Parsley establishes well in late fall and provides steady harvests throughout the winter. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Cool Season Annual Herbs to Plant in December
Cool-season cilantro grows quickly in mild weather and benefits from regular harvesting. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Winter might seem like the quiet season in the garden, but for cool-season herbs, it’s the time they settle in and really show off. While tomatoes and peppers and other warm-season crops may have succumbed to our first cold snaps, many herbs absolutely love the mild, bright, chilly weather we get from December through early spring.
If you’re itching to plant something right now, annual herbs are one of the easiest ways to keep the garden feeling lively through the colder months.
Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
Cilantro is one of the most reliable herbs you can grow in winter. It thrives in cool temperatures and short days, which makes December an excellent time to plant. You can scatter the seeds directly into containers or a raised bed, thin seedlings to six to eight inches apart, and harvest regularly to keep them producing.
Once warmer days return, cilantro will bolt and complete its life cycle, but that’s not always a bad thing. If you let the plants go to seed, the little green fruits ripen into the familiar brown coriander seeds. They’re useful in the kitchen, and you can save a handful to start next year’s crop.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Parsley is technically a biennial, but here in Florida, we treat it as a winter annual. Plant it in late fall and it usually settles in without much complaint, producing a steady mound of leaves you can snip all season. Flat-leaf parsley tends to have stronger flavor, while curly parsley is often used as a garnish, though both types are perfectly good in salads, sauces, and soups.
Dill produces umbrella-shaped clusters of tiny yellow flowers that attract pollinators. Photo by Irina Khomenko, Adobe Stock.
Give parsley sun or light shade and soil that doesn’t dry out too quickly. By the time the weather starts warming again, it naturally shifts its energy toward flowering, which signals the end of its leafy season.
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Dill is one of those herbs you can spot from across the garden thanks to its fine, feathery texture. The scent alone makes it worth growing. The leaves, stems, and seeds all bring that familiar dill flavor to roasted vegetables, yogurt dips, potatoes, and seafood. The plants can stretch surprisingly tall if they’re happy, especially once the yellow flower heads start forming seeds.
And as long as the weather stays cool, dill usually keeps right on going. Give it a sunny spot with well-drained soil, and you’ll be harvesting for months. Like parsley and fennel, it also draws black swallowtail caterpillars. Many gardeners plant a little extra simply because the payoff – a few bright swallowtails drifting through the garden – is worth sharing.
Borage produces edible leaves and flowers throughout the winter. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Borage isn’t as widely grown as some of the other herbs here, but it’s one of the more charming additions to a winter bed. The leaves have a faint cucumber scent, and the blue, star-shaped flowers look like something out of a fairytale. Both are edible, and the flowers especially tend to disappear quickly into salads or iced drinks once you start using them. Bees seem to find borage immediately, even on cool days, and it often reseeds itself in the same spot for years.
It doesn’t ask for much – sun, a bit of space, and soil that drains reasonably well. Coming from the Mediterranean, it handles dry weather and even deer browsing better than many soft-leaved herbs.
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
Chervil, sometimes called French parsley, is a delicate, ferny herb with a mild anise flavor that’s perfect for winter cooking. It’s one of those herbs you want to use fresh – just toss a handful in at the end of cooking and it melts right into whatever you’re making. A few specialty forms even produce edible roots similar to small carrots, though the leafy types are what you’ll most often see.
Chervil’s delicate, fern-like leaves thrive in cool weather. Photo by Jiri D., Adobe Stock.
Chervil grows best in full to part sun with rich, moist soil, and it handles cold weather well. Warm temperatures, however, will quickly cause it to bolt and turn bitter, so winter is the ideal window for growing it here.
Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Lavender always seems to lend a sense of calm to a garden. Most of us know it for the soothing scent used in soaps, lotions, and oils, but it’s also showing up more often in the kitchen. A tiny pinch can add a gentle floral note to pastries, syrups, jams, or a cup of tea.
