Easy ways to create a family herb garden
Besides the balcony, where else at home can you grow some flowers and plants? The answer is the windowsill, where plenty of sunlight and good air circulation create an environment naturally suited to plant growth. The space is small, yet it is enough to create a little herb garden.
They usually share the common properties of both medicinal plants and culinary herbs: fragrant and beneficial, full of love.
Thyme
The herb with a compassionate heart
Ease of growing: ★★★
Harvest time: 100-120 days
Press 4-5 small holes in the soil with your finger, 0.5-1 cm deep. Put 2-3 seeds in each hole, fill them in, water thoroughly, then seal the pot opening with cling film.
Place it in a sunny spot. Once it sprouts, just keep the soil surface moist. It can be transplanted in 90-100 days.
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, wept from heartache when she saw the Trojan War, and her tears fell to the mortal world and turned into this compassionate thyme.
"Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica" records: thyme is pungent and warm in nature, with the effects of warming the middle, dispelling cold, expelling wind and relieving pain. Blended with rose and calendula into an herbal tea, it can help digestion and relieve gas and bloating; adding honey can treat colds and sore throats.
Lemon balm
The herb that embodies positive energy
Ease of growing: ★★★★
Harvest time: 20-40 days
Bury the seeds about 1 cm deep, water thoroughly and place in a dark spot. They usually sprout in 5 days and begin to root in 9-15 days. They can be harvested all year round; in spring, autumn and winter give them full sun, while in summer provide shade.
Also known as "balm". In European folklore, planting lemon balm at the door can ward off evil. Medical evidence shows that a tea made from the leaves helps relieve stress and calm the emotions. However you look at it, this is a herb full of positive energy. Assessment complete.
Thai basil
The king of herbs
Ease of growing: ★★★
Harvest time: 90 days
Choose a sunny morning and gently press the seeds into the soil, about 1 cm deep. Water the soil thoroughly with warm water and keep it moist; they sprout in about 4-5 days. In the south, they can be sown in March-April; in the colder north, sow from late April to early May.
In the East, legend says a king on an inspection tour was trapped by a flood on a nine-story tower and ate this wild herb to stave off hunger, so he bestowed the name "nine-story tower".
In the West, it is said that the oil used by Greek kings in religious ceremonies was made from Thai basil essential oil, so it was named βασιλευ? (Greek for "king").
The widely accepted explanation is that Thai basil's flowers form multiple tiers like a tower, hence the name "nine-story tower".
Although the origins of both the Eastern and Western names are miraculously tied to kings, what truly makes Thai basil "king" is its own wide range of medicinal and culinary uses.
Thai basil is often used in European-style dining and in Indian and Thai cooking. It can be added when making stir-fried clams, Taiwanese three-cup chicken or crispy fried chicken; fresh Thai basil leaves mixed with cheese, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil can also make the famous pesto sauce.
Lemon verbena
The herb that pretends to be a lemon
Ease of growing: ★★★★
Harvest time: spring and summer
Put some gravel and nutrient soil into the flowerpot in order, dig two small furrows, evenly scatter the lemon verbena seeds into the furrows, cover with soil, water thoroughly with a spray bottle, and place in a cool, well-ventilated spot. Lemon verbena takes about 2 weeks to sprout.
Lemon verbena's narrow, bright green leaves are rich in volatile oil, giving off a strong lemon-like fragrance without lemon's sourness, making them suitable for all kinds of dishes. Besides brewing tea, they are usually chopped as a stuffing, or mixed into sauces, drinks and jelly-type desserts.
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