Southern California Home Garden

I love growing fresh herbs in my outdoor garden. Fresh herbs are costly and don’t last long in the refrigerator. So, which herbs am I growing in my Southern California Home Garden?

Mint
Although Mint is so easy to grow, it can become a problem. Its prolific nature will quickly take over your garden. I grow mine in the patch of dirt by my driveway.

Rosemary
Rosemary can help in repelling slugs and mosquitoes.

Sage
Because I love stuffed chickens, I grow sage. I have been told it must be replanted after three to four years. We shall see.

Basil
As my basil plant dies each winter. I buy a plant and keep it in the kitchen window. Once the weather warms, its planted in the garden.

Parsley
If nothing else, most Italians grow parsley. Parsley is not a perennial or annual.  Most species of parsley are biennial, but because its foliage can turn bitter in the second year,

Cilantro
We make chimichurri when we cook steak, so we grow cilantro. The flowers turn into seeds in late spring; simply allow the seed to fall. That way, you won’t need to replant again next year.

We have a variety of fruit trees; if you haven’t planted them in your yard, consider doing so. We have lemon, apple, pomegranate, fig, orange, and mandarin, to name a few. I have strawberries in my container garden, which return each year. Tomatoes are a different story, as I purchase new plants each year. They require some attention with spikes or trellises. Mine flourished so well last year that I had to keep cutting them back so the blossoms could get enough sun. We had tomatoes until the end of January which is unusual due to all of the rain and cold weather.

What’s growing in your garden?