind it filling in some space.

Fresh or dried oregano can be used in tomato sauces, pizza, soups, marinades, meat dishes, and roasted vegetables. It is a main ingredient in the marinade for Brazilian steak and many Mexican dishes. It is one of those herbs that is easy to preserve by drying, making it useful long after the growing season ends.

Oregano also has a long history of traditional herbal use. It contains aromatic plant compounds and has been used in teas and other herbal preparations. It exhibits strong antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it great for use in tinctures and salves.

Even if you only grow oregano for cooking, it earns its space. Homemade pizza sauce is a perfectly respectable gardening goal.

Basil

Basil is a little different from rosemary and oregano because it is usually grown as an annual. That means you will generally plant it again each year. Thankfully, basil grows quickly in warm weather.

Give it plenty of sun, regular water, and frequent harvesting. Pinching or cutting the growing tips encourages the plant to branch out and become bushier. If you let it flower and go to seed, leaf production will begin to slow down.

Basil is useful in pesto, pasta sauces, salads, sandwiches, soups, and many other dishes. Fresh basil from the garden has a flavor that makes grocery store basil seem a little sad.

Basil also has a history of traditional use in teas and herbal preparations. Different types of basil have been used in different herbal traditions, so always learn about the specific variety you are growing before using it for anything beyond normal culinary amounts. Even its flowers have medicinal benefits!

Mostly, though, grow basil because pesto exists. That is reason enough.

Lemon Balm

If you want an herb that makes you feel like an extremely talented gardener, try lemon balm.

Lemon balm is easy to grow and smells absolutely wonderful! Beware it can spread quickly. It belongs to the mint family, and like many members of that family, it sometimes forgets that you did not give it permission to take over the neighborhood.

Growing lemon balm in a container is a good way to keep it under control.

The leaves have a fresh lemony scent and can be used in teas, flavored water, and some desserts. Fresh leaves can also be added to fruit salads or used as a garnish.

Lemon balm has a long history of traditional use in calming herbal teas and preparations intended to support relaxation and rest. It can be put into a herbal face cleanser and provides the benefit of soothing your skin, reducing oils, and helping to clear acne.

A simple cup of lemon balm tea is one of the easiest ways for beginners to start learning to use herbs beyond the kitchen.

Fun fact: Pull some leaves and rub them on your skin as a fantastic mosquito repellent!!

Just remember: contain the lemon balm. I am serious.

Easy to Grow and Useful to Have

Rosemary, oregano, basil, and lemon balm are all beginner-friendly herbs that can earn their keep around the homestead. They can be grown in garden beds or containers, and you don’t need a huge amount of space to grow enough for regular use.

The best part is that these plants can serve more than one purpose. Use them fresh in the kitchen, dry them for the spice cabinet, brew them into teas, or learn how to use them in simple herbal preparations for your home medicine cabinet.

Start with one or two herbs and learn as you grow. Before long, you may find yourself looking at every empty pot and thinking, I could grow something in that.

And you probably can.