The Top 13 Herbs to Grow in Your Garden Beds

Want to add flavor, fragrance, and beauty to your garden beds? Herbs are a must! Not only do they enhance your cooking, but herbs also attract pollinators, repel pests, and offer a variety of health benefits.

In this article, we’ll explore the top 13 herbs to grow in garden beds along with tips for planting care, and harvest. With the right selection of herbs, you can create a thriving edible garden that looks and tastes amazing.

Why Grow Herbs in Garden Beds?

There are many advantages to planting herbs in garden beds rather than containers:

• More room for plants to grow and spread out
• Ability to create attractive herb combinations and designs
• Improved drainage and aeration for plant roots
• Easier access for tending and harvesting
• Less frequent watering needed compared to pots

Garden beds also allow you to grow a larger variety and quantity of herbs. The increased space means happy, healthy herb plants that will yield abundant leaves for your kitchen.

Best Herbs for Raised or In-Ground Beds

Here are 13 of the top herbs to grow in your garden beds:

1. Basil

A must for pesto, tomato sauces, and more. Sweet basil grows rapidly in warm weather and full sun. Pinch off flower heads to encourage leaf growth.

2. Chives

Delicate onion flavor brightens up soups, salads, and more. Pretty purple flowers attract pollinators Hardy perennial

3. Cilantro

Leaves add fresh flavor to salsas, curries, etc. Flowers attract beneficial insects. Quickly bolts in summer heat. Reseeds readily.

4. Dill

Essential for pickles! Feathery foliage complements fish, salads, etc. Reseeds easily. Best as an annual.

5. Lavender

Beautiful, fragrant blooms. Repels pests, attracts pollinators. Enhances desserts, teas, and more. Needs excellent drainage.

6. Lemon Balm

Refreshing lemon flavor for drinks and desserts. Attracts bees. Can be invasive, so contain or prune regularly.

7. Mint

Grow in container to restrict spread. Peppermint and spearmint add bold flavor to drinks, jellies, etc.

8. Oregano

Robust, earthy flavor. Use in pizza, pasta, marinades, and other Mediterranean dishes. Can be invasive; cut back often.

9. Parsley

Fresh garnish and flavor enhancer. Curly and flat leaf varieties. Biennial; treat as annual. Cut often to encourage regrowth.

10. Rosemary

Piney aroma and flavor. Use with meats, potatoes, breads, etc. Upright form makes great hedge. Drought tolerant once established.

11. Sage

Woodsy, earthy flavor. Use in stuffing, sausage dishes, etc. Silver foliage adds interest. Prune often to control spread.

12. Thyme

Many varieites with lemon to clove flavors. Use in stews, meat dishes, marinades. Tolerates some foot traffic. Woody perennial.

13. Tarragon

Distinctive anise-like flavor. Pairs well with poultry, seafood, vegetables, and vinegars. Harvest leaves as needed.

Companion Planting for Herb Beds

Creating symbiotic plant pairs through companion planting allows your herbs to grow their best:

• Basil planted with tomatoes boosts production and flavor of both.

• Chives help repel aphids from nearby plants like roses and carrots.

• Dill enhances growth of cucumbers and attracts predatory wasps.

• Marigolds deter nematodes, aphids, and other pests around herbs.

• Oregano thrives next to cabbage, kale, and broccoli.

• Sage protects squash, cabbage, and carrots from cabbage moths.

Caring for Herbs in Garden Beds

Here are some key tips for success growing herbs in your beds:

• Most herbs need at least 6 hours of full sun daily.

• Well-drained soil enriched with compost is ideal.

• Use organic fertilizer or compost tea to feed plants every 2-4 weeks.

• Mulch around plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

• Water when top few inches of soil become dry. Most herbs are drought tolerant once established.

• Pinch off flower heads on basil, mint, oregano to encourage leaf growth.

• Prune woody herbs like rosemary lightly in spring to shape and renew growth.

How to Harvest Herbs from the Garden

• Snip leafy herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley anytime plant looks full. Don’t remove more than one-third of growth at once.

• Cut back tender new shoots of perennials like sage, lavender, thyme early in the season. Older wood is better for cooking.

• For mint, lemon balm, oregano, only harvest top two-thirds of stems so plants keep growing strongly at the base.

• Pick leaves in early morning after dew dries but before the heat of midday sets in for best flavor.

• Always use clean, sharp pruners or scissors to avoid crushing stems. Make cuts above leaf nodes.

• Rinse herbs gently and pat dry before use. Store freshly cut herbs in air-tight containers in the fridge.

Enjoy an Abundant Herb Harvest!

Adding a selection of tasty herbs to your garden beds helps you cook flavorful food, beautify your outdoor space, and garner the many benefits herbs provide. With this guide for choosing, growing, and harvesting, you’re sure to have great success cultivating herbs this season. Get ready to enjoy bushels of garden-fresh herbs!