Herbs can add so much depth to a dish, but those bunches from the grocery store never seem to last long and though not expensive individually, those figures do add up. Wouldn’t it be great this summer to read a recipe, note the ingredients, and head out to the garden to freshly snip those flavorful elements? Herb gardening can be a resourceful tool for the kitchen as well as a lovely enhancement to any vegetable or flowering garden.

A surprising fact about herbs is that they can be planted as perennials or annuals. With that in mind, don’t plant perennial herbs in the middle of a vegetable garden. Place them in a protected space or bed near the house. For annual herbs, they benefit from the rich soils and sun provided with vegetable gardens and will thrive amid tomatoes and zucchini.

The Basics of Herb Planting

Herbs thrive in well-drained soil, prefer mostly sun, and moderate to low fertilizer. Fertilizers can speed growth but can dilute the flavor of many aromatic herbs. The general rule of thumb with herb usage is that dried herbs are far stronger than fresh, so when using plants from the garden you may need to use more than you would from the spice cabinet to achieve the same effect. Because many herbs are slow growing, they are perfect for containers and by doing so, extend the life of the more tender ones by bringing them indoors out of season.

Perennial Classics

Rosemary is favored by most gardeners. It is nearly winter hardy in this area and by a foundation or near the ocean, it will often survive the winter.  The plant sprouts dainty blue flowers along spiky green branches, and can be used for giving vegetables and meats a unique flavor.

Lavender is a great landscape herb with a unique, familiar fragrance. The leaves and blossoms of lavender are edible and its aroma is used in everything from soaps and perfumes to insect repellents.

Thyme is another spicy kitchen enhancer with tiny leaves growing in carpets along tiny woody stems. It can sometimes have a lemony fragrance or tend toward the sultrier scents. Thyme is most often found creeping amid patio stones and along rock gardens.

Sage comes into its own in the fall and adds a fresh touch to many winter soups.

Mint is a wonderful culinary herb popular in many beverages and is a common choice with certain springtime and early summer foods like English peas or Middle Eastern yogurt dressings. Mint is an especially good performer in containers due to its propensity to spread vigorously

Annual Favorites

Parsley is indispensible in the kitchen. For years relegated to salad bar garnish status, true cooks find a way to incorporate parsley into many dishes. Parsley can be grown over the length of the season and can be cut and re-cut several times.

Basil is the herb that gets most gardeners excited as it is the true taste of summer. Easy to grow and easy to use, basil loves hot, sunny soil and to be picked regularly to promote more branching growth. Simply pick the leaves and layer with garden fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, and to really impress the family, blend with olive oil, pine nuts and/or Parmesan cheese for a perfectly decadent pesto sauce.

Dill is another seasonably long performer. Its leaves are the perfect garnish to fish dishes and of course pickle flavoring. Its flowers are distinctive chartreuse in a flower bouquet and its seeds are even edible when fresh.

This is just a short rundown of some of the more popular herbs that are hard to go wrong with in the garden, and the best part is, when in doubt, try any of the above on potatoes. Any of these choices will impart their unique taste to a basic starch and educate taste pallets. Herbs can become the most popular item in the garden and kitchen this year!

Information for this column was contributed by Volante Farms, 292 Forest St., Needham.

If possible, avoid planting tomatoes in the same location they were planted last year as a new place helps to reduce insect and disease problems.

• Locate tomatoes in sunny areas of the garden and allow about 2 feet between plants. This spacing gives plants room to grow and access to sunshine.

• Plant tomatoes deep by planting some of the stalk in the ground when you plant it.

• Stake plants or use tomato cages to provide stability as the plant grows.

• Wait to apply mulch until the ground warms up and flowering begins.

• After soil has warmed up, add mulch — grass clippings, straw, newspapers — to help hold moisture in the soil.

Spring is here! It’s time to go outside and start planting flowers. Here’s an idea: Plant your own perennial garden. Once it’s planted, it will grow and bloom year after year. And, you can add new varieties each year and increase your enjoyment. Below is a perennial garden that is easy to grow and will look beautiful in your yard.

What Is A Perennial?

Gardening Tips: How To Create Your Own Perennial Garden

Perennials grow the first year, live over the winter, and bloom the following year. Some may bloom the first year if planted early. Most will bloom for several years in your garden, and some are very long-lived. Although perennial plants will last for many seasons, the time of each plant’s bloom may be only a few weeks. Using the garden plan below, you will be able to enjoy a beautiful rainbow of blooms throughout the season.

To Create This Beautiful Garden, Here’s What You Will Need:

One seed packet of each of the following perennials will be enough to create about a ten square foot garden.