Because it evolved in the dry hills of the western Mediterranean, lavender appreciates our winter weather far more than our humid summers. Spanish and French types generally handle our climate better than the classic English lavender, but be sure to give it the right conditions, including full sun, well-drained soil, and good air movement.
Spanish lavender blooms during Florida’s cool season and pairs well with rosemary in the kitchen. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Water lavender lightly as it settles in, then let the soil dry between waterings. Once established, it is one of those plants you end up brushing against every time you pass it, simply to enjoy the fragrance.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Fennel is both ornamental and practical. The feathery foliage brings a soft, airy look to winter beds, and the flavor of the fronds works beautifully with citrus, fish, or hearty winter salads. If you let fennel grow tall, it eventually produces large umbrella-shaped flower clusters that draw in pollinators and later ripen into seeds you can use in the kitchen.
Most gardeners grow the non-bulbing type for its foliage, though bulb fennel can be planted in early winter if you want to experiment. Like dill and parsley, fennel is a host plant for black swallowtail caterpillars, so it’s worth planting extra if you enjoy watching the full butterfly life cycle. Fennel grows best in full sun with well-drained soil.
Growing Tips for Winter Herbs
Fennel grows well in the cool months, producing feathery foliage and sweet, anise-flavored fronds. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Our winter sun is gentle enough that most herbs appreciate as much light as you can give them. Containers and raised beds work well because they drain quickly, which is important for almost all cool-season herbs. Keep soil evenly moist, and on nights with hard freezes (less than 28°F for over an hour), a light sheet or frost cloth over young plants offers protection. Most of these herbs will rebound quickly after brief cold snaps.
Cool-season herbs are some of the easiest plants you can grow this time of year. They’re fast, flavorful, and usually much less bothered by pests or disease than anything you grow in summer.
A few pots of cilantro, parsley, dill, borage, chervil, lavender, or fennel can brighten up both your meals and your garden all the way to spring.
Herbs are one of the best ways to add diversity to your garden or patio in the summer as they have many uses and unique traits. Summer is the season where herbs truly shine. There are many benefits of growing and using herbs at home, such as adding flavor to foods and beverages. Throughout this article, you will learn about different types of herbs and their uses.
The use of herbs has dated back almost 5,000 years, specifically in what we know today as modern Asia and the Middle East. “The Age of Exploration” enhanced the herb and spice trade in many European countries when Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 to discover the trade route to India. Three hundred years later in 1715, Spanish explorers were pushed to the east coast of Florida in the area we know today as St. Augustine, Florida. They introduced various herbs and spices such as vanilla, annatto, and sassafras. Herbs have a unique history, and you can read more from the book Herbs and Spices in the Florida Garden written by Charles R. Boning.
Photo Credit: Abbey Smith, UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County
There are many key things to consider when growing herbs at home, such as your growing location. Gardeners need to consider how easily their herbs can be accessed from the garden to the kitchen, the exposure of sunlight, and whether they will be grown in the ground or in containers. Most herbs like ample sunlight and well-drained soil. Herbs can be attractive additions to most flower beds and container pots. They can also be a great pollinator source as most will bloom. However, some herbs can grow quite aggressively and may be better suited for a container in order to control their growth.
There are various ways herbs can be propagated. The most common ways are by stem cuttings or germinating seeds. There are many herbs one can grow, but the best herb varieties acclimated for the summer heat are basil, chives, cilantro, cumin, lemon grass, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Most herbs are used for culinary purposes like adding fresh flavor to a recipe or creating a spice rub for meat. When harvesting herbs to cook with, look for leaves that are younger and tender with good coloration to them. The younger leaves harbor more flavor and are better suited for fresh use.
Container grown herbs. Photo Credit: Abbey Smith, UF/IFAS Jackson County Extension
Some of the most common herbs that gardeners keep on hand are basil, chives, and mint. See below the growing information for each type.
