5 Seasonal Fresh Herbs To Grow On An Organic Farm

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Initiating your personal organic farm is not just about growing and cultivating crops; it is also about designing and crafting a sustainable, flourishing ecosystem that is mutually beneficial to your community and the environment. Growing fresh herbs on an organic farm is an incredibly multifaceted and satisfying experience. The aromatic, perfumed, and delicious plants play an important role in uplifting the quality of dishes and drinks. They also help offer various medicinal benefits, attract different pollinators, and increase the biodiversity of your organic farm. Growing seasonal herbs allows a year-round harvest of crops, while also lessening the demand on resources and boosting crop yields.

In this blog, we have described 7 Seasonal herbs, along with their growth requirements, uses, benefits, and some useful tips to help achieve optimal health and growth of plants.

 

Basil

 

The first and the most important herb that can be grown on an organic farm is basil. It is a culinary herb of the mint family that comes in many different varieties. Basil is an annual, or sometimes perennial, herb and its plant can reach heights from 30 to 150 centimetres. Optimum growth conditions for Basil include hot, dry conditions, particularly temperate zones and subtropical climates. It also requires regular watering, but if its leaves have wilted from lack of water, they will recover if the plant is watered thoroughly and placed in a sunny location. The plant grows best in warm temperatures ranging from 21-29°C and also requires full sunlight. An approximate 6-8 hours of sunlight is required daily for good growth of basil. The soil must also be drained well and rich in nutrients. The optimum pH of soil should range from 6.0-7.5, a slightly acidic pH. The plant should also be harvested regularly to boost growth and prevent flowering, as flowering can make the leaves bitter.

Basil has plenty of uses in daily life, ranging from culinary uses and medicinal benefits, to companion planting as well. It is essential in Italian and Southeast Asian cuisines, especially in dishes like pesto, salads, and sauces. Basil's anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties are also beneficial to doctors and nurses, who utilize them in medicinal treatment. Basil also repels aphids and flies when it is planted near tomatoes, thus helping boost growth of other crops.

 

Rosemary

 

Rosemary is a small evergreen plant of the mint family whose leaves are used to flavour foods. It is widely grown in gardens of warm climates. The leaves of rosemary have a pungent, slightly bitter taste. In both dry and fresh form, they are used to season foods, such as lamb, duck, chicken, sausages, seafood, stuffing, stews, and soups. The rosemary plant is a perennial shrub that usually grows to a height of almost 1 metre and its linear leaves are about 1 cm long. These leaves also resemble curved pine needles.

Rosemary is a year-round plant which is evergreen in warm climates. Its growing conditions stipulate full sunlight of approximately 6-8 hours daily. Mild winter and warm summer temperatures, ranging from 15-30°C are suitable for optimal growth. Its soil must be sandy and well-drained with a slightly acidic pH, ranging from 6.0-7.5. It is also useful to allow the soil to dry out between watering spells, helping to avoid root rot. Slight trimming, at often times, is also beneficial as it helps to maintain shape and encourage growth.

Rosemary is widely utilized in daily life activities such as cuisine, medicine, and ornaments. The shrub is useful for boosting memory and concentration, as well as in adding flavour to roasted meats, potatoes, and bread. It is also used as an ornament, looking beautiful in hedges and decorative gardens.

 

Thyme

 

Another pungent herb belonging to the mint family is thyme. It is particularly known for its aroma and the flavour of its dried leaves and flowering tops. Thyme is used to flavour a wide variety of foods such as poultry, eggs, fish, meats, vegetables, sauces, and cheese. It is also one of the herbs used to flavour Benedictine liqueur.

As a small low-growing shrub typically nurtured as an annual, thyme can also endure as an evergreen perennial in warm climates, after being planted in Spring. It is best cultivated in a hot, sunny location with well-drained soil. The ideal temperature range in mild climates for optimal growth of thyme plant is 16-24°C. Full sunlight and a soil with pH of 6.0-8.0 that is light and well-drained, make for suitable growing conditions.

Thyme has numerous uses in daily life. In culinary work, it is a great herb for seasoning meats, soups, and stews. It also has many medicinal benefits since it contains thymol, a chemical with good antifungal and antibacterial properties. Thyme also attracts bees, making it a good pollinator, and impressive for biodiversity.

 

Coriander

 

The next fresh herb which can be grown on an organic farm that we will now discuss is coriander. It's dry fruits and seeds are used to flavour many foods, particularly sausages, curries, liqueurs, and Scandinavian pastries. Its delicate leaves are known as cilantro which are generally used on Latin American, Chinese and Indian dishes.

The plant grows in the Spring and Fall seasons and its growing conditions require full sunlight to partial shade. Coriander usually grows well in cooler weather, in a temperature range of 10-25°C. Its soil must be well-drained and loamy within a pH range of 6.2-6.8. The seeds must be sown directly in the soil because cilantro does not transplant well. Regular watering is also necessary to avoid bolting in hot weather.

Coriander is popularly used in various Mexican, Indian, and Middle Eastern dishes. It also has many medicinal benefits as it aids digestion and has detoxifying properties.

 

Chives

 

The last fresh herb that will be discussed in this blog is chive. It is a small perennial plant of the amaryllis family that is related to the onion. They can be grown as ornamentals due to their attractive flowers or as potherbs due to their flavourful leaves. Chive leaves, fresh and dried both, are frequently used for seasoning of eggs, soups, salads, and vegetables. Since chive leaves and flowers are edible, it has a lot of culinary uses, as well as to repel insects.

Chives grow particularly well in spring to early fall season. Their ideal growing conditions require mild temperatures between ranges of 15-24°C. They also require full sun to partial shade sunlight. Soil requirements stipulate a moist, well-draining soil with a pH ranging between 6.0-7.0. Chive must also be regularly pruned to encourage new growth.

Chive has plenty of culinary uses such as adding a mild onion-like flavour to soups, salads, and eggs. It is also a good ornament as it produces attractive purple flowers. The herb also impedes pests like aphids and Japanese beetles, thus being used in companion planting.

Herbs are thus a very useful and beneficial plant to grow when starting an organic farm. Actions like composting, crop rotation, and pest management in organic farming can further help boost growth of herbs. These herbs on the other hand provide numerous culinary, medicinal, ornamental, and social benefits, allowing for the development of a productive organic farm. As a result, crop yields grow and other crops, apart from herbs, can also be grown. Thus, this ends up resulting in improved biodiversity and the creation of a thriving and prospering ecosystem through your organic farm.