The 5 best herbs to grow this Summer!

Herbs are so super easy to grow and perfect to grow on the balcony of your condo! If you are just started to learn about plants and which ones are best to grow if you have a small space, this is a great place to start. Herbs just need a little love and attention but do so well in pots. There are more than two thousand herbs all over the world and they are used for a variety of things from cooking to medicine. Dill, parsley, sage, lavender, and mint are a few easy ones that grow well in the Canadian region and the ones we are going to be talking about today.

Dill

When we think of Dill, we probably think of dill pickles but this herb is used on a variety of food (I like to sprinkle dried dill on my potatoes before cooking). Dill is an annual herb that provides feathery green leaves. Being an annual herb means that it tends to replant itself and comes back every year. A little bit of Dill can go a long way due to its unique flavor. You can use it fresh or dried, but if dried, just be sure to store in an air-tight container.

Parsley

Parsley is commonly found in the Mediterranean region and used in Italian food, but it is also easy to grow in other areas as well. Parsley has so many health benefits and grows year-round. You can grow this in a small pot on the patio or inside on your counter. This herb can also be dried and stored, or you can just pinch some off straight from the plant. This herb is so versatile!

Sage

The Sage leaf is normally used for medicine and is most-commonly used dried. Since Sage likes it a bit dryer, it is the perfect container plant. It is easy to harvest because you just pinch off the leaves and tie them together to hang upside down to dry (I have some in my window as we speak).

Lavender

Although, it is not native to Canada, Lavender grows easy here because it does not like hot weather. It does not like any chemical help and once it is established, does not even require a lot of water. Lavender aids in stress relief and anxiety and makes the perfect tea! It sometimes even blooms up to 3 times a year producing a beautiful lavender colored flower!

There are over 300 different varieties of Mint. Peppermint, spearmint, apple mint are a few of the most popular ones. These are perfect for container growing and only require moderate watering. You can harvest mint aggressively and it will continue to grow. It’s almost like a weed, you can’t get rid of it! It does need about 6- 8 hrs of direct sunlight daily. You can also dry the mint and store in airtight containers to use for tea!

I hope this information was helpful. For more information, click here. There are so many different plants to choose from and they offer so many different benefits. We could go on and on for days on herbs and how to grow them but we will stop here. If you grow any of these this year, take a picture and tag me on Facebook! I would love to see it!

Mayssoun Hatoum