One of our favorite types of plants to plant in the garden are fragrant herbs. They’re beautiful, they can fill a whole garden bed, and they attract polinators.

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when planting herbs this Spring.

• Seed versus seedling? Many herbs grow very well from seeds including basil, mint, dill, parsley, chamomile, thyme, and lemon balm. There are a few that are better to plant once they’ve had a head start: rosemary and lavandar, for example. When you start from seeds, it’s good the thin the seeds out after they sprout, giving each plenty of room to grow.
• How to harvest and pinch back herbs. One amazing thing about herbs is that they’re the gift that keeps on giving. You can clip and pinch back herbs weekly through the spring and summer and they will keep producing new leaves to enjoy. The key is to clip your leaves right above a “node”, the spot on a stem where new leaves are primed to start growing.
• Herbs that go on – some herbs will need to be replanted each year, especially if you plan to eat them – old plants that have flowered can take on a bitter taste. But some come back just fine and tasty every year. We’ve found that mint plants will often come back, take over a whole garden bed if you let it, and taste as good as ever. Rosemary plants will turn into full on hardy shrubs and last long into the winter. You’ll need to replant basil, parsley, and dill.