Growing an herb garden can be a lot of fun, since you can actually use what you grow while cooking. Children love herb gardens, too, watching plants grow and “harvesting.” The following herbs will do well in Houston, Texas gardens. I tried to list herbs that can be used in more than one dish. Also, since I like to grow plants in containers, I have noted which of these herbs do well in container gardens. You can move containers inside to prevent frost damage (thankfully, rare in Houston, Texas), or just choose to grow a small herb garden inside on a windowsill.
Lemon Basil. This herb grows best in full sun, and is best planted in the spring. It can also take cold down to freezing temperatures (but not below). Lemon basil is a wonderful spice to use for cooking fish, vegetables or poultry. This herb is also hard to kill, so if you are a gardener like me you should definitely add this to your Houston, Texas herb garden. Lemon basil does very well in a container.
Onion Chives. Onion chives are one of the best herbs to grow in your Houston, Texas herb garden because they have so many uses for cooking. There’s almost nothing you can’t flavor with onion chives – chicken or meat dishes, vegetables and salads, and all kinds of sauces and dips. Add them to mashed potatoes and shrimp dishes, too. This herb grows best in partial shade, and should be planted in the spring. It does very well in containers.
Dill. I love dill, because like onion chives it is an herb with so many uses when it comes to food. Sprinkle it on chicken and fish, over vegetables, in sauces and dips. This herb will grow best in your Houston, Texas garden if you plant it in the fall and give it full sun. This is another garden herb that does well in containers, and as an added bonus it attracts butterflies!
Mexican Oregano. This garden herb can be planted in the fall or spring, and can thrive in both full and partial sun. Mexican oregano is stronger than regular oregano, and tastes great in chili, bean dishes and stews. This garden herb will also attract butterflies to your Houston, Texas garden, and does well in containers, too.
Garden Thyme. This garden herb is perfect in soups and stews, and can be used to flavor chicken and fish dishes as well. Plant this herb in your Houston, Texas garden in full sun, preferably in the spring although this herb does well with a fall planting, too. Garden Thyme is easy to grow but should be protected from frost. This herb does well in containers.
This is not an all-inclusive list – there are many more herbs that will do well in your Houston, Texas garden. Decide which ones you like best and experiment until you find your perfect garden!
Source List:
http://www.chron.com/apps/chron_data/plants.mpl/search?pcat=herb&ptype;=&phgt;=&psun;=;start=21
http://www.emerils.com/cooking-blog/3526/oregano/
http://homecooking.about.com/b/2009/02/19/cooking-with-chives.htm
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/thygar16.html
