How to Start Your Own Herb Garden/ Plus: Herb & Yoghurt Dip
Follow our straightforward step-by-step guide below and start your own herb garden today!
What are the benefits of having an herb garden at the Centre?
At Clean Plate, we like to use as many fresh herbs as possible to enhance the flavour of our dishes. We usually keep them as optional because we know how expensive they can be to purchase from the shops. Planting your own herbs means you’ll always have a selection available, instead of having to purchase pre-packaged and overpriced ones from the supermarket, something many day care centres on a tight budget are unable to do. Having your own herb garden is not only useful in this way, fresh herbs are also very pretty to look at, pleasant to touch and smell wonderful, creating many opportunities for sensory experiences and learning.
Types of Herbs
We've planted our mint seedling in a terracotta pot to keep it contained.
Herbs can be either annual or perennial. Annual herbs such as parsley, basil and chives will need to be planted every year, whereas perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage produce plants which can live happily for years to come. These plants can grow quite big, so trim them regularly to keep them bushy and compact.
Mint is another great addition to the home and day care centre’s garden, and can be used in numerous ways. One of our favourites is to blend sweet, ripe pineapple with a handful of mint leaves, ice cubes and a little water (or coconut milk), for a refreshing juice, or poured into ice-block moulds to make delicious popsicles for a sunny afternoon! Mint should be planted by itself, otherwise, it tends to run wild and take over all the available space.
Planting your herb garden
If this is the first time you’ll be attempting to start an herb garden, we’d recommend growing your plants from seedlings bought from a garden centre, as raising them from seeds takes a lot longer and involves more time and care (we’ll be doing a blog on growing plants from seeds soon, so keep tuned in for that).
Before buying your seedlings, you must do a bit of planning. Choose a sunny spot that is not too far away from the kitchen, if available, so it’s easy to access for cooking. Herbs are very adaptable and can be planted in garden beds among other veggies, all sorts of containers, tyres or planter boxes. They can also be grown indoors, if placed in a sunny windowsill, making a lovely addition to the classroom and giving it a welcoming feel.
Make a hole twice the size of your seedling pot.
If planting in containers, make sure they have drainage holes to avoid water logging your plants – herbs really dislike ‘soggy feet’. Placing a few stones inside the containers can aid drainage too. You’ll also need a good quality potting mix to fill containers.
Once you’ve decided on the herbs you’d like to grow, think how to arrange plants with similar needs close to each other. Reading the care instructions on the seedling pots is a safe way to decide how to group your plants.
Choose the early morning or late afternoon to plant your herbs, to avoid the ground being too hot for them. Water the plants well before planting (kids can help by using small spray watering bottles). Using the spade, make a hole twice the size of your seedling pot, gently remove seedlings from its container by pinching the bottom, carefully ease it out, and place it in the hole.
Place seedling in the hole.
Pat down soil to secure the seedling in place.
Fill the hole with soil and pat it down with your hands to secure the plant in its new home. Give the plants another watering and voilà! Your herb garden is ready now, and it shouldn’t be long until you can start picking leaves and use them in many ways, in the kitchen and the classrooms.
How to look after your herb garden
To keep your herbs looking beautiful and happy, water them regularly (if in pots, they’ll need to be watered daily during summer), and feed them with a fertiliser or with diluted worm juice, about twice a month. You’ll also want to pick your herbs regularly, as the more you cut them, the lusher they will grow. Here is a very straightforward recipe to get you started :)
Herb & Yoghurt Dip
Recipe by Clean Plate
Serves 10
1 cup Greek-style plain yoghurt
1/3 cup herbs – parsley, mint, chives, basil, chervil, dill, marjoram, oregano, are all good choices
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
Equipment needed: spoons, bowls, scissors, cup measuring, garlic press (if using garlic)
Method:
1. Pick your herbs - you can use one variety, or a mix.
2. Wash and dry herbs.
3. Roughly chop the herbs. The children can do this by using clean scissors.
4. Tip the yoghurt into a mixing bowl and add the herbs, and crushed garlic (if using).
5. Mix the yoghurt with the herbs until combined.
6. Serving suggestions: vegetable sticks such as carrots, cucumber, celery, crackers, tortilla crisps, baked potato or kumara wedges
There are infinite possibilities, including recipes and activities, when having an herb garden on site. Check our other blogs, such as Drying Herbs Is Fun!, Chicken Patties 3 Ways & Garden Scented Bath Bombs , for some cool ideas, and follow our Facebook page for blog updates.