Herb Gardens for Small Spaces?

By Laurie

I've been house- and dog-sitting this summer in two spaces that have very little in common except for the fact that they are single family homes with canine occupants located in the same state. 

The greatest thing they have in common though is that at each I could go outside and pick tomatoes and basil off the vine for my meals. Given that I could pretty much eat a Mediterranean-style diet of Caprese salad, olive oil, olives and bread every day for the rest of my life (with a steak thrown in here and there) this has been heavenly for me. 

Alas, in August I will go back to my smallish, garden-less residence, with the resolve, nonetheless, to start my own little herb garden. I want something simple, just basil, rosemary, thyme and cilantro. 

I know very little about gardening or keeping anything non-human or pet alive, but I am willing to try. I've been cruising around looking for the best containers to keep herbs alive and quite frankly, friends, I'm overwhelmed. About.com's herb gardening site has some great ideas to get started, but I think I need to do some more research and come back with some best bets. 

I am also open to suggestions so if anyone has any on the best way to care for herbs, indoors or out, I am all ears -- and hopefully just the slightest bit of a green thumb. 

Meanwhile, here is the Perfect Caprese (according to me)

Several Roma or homegrown tomatoes, sliced

Basil, several leaves, torn

Your favorite olive oil

Balsamic vinaigrette

Mozzarella, preferably fresh, sliced. 

Assemble, drizzle oil and vinegar to taste, sprinkle sea salt and cracked pepper on top. 

Pair with some crusty bread and an Italian or South American red of your choosing, and done. 

This is why I love summer, and tomato season. I'll be back with my herb garden finds. 

Photos by Laurie White.

Comments

[stephanie]

I received an AeroGarden as a gift from my parents last year and it works great for most herbs, basil especially. I've had good luck with oregano, thyme and dill as well. Our cilantro plant didn't even sprout. Cilantro is apparently a very difficult herb for even the those with the greenest of thumbs -- even the farmer from our CSA says it's hit or miss.

The AeroGarden is not cheap, but it's a good alternative if you live in an apartment with no outdoor space.

[kat]

i buy the basil already grown - not as seeds and i find it's easy to cultivate that way.

for my caprese salad, i cook the balsamic vinegar until it's more of a syrup (don't inhale it though - as it's cooking, it smells horrible - but tastes great) and it's a fun little way to jazz up the plate.

[laurie]

Cool ideas!

Stephanie -- I found one link to the AeroGarden that turned out to be spam and got worried. I'll check again. I love cilantro. Interesting that it's so hard to grow. At least it's cheaper to buy at the grocery than basil. Basil, I've found this summer, grows like crazy once it gets going, so with as much as I use all year I'm really interested in producing my own.

Kat -- Thanks! I've never done that with balsamic, and I use it on salads or in other dishes several times a week. I've been cooking a lot and learning new things. Amazing how immediate access to fresh ingredients will inspire. :)