Which herbs are best?

Annual and biennial herbs

Many of our traditional culinary herbs such as parsley, chervil, savory, dill, marjoram and cress belong to this group, as well as ancient cultivated plants such as garden algae or purslane. They are usually quite robust and can be in spring directly into the bed to be sown. When is the best time for this depends on the specific species: In March you can start with parsley, chervil and cress. From April, dill, garden log and rocket will follow in May Nasturtiums, Purslane and savory. Only with that sowing of marjoram you should wait until after the ice saints.

Other culinary and wild herbs

Many herbs in this group are native or naturalized in Central Europe and are ideally suited to our temperate, rainy climate. Usually they also come in Penumbra Excellent, with species such as woodruff or wild garlic even

shady places love under trees. Also chives and lovage, ancient medicinal plants such as valerian and lemon balm, strong ones Aromatic herbs such as horseradish and species that have since been forgotten such as wild ones Rocket, sorrel, Pimpinelle or watercress need good, deep and moist soil.

Mediterranean herbs

The exact opposite, namely sun-hungry and rather ascetic in relation to the soil, are many herbs from the Mediterranean region. Thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, hyssop, the aromatic curry herb or lemon verbena prefer very warm, sheltered locations on barren and stony soils. Many varieties are very sensitive to frost - especially rosemary, bay leaf and lemon verbena - and should therefore be better in buckets to be cultivated.

Artemisias

Artemisia is the botanical generic name of a whole series of ancient aromatic and medicinal plants such as wormwood, mugwort, rowan and tarragon. The latter is mainly known from fine cuisine, where it gives fish dishes and delicate sauces aroma and sophistication with its sweet, anise-like taste. This family of herbs contains a lot of bitter substances, but also substances that are toxic in higher concentrations - a well-known example is the alkaloid absinthe. Artemisia promote fat digestion and help with numerous other complaints. They used to be considered strong "protective and magic herbs" and were mainly used for smoking.