Basil
Basil belongs to the mint family, with many varying types that have a wide selection of scents and flavors. Sweet Italian basil is most used in Italian recipes, like pesto or marinara sauce. Basil is classified as an annual herb but can last for several seasons if it is winterized properly. You can plant basil in the early spring or fall and it prefers morning sun to afternoon shade. It is best to pinch off the flowers to produce more leaves, as the flowers can alter the flavor profile.
Chives
Chives are classified as a perennial herb that will flower between April and May. There are two different types of chives: garlic and onion. Both have obvious different culinary flavors but have the same growing requirements. Chives prefer full sun and a well-drained soil and will go dormant during the winter months. This herb will need to be divided every so many years to prevent overcrowding.
Onion Chives, Photo Credit: Abbey Smith, UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County
Mint
Mint is an easy to grow perennial herb that has hundreds of varieties to choose from. Some commonly recognized ones are Spearmint, Peppermint, and Chocolate Mint. It is commonly used in beverages and foods and is a great natural insect repellent. Mint has dark green levels and can grow in either shade, partial sun, or full sun. It likes plenty of moisture so heavy watering is needed. This is an herb that can quickly become a weed if not properly maintained so growing in a container is best.
As spring approaches, the time to plan and implement gardens is at hand. If you have wanted to get into this hobby but have been intimidated by the avalanche of information, consider an herb garden. This collection of plants is grown primarily for their aromatic properties and culinary use but are robust making them optimal for getting your feet wet in gardening. They may be grown in a variety of spaces including in-ground, containers, and as companion plants in existing gardens. They are very forgiving with similar growth condition requirements and may be propagated easily from cuttings or seeds. Moreover, herbs have a place in supporting the beneficial insects in your landscape.
What is an Herb, and How do they Grow
Herb is a broad term applied to a group of plants whose leaves or stems are used for various purposes. This is an important distinction as they must be differentiated from spices, which find their origins in a plant’s non-leafy structures. It is important to note that some plants, such as cilantro, may be considered both. In this case, the leaves are a culinary herb, but the seeds are a spice called coriander. These are subtle, but important distinctions.
Many culinary herbs fall into the Lamiaceae family, commonly called the mint family. They run the gamut of life cycles as annuals, biennials, and perennials giving the grower a range of plants from which to choose. You’ll do best by mixing these life cycles to optimize successional plantings to provide a constant supply of herbs for your kitchen.
As with all gardening, everything begins with soil testing. Knowing the pH and texture of your soil will inform your management practices. Aim for a slightly acidic soil with a pH of around 6.5 and a loamy texture. I can hear you all out there, what does loamy texture mean? Soil consists of sand, silt, and clay. Loamy refers to soil with an equal proportion of these particles. It is desirable in gardening as it lends to a balance of moisture retention and drainage while providing nutrient-holding capability. These are desirable traits for any growth medium.
What Herbs Should I Grow
At this point, you are probably getting anxious for me to tell you what the easiest herbs to grow happen to be. Below are three herbs that will make you wonder why you delayed entering into this hobby.
One of the easiest and most useful is rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus). This woody perennial is drought tolerant and pest resistant, making it wonderful for new and old gardeners. It prefers well-drained soil and may need some protection in the winter. This plant is easy to shape and propagates best via cutting. Rosemary flowers in the winter to spring time frame serving as an early season support for pollinators such as bees. Plant this herb in the spring, and be sure not to overwater or use too much fertilizer.
UF/IFAS Photo: J. CrissUF/IFAS Photo: J. Criss
Basil (Ocimum spp.) comes in a wide variety of cultivars. The wide selection is likely due to this herb’s presence in multiple cultures covering at least three continents. This herbaceous annual prefers morning sun with some afternoon shade and well-draining soil. Plant from seed or cutting after the last chance for frost has passed. Harvest leaves for culinary use and keep the plant in vegetative growth by pinching the flower stalks through the summer. Once you’ve had all you need for the year, go ahead and let the flowers bloom. Pollinators will swarm these plants, and you will receive all the seeds you need for next year’s planting.
