Designing a small Herb Garden – and Salmon with Tarragon Mayo
I was gone for two weeks. During that time I cooked one dinner and did no gardening. It's a good thing I enjoyed the respite.
My garden exploded, as it tends to do in May – won't I ever learn? My tomato plants are short and fat instead of tall and lean; the rest of the potager had to be roto-tiled …. again; and the mole moved back into my herb garden leaving mounds of dirt almost as high as the weeds.
Okay, okay, enough whinging, already.
I thought, as it is prime planting season in most parts of the northern hemisphere, I would take this opportunity to climb on my favorite soapbox and write about herb gardens for Weekend Herb Blogging, the event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted this week by Rinku of Cooking in Westchester. There will be a recipe or two in here somewhere….
I have a very large herb garden – because I want to and I can. But a lot of my herbs end up on the compost pile.
I have about 10 feet of chives. In rotation, about 3 feet at a time, I cut them back to 4 inches to keep new growth coming. It ends up in the compost. If I had 18 inches (50cm) which would be 3 – 4 'clumps' or plants I could cut them back as I use them; no waste.
I have two 2' x 4' (60cm x 125cm) basil beds. I use a lot but still have to do 2 or 3 mass trimmings each season to keep them growing nicely. One 2' x 3' plot would probably suffice.
As you can see in the photo – my tarragon needs some serious trimming.
When I lived in Minnesota I had a 'Square Foot' Garden – which is the best concept since sliced brioche.
Using that system, based on one 7 foot (2 1/3 meters) square I would suggest planting the following: (one square is 12" x 12" (30 x 30 cm))
Basil, 2 or 3 varieties in 7 square row, 28 plants total (I use a lot of basil)
Chives, 3 – 4 plants in 3 square row
Garlic Chives, 3 – 4 plants in 3 square row
Tarragon, 1 – 2 plants, centered in 2 x 2 square area
Sage, 1 – 2 plants, centered in 2 X 2 square area
Regular Thyme, 2 plants and Lemon Thyme, 1 plant, centered in 2 X 3 square area
Marjoram, 2 – 3 plants in 2 X 2 square area
Oregano, 2 plants in 2 X 2 square area
Parsley, 1 curly, 2 flat in 3 square row
Summer Savory, 3 plants in 2 square row
Plus 2 empty squares for something else!
Down the center is a 1 X 7 square path for easy access.
Oh yes, the mint: Keep it in a pot….. please! It sends out runners that will soon engulf your house, neighborhood, city….
With a garden like this you will always have fresh herbs to add to your cooking: a pinch here; a handful there, without having to pay outrageous prices.
For dinner on Friday I roasted some new potatoes, then tossed them with butter and snipped basil and chives. The asparagus were steamed and finished with truffle oil and garlic chives. Mon mari did the salmon on the smoker, covered in dill (which I had to buy) but it could just be simply:
Grilled Salmon with Tarragon Mayonnaise
2 salmon fillets – 6 – 8 oz each
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs snipped fresh tarragon
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs snipped fresh chives
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Mix 1 tbs tarragon, lemon, chives, garlic and mayo and set aside. Brush salmon with the oil and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbs fresh tarragon. Cook over barbecue grill 5 – 10 minutes depending on heat of grill (gas will normally be about 10 min) or bake in 400 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on thickness. Salmon should flake easily with fork when done but it's okay to have it still a bit pink in the center. Transfer to a plate, add tarragon mayonnaise on the side.
Please stop by Cooking in Westchester on Monday for Rinku's recap of all the wonderful herb-y recipes.
I'll be writing about vegetable gardens this week if anyone is curious…..
Fresh herbs and a grill … make perfect salmon and veggies! Yes, I love this meal.
I could send you some slugs 😉 and nothing ends on compost
Love the concept of a square garden. My garden is pretty big, but the herbs are pretty much all getting used (some are frozen at the end of the summer and I use them all winter.) I’ve never grown chives, that’s a plant I think I should try. Just planted tarragon this year for the first time.
That’s a lot of herb plants – no wonder you end up using some for compost!
I’m in the process of creating my own herb garden – will keep in mind the tip about mint in pots:)
My tarragon has gone nuts this spring, too! Most of it ends up in the compost, as it’s easier to grow than to incorporate into my cooking. I’m starting fresh with both thyme and lemon thyme, which for some reason have not retured with vigor this spring. I use thyme more than any herb in the herb garden, but I also plant lots of parsley, basil (several varieties), chives and garlic chives, lemongrass, sage, mint and chocolate mint (yes, both running amok, but I have the room for it and I use tons of mint). I keep trying dill, but with no success. Maybe this year….
Katie, that’s a great and instructive list for square foot gardening, and I’m jealous of all your herbs! That’s quite fabulous. I like the sound of that recipe, too. Yum!
Asparagus with truffle oil-I’m dying here!what time is dinner!
I am going to try some of your herb garden advice. the little I planted, coriander included, has already croaked, so I need to start over….
Tanna, the salmon from the smoker is wonderful! (as are the veg)
Kalyn, you really should plant chives and garlic chives. They are both so easy!
Pille, mint must be in pots (I think)
Thanks. Ulrike….but no thanks…
Lydia, I lost both my thymes this year, too. Must add lemongrass – I’ll have to get the seeds in the U.S. though.
Genie, square foot gardening is super easy and great for small spaces. My own herb garden is 40 feet by 20 feet – a bit much!
Jann, 9:30 in summer – we’ll be waiting
Meredith, good luck with the replanting. This spring’s weather has been soooo unreliable.
I have most of the above, but I forgot that I need to get dill and summer savory (near the beans)! I’ve got so many things so close together. I tried to make sure I did companion planting as much as possible. Still, the dill was hard to place.
I’d kind of like to add cilantro, spearmint (containers!!), lemongrass, and epazote. And Mexican oregano. And more varieties of basil. If I can start a second square-foot garden next year I will do that.
And my thyme is struggling, halfway around the world…
love the recipe and was a hit with the family. If you are interested in Herb Gardens then this site is also worth a look