THE CULTIVATION OF HERBS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 109, 9 May 1936, Page 13

THE CULTIVATION OF HERBS

It is during the winter season that the use of herbs in cookery appeals more than at any other time. Tue use of herbs, which add a delightful flavour and piquancy to soups, sauces and salads, is sadly neglected in the Dominion. One wouuurs why many, if uot all of the culinary herbs are not grown in the home garden. They are easy of culture and take up little room, tend are readily and conveniently at hand, either in a dry or fresh state. It is true that most of them need full exposure to the light, and a sandy soil, and these are not always forthcoming in small gardens. r ihe plants must have nourishment »f they are to succeed, and some good, well-rotted manure should be incorporaJed in the soil at the time of preparation of the bed, Plants of many of the varieties may be obtained irom nurserymen for present planting, or if It is desired to start the plants from «eed. this is best undertaken in the spring. {Sage is to bu found in most gardens, ana as a rule the best plan is to renew the bed every every three or four years, as soon as the plants begin io appear straggly. The seedless variety is the best to grow, and this must or necesisty be grown from cuttings, *-’hich are inserted in sandy soil in September. Fennel grows so plentifully on waste land, that one would be unwise to plant or sow this in the warden, nevertheless the aromatic leaves are much valued as an ingredient in iish sauces. I’ot marjoram is propagated by division of the roots during the winter, while the annual sweet marjoram is best raised from seed sown in the B P rin g, and as the leaves are susceptible to frost the aromatic stalks should be cut and dried in the shade for use *n winter, this being done before the plants break into flower. Parsley is so constantly in demand the year through that it is looked upon more as a regular vegetable crop than as an inmate of the herb garden. As a matter of fact, this plant is grown in most gardens as an annual, although it is really a biennial, and gives the best results when treated in this way. The savoury, both winter and summer varieties, are among the most useful of herbs, the aromatic tops being used in soups and stews, to which they give a piquant flavour that is greatly appreciated by those who have sampled it. The summer savoury is a hardy annual greatly used in Southern Europe, and is best sown in spring in the open ground, thinning the plants to six inches apart. When just coming into flower the plants are pulled up, dried in the shade, and preserved for winter use. The winter savoury on the other hand is a small evergreen shrub, generally propagated by division, but seed may also be sown in spring, and it make* an excellent edging to a border, and a useful one also.