Growing Herbs in the Fall

As the cold weather is starting to roll in, it’s the perfect time to finish off your fall gardening. Many people forget that fall can be a great time to plant herbs in their gardens.

The herbs that thrive the most when planted during the fall season include parsley, chives, and cilantro. The cooler weather benefits the herbs because their seeds can be planted a month before the last frost.

These types of herbs have the best growth when planted in compost-rich soil. They flourish off of the plentiful nutrients that compost-rich soil contains. It only takes a few weeks for these herbs to grow so you will definitely have time to use these herbs in your favorite dishes this season.

Check out more fall herb-specific tips below!

Cilantro:

• It’s helpful to grow cilantro in an existing flower bed.
• Cilantro will stay leafy instead of growing up to bloom when planted in the fall because fall and winter days are shorter.

Chives:

• Chives are best grown as a border or near the front edge of a bed.
• The best way to plant chives is in the full sun.

Parsley:

• It’s a great idea to plant parsley in existing flower beds. They grow well next to annuals and perennials.
• Parsley is frost-proof and will live through the winter.

All of these herbs will make a great addition to your garden this fall. A variety of dishes can be made from these herbs and will taste much better now that you know that they are fresh from your garden.

Here are a few recipe suggestions to use with your freshly grown herbs:

Cilantro pesto from Simply Recipes will make a fresh addition to a wide spectrum of dishes. Instead of sticking with simple basil pesto, the cilantro pesto adds a new bright and pungent flavor that will add a new flavor profile to any dish.

Mascarpone chive mashed potatoes can be a new family favorite with the fresh chives that you add in from your garden. This side dish is the perfect accompaniment to any fall roast that you may be cooking this season.

Fresh parsley can be used for a flavorful marinade in Cooking Channel’s grilled flat iron steak recipe. You can even add chives into the marinade to create a beautiful flavor combination for your steak.

(Photo courtesy of Elise Bauer)