Planting Your Perennial Garden

The first step in planting your perennial garden is to choose the location. You will need to decide how large you want your garden to be. One packet of each of the nine varieties is enough to plant a ten square foot area. You may need two packets of each, or you may only need to use half a packet of each–you decide, depending on the size garden you would like to have. Pick an area that is large enough for the garden size you would like, and make sure that it is sunny and that the soil drains well leaving no puddles after rains.

You will need to begin by preparing the soil. It is always a good idea to test your soil, it could be lacking in essential nutrients. Your soil can be tested easily using a soil test kit, such as the Ferry-Morse^® Soil Test Kit, which can be purchased at your local Lowe’s store. Simply follow the instructions on the kit, and you will know within minutes if your soil needs a boost.

Dig the garden, loosening the soil down to about 12″ deep. Add fertilizer as needed, and rake it in.

It’s Time To Plant The Seeds!

Plant the seeds and cover them following the instructions on the back of each packet. After the seedlings have developed several pairs of leaves, thin the plants to the suggested plant spacing.

There’s not a lot of maintenance to your perennial garden. A weekly weeding and watering will help it thrive during each growing season, and you will have a beautiful garden year after year.

Starting From Scratch

Whether you choose to establish your lawn by seed or sod, you must prepare the soil properly before planting. Kill any existing grass with an herbicide such as RoundUp or Weed B Gone. Till the area to break up dead grass and compacted soil. When you till, work in any lime recommended by a soil test (available through your county Extension agent) as well as a 1- to 2-inch layer of organic matter. If your soil is poor, you may want to cover it with 2 to 3 inches of topsoil. If you are sowing cool-season grass seeds, apply a high-phosphorus starter fertilizer at this time. Then, use a steel garden rake to level the ground and collect chunks of dead grass and stones. If all the old grass doesn’t come up with the tiller’s first pass, till and rake the soil again. Remember, you are establishing a finished grade so include any contours needed for drainage.

Although a good watering or gentle rain can help settle the soil, the best idea is to go over the area with a roller. This tool can be obtained at most equipment rental centers. A half-filled roller is heavy enough to firm up the soil without compacting it. Rolling the soil helps reveal sunken areas that you can fill and level prior to planting.

Gardening Tips: Have Lush Lawns with Little Effort

Seeding

• Always begin with the right seed for the site. Be sure to check the label for the following items: name of selection, weed-seed content, germination percentage, and
• date tested.
• Sow warm-season grass in spring or summer, and cool-season grass in late summer or fall when temperatures warm. Sow seeds using a drop or rotary spreader. To ensure even coverage, sow half of the seeds in one direction, and the other half at a right angle.
• Roll over the seeds with the half-filled roller, or rake the soil lightly to partially cover the seeds. Lightly cover the bed with weed-free wheat straw to protect the seeds from washing away or drying out. Upon germination, do not remove the straw. With the help of a mulching mower, the straw becomes a nutrient-rich blanket for your young lawn.
• Water daily with a gentle, but soaking sprinkle. Once the grass is 1 to 2 inches tall, water every two to three days. Fertilize after the second or third mowing, and allow one full growing season before applying weedkiller.

Sodding

• When you are ready to lay the sod, water the area the night before to be sure the ground is moist.
• Starting at a straight edge, lay sod in a staggered pattern as you would lay brick. Use a knife or spade to cut pieces to fit odd-sized areas. After all the sod is in place, press it down with the roller to ensure root contact with the soil. Water the sod daily for the first two weeks and then every other day, weaning gradually until you’re watering just once a week.
• When the grass begins to grow, mow and fertilize as you would an established lawn.

Fertilizing

Regardless of whether your lawn is new or long established, a correct approach to fertilizing is essential. Refer to either the results from a soil test or the square-foot coverage printed on the lawn fertilizer bag. Below are a few tips on when to fertilize and what’s the best product for your lawn.

For cool-season grasses such as ryegrass, fescues, and bluegrass apply your fertilizer during the cool part of spring before temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees. For warm-season grasses such as Bermuda, Bahia, St. Augustine, or Zoysia, apply about two to three weeks after the grass turns green and again in mid summer and early fall. Fertilize centipede in spring and summer with 15-0-15 according to label directions.

Controlling Lawn Diseases, Insects, And Weeds
As with all yard problems, the first step in controlling lawn diseases, insects, and weeds is identification. After you’ve identified your problem, follow these tips for a healthier lawn.

