Herbs You May NOT Know About
What are you growing in the garden? Perhaps you have cucumbers and tomatoes. Maybe some squash. However, vegetables aren’t the only things you should be growing. Consider setting up an herb garden too. While you could stick to some of the well-known, classic herbs, such as mint, oregano, lavender, or thyme, those aren’t the only options.
Instead of only sticking to the common herbs, branch out. Below, we will be checking out a few interesting herbs that you might want to start growing in your garden or greenhouse. These are some of the lesser-known herbs, but they may just end up proving to be some of your favorites.
Feverfew
The name of this herb should give you an indication of how it is used. This is a medicinal plant that has been used for years as a means of treating different types of ailments. This includes fevers, stomach aches, insect bites, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is a member of the daisy family, and you may have heard it called by other names. These include bachelor’s buttons and featherfew.
You can start these seeds in a pot if you choose, or you could grow them directly in the garden. They do well with a lot of sunlight. The seeds should be placed on top of the soil, so they can get sunlight and properly germinate. When watering, it’s best to mist them until they start growing and the roots take hold, so the seeds don’t wash away.
Comfrey
This is a perennial that tends to grow in clumps. It’s most commonly found in grasslands and along riverbanks. Some of the other names of this plant include knitbone and knitback.
This herb can grow in many conditions and tends not to require much in the way of maintenance. It can grow in full sun or partial shade. It’s generally going to need about three hours of sunlight a day. However, those who live in warm growing areas will want to make sure that it can get some shade from the afternoon sun.
Comfrey is commonly used as an anti-inflammatory, and it has been used to help heal wounds. However, when using it for these purposes, it’s important to use it properly to avoid injury. You can check out our upcoming herb class, discussed below, to learn how to properly use this herb.
One of the other interesting things about comfrey is that you could add it to your compost since it has 17% nitrogen. This is more than what you’ll find with manure, so adding some of this to your compost bin when pruning the plants is a good idea. You can also make a great compost tea from the Comfrey leaves. Check out our YouTube video on making comfrey compost tea!
Sweet Bergamot
This is a prairie herb that has some other names you might have heard including Oswego tea and bee balm. The bees love this herb, and if you want to ensure that your garden is properly pollinated, adding some bergamot is a great option. The plant is edible, and it is often used in various sorts of drinks including tea.
This herb tends to prefer full sun, but it can also grow with some light shade. You will just want to be aware that if it doesn’t get enough sun, there’s a good chance that it will not flower as much.
Lovage
Another herb you might want to bring into your garden is called lovage. This herb is related to parsley, and you can use it for similar purposes. You’ll find that this herb doesn’t have too much flavor, but it can be used for more than just cooking. The taste is closer to celery than it is to parsley. It’s been used as a medicinal herb for a long time. It was originally used by the Romans and Greeks.
The herb has been used for a range of medicinal purposes historically. This includes use as a skin conditioner, anti-inflammatory, digestive aid, flatulence relief, and gout. Today, it is seen as a healthy food thanks to the minerals and nutrients, such as vitamin C and B.
As a food, it can work well with soups, salads, stews, pork, and chicken. It could even be made into tea. This plant does well with full sun.
Summer Savory
This is an interesting herb that is highly aromatic. The tips of the herb can work quite well as a replacement for thyme. There is a bit of sweetness and spice to this herb, and you will find that it can be used in a range of different types of dishes including chicken, pork, green beans, marinated tomatoes, etc.
This herb, as the name suggests, grows well in summer, particularly when it gets full sun. It could be placed in the garden, but you’ll find that it does quite well in a pot. What it doesn’t do well with, though, is frost.
You may want to grow the herb and use it fresh, or you can dry it and keep it. Drying and freezing tend to work well with many different types of herbs.
Learn More About Herbs
Would you like to know even more about all of the various herbs you might want to start growing—or that might already be growing—on your property? You will want to come out to the farm on May 1st for the “All About Herbs” class with Cindy Shapton, the Cracked Pot Gardener. The class is being held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the cost is $35.
The class will cover a range of topics including the various benefits of different types of herbs, medicinal herbs, and more. You will even learn how to make a comfrey salve during the class. You don’t want to miss it.
Continue Experimenting and Growing New Herbs
You will find that the herbs discussed above aren’t too difficult to grow, and they can help to expand your herb selection significantly. However, these certainly aren’t the only types of herbs available. You will find countless other options to try growing. Mix things up in your herb garden and be willing to try new things.