UF/IFAS Photo: J. Criss
Finally, among the easily grown herbs is oregano. This herb is split into two main cultivars in Mexican oregano (Lippiagraveolens) and European oregano (Origanum vulgare). They differ in taste but are often used the same way. This herb prefers full sun and is a hardy perennial that will self seed. It may be propagated from cutting, seed, or division.
UF/IFAS Photo: J. Criss
Those outlined here are but a few of the options for herb gardens. Herbs are a wonderful way to get your feet wet in gardening. Being easy to grow and propagate, they will provide a masterclass in plant care and flavorings for your dinner. Use herbs in your garden to feed yourself, as a pollinator benefit, or to attract predatory insects to your garden. For more information on herb gardens, see these Ask IFAS documents, or contact your local extension agent for additional information on this and any topic regarding your gardens and more.
In case you missed it, you can watch our last session of Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! that aired on October 12th by visiting our YouTube Playlist with all the past episodes of our gardening webinars.
We had a great conversation about herbs and cool season edible plants last month and this article compiles the links shared by the expert panel in the episode. Thanks for watching!
If you are looking for a low maintenance plant that has attractive foliage and flowers and attracts wildlife, consider planting fennel. Fennel was planted in the pollinator garden at the Extension office in Bay County as a butterfly host plant for swallowtail butterflies in 2014 and has been a showstopper ever since. Fennel is a short-lived evergreen perennial that will reseed in the garden, but it is easy to remove plants if you get too many. It performs well in full sun to light shade and is quite drought tolerant once established.
The fernlike foliage has a delicate texture that contrasts with most landscape plants. Large umbels of tiny yellow flowers reach for the sky each spring and attract lots of pollinators and butterflies to the garden. Fennel is a culinary herb and leaves, flowers, and seeds can be used to season dishes with the mildly licorice flavor.
Fennel can reach 6 feet tall when in full bloom. J_McConnell UF/IFASFennel is a host plant of Eastern black swallowtail caterpillar. J_McConnell UF/IFASHoney bee visiting fennel flowers. J_McConnell UF/IFASBronze fennel foliage is a grayish purple. J_McConnell UF/IFASFennel foliage has a very fine, delicate texture. J_McConnell UF/IFAS
As an avid herb gardener, I have often wondered why my oregano is often flavorless when incorporated into meals but still smells strong when handled in the garden. Thankfully our herb demonstration garden at UF/IFAS Extension Washington County Office was a site of a gigantic but flavorless oregano plant, so I was determined to solve the mystery as to why.
Healthy green oregano, although this selection is flavorless, is very pretty (Image Credit: Matthew Orwat)
Although most herb gardeners expect oregano to be pungent and flavorful, some selections don’t measure up. These plants usually possess the usual pleasant oregano odor but lack the intensity of flavor expected from the herb.
Common oregano, scientific name Origanum vulgare, is an open pollinated species and is grown from seed and sometimes cuttings. As such, it offers some level of genetic variation in the pungency of a given plant. Thus, when shopping for common oregano at a garden center one is likely to get stuck with a less than potent plant.
The good news is that there are quite a few named selections available of Origanum vulgare. The hybrid of Origanum vulgare, known as Italian oregano(Origanum x majoricum), is much more flavorful, as are some of the other cultivated varieties such as Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum). Although all of these may also be easily reproduced from seed, propagation from division or cuttings will ensure that the plant you have is a clone of the desired selection instead of a seedling with variable genetic traits.
In summation, the best strategy to employ when selecting flavorful oregano for the herb garden is to look for named varieties of oregano or subspecies such as Italian oregano. Also, it never hurts to sample the herb you are about to purchase to determine its potency!