Disease Control

• Keep in mind that diseases are often spread by physical contact and are common when turf is wet or shaded. Many lawn diseases can be prevented by better lawn care practices. Water in the morning so that leaves will not remain wet through the evening. Remove clumps of dead grass and leaves to improve air circulation. A well-fed lawn will be more resistant to attacks from disease. Each of the following problems can be controlled through the use of a Daconil product.
• Brown patch damage has no specific size or pattern. When turf shows signs of damage, you may apply a fungicide every 7 to 10 days until recovery begins.
• Dollar spot appears as small, circular spots (1 to 3 inches in diameter) during the summer. It’s common after droughts in Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, and centipede lawns. A fungicide spray program should be implemented at 7-to-14 day intervals.
• Leaf spot is a pest of St. Augustine. It first appears on the leaves as tiny spots with gray centers. As the disease progresses, the grass looks scorched. Spray every 7 to 10 days until recovery.
• Rusts are identified as yellow, orange, or brown spots on grass blades. All grasses except centipede and Bahia are susceptible. A fungicide spray should be applied every 7 to 14 days until the problem is controlled.

Insect Control

• As a preventive measure in early spring, treat your lawn with carbaryl, Dursban, Diazinon, or malathion if you feel that insects will be a problem.
• In summer months, as the insects move toward the ground surface, treat your lawn again.

Weed Control

• There are two types of weeds- grassy weeds, such as crabgrass and foxtail, and broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, clover, and chickweed.
• Grassy weeds are best controlled using a pre-emergence herbicide applied in early spring-two weeks before the last frost. This controls weeds before they have a chance to take root.
• Broadleaf weeds can be controlled by spraying a weedkiller that contains 2,4-D, MCPP, or dicamba.
• Remember, never combine chemicals and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using any herbicide or pesticide.

Recommended Grasses For The South

Illustration by CRISTINA MARTINEZ BYVIK

When I was in my teens, I used to jump off the tailgate of a pickup truck, no problem. When I was in my 40s, I could still hop off the tailgate, but I usually took someone’s hand and jumped more carefully. Now in my early 80s, I sit down carefully and slide off very gently. n As we age, it makes good sense to make adjustments for our safety. Gardening isn’t any different.

Here are some tips for your gardening safety.

1 The hardest tip first: Admit to yourself you can’t do everything you used to. Don’t try to do everything in one day. Work for a while and then relax for a while. Most accidents happen when we are tired and are not paying close attention. You will always wish that you had the energy you had when you were 25, but you are not 25 anymore. That’s life. Like the saying goes: Make lemonade out of those lemons.

2 Do a safety check of your yard. It only takes one misstep to trip and fall. Have a friend or family member walk around your yard with you to check for hazards — roots, uneven ground, loose steps, rocks, etc. They will see things that you might have taken for granted.

3 Fix the things that aren’t safe or could be a hazard. It’s not enough to notice that a root sticks up if you do nothing about it. Fix it! Wear long sleeves and sturdy pants and use gloves. As we age, our skin gets thinner and branches and stickers can cause nasty scratches that might get infected. A pair of goggles or some old sunglasses will protect your eyes from a snapping branch.

4 Carry a cellphone with you any time you are outside the house (carry it in the house, too.) You may never need it, but if you do, it could save you some very uncomfortable waiting time in the event of a fall.

5 Use a cane or walking stick for uneven ground. Give yourself the additional support you need when you walk in difficult areas. If you happen to fall, having a cane nearby makes it a lot easier to get up. A ski pole is useful with its pointed tip; it is also a great gardening cane, handy for picking up trash or holding down that branch that is in the way.

6 Avoid ladders like the plague. No climbing up on chairs or old, turned-over 5-gallon cans. Very few gardens have perfectly even surfaces. Don’t let a tippy ladder tip you over. If you can’t reach something, let it be.

7 Stay away from that slope or bank; it is a trap waiting to cause you to tumble. Compare your poorer balance and a potential broken hip against the weeds that the gardener can and should pull. Guess which one will win? If ever you should fall, however, immediately go to the doctor or call 911.

8 Bring your gardening up to waist level. Those aching knees and arthritic joints will love it when you bring your garden closer to your reach. Arthritis is one of the most common conditions as we get older, making it harder to bend, lift and dig. So, invest in a raised planter bed or two. Not too high, maybe 2 to 3 feet. Make sure there is a nice, wide top board to make sitting and working easy. Everything in the bed should be reachable, so get one that is long and narrow, not square and deep. Need it higher? Concrete blocks or stacked bricks will do the trick. You can also create an easy container garden by adding an extra patio table. All your pots of herbs and flowers can sit on the extra table.