7 Best Herbs for an Italian Herb Garden

Italians are famous not only for their cuisine but also for the herbs they use in preparing their food. Growing these Italian herbs in your herb garden is a good idea because of the wonderful scents they can bring to your kitchen. Here are the seven (7) best herbs for an Italian herb garden which will truly bring unique flavors to your food.

• Basil. A popular herb that is used in many Italian recipes, basil does not only add flavor to your Italian cuisine but it is also a valuable addition to any garden. Basil when planted and grown beside tomatoes and peppers will improve their distinctive flavor. It is also an effective repellant against mosquitoes and flies.
  
• Oregano. An herb which is most flavorful when it is harvested with its purple flowers. When dried, this flavor is enhanced even more.
  
• Parsley. An herb which was usually eaten raw and originally used as a breath freshener. It was traditionally served after meals to get rid of bad breath from eating flavor-rich foods. Parsley is one herb that is hard to grow. Parsley nowadays is commonly used as garnishing for many different Italian and non-Italian dishes.
  
• Garlic. The most popular and most used herb in the world, garlic is easy to grow and will prosper in any kind of soil. Plus, it does not need a lot of attention. Garlic can be kept for a long time by freezing or pickling.
  
• Sage. Used in Italian cuisines from salads to meats, sage shoots are the most flavorful part of the herb plant. It can be harvested after blooming. To bring out new shoots, the sage plant need to be trimmed often.
  
• Rosemary. An evergreen perennial, rosemary just like basil is very helpful in the garden. It can grow into a large shrub with petite blue flowers which helps to attract bees. Although it is large and looks tough, rosemary is susceptible to frost.
  
• Fennel. A perennial plant that loses its flavor as it attains maturity, fennel is known for. Caring for fennel involves separating and replanted every few years.
  

Each herb requires a different level of care and attention. To learn more about what a particular herb needs, proper research is always a good idea. Talk to other growers or consult a guide like “Healthy Happy Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide To Herbs and Herb Gardening” before you choose the herbs to plant in your garden.
If you are serious about cultivating an organic herb garden, be sure to check out “Healthy Happy Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide To Herbs and Herb Gardening” by Jeannie Woods. It’s a book packed with all the information you need to be able to successful start and keep a thriving organic herb garden. You can read more about it here: http://healthyhappyherbs.com.