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| Chives- need some water |
Five herbs, chives, oregano, French tarragon, mint and thyme come back year after year in my Edmonton garden. They survive the extreme cold of Alberta winters and reliably emerge each Spring.
These herbs do not require much care, either. Plant them where they get at least four to six hours of direct sunlight each day. They are almost indestructible.
Mint will take over, so you might want to keep it in a pot, or a secluded spot with natural boundaries (like a narrow strip of earth between a sidewalk and a garage). Mint will creep along in poor soil and even overtake weeds.
Oregano will spread out a few inches. Seeds from the flowers will sprout throughout the garden. I also grow Greek oregano from seed, but it doesn't survive the winter.
The French tarragon can get quite large in a sheltered sunny spot. Seeds won't sprout in the garden. The tender leaves in early summer are particularly delicious.
Hardy chives need some water and do ok in a little shade. Seeds from chive flowers will travel far and occassionally sprout up in other parts of the garden.
Thyme gets bushy and is easy to start from seed. Our lemon thyme is also hardy.
All of these herbs transplant well. I have started oregano, chives and thyme from seed, but mint and French tarragon are planted from bedding plants or clumps from established plants. Herbs don’t need much fertilizer and they can grow in poorer soils. They also pop up early in spring. Tarragon is often the first herb to show signs of growth.
Ask neighbors with gardens for a little clump of each herb to transplant into your garden. This way, you know these varieties are the ones that survive a cold winter. If you buy herb plants at a garden store, be sure the varieties you buy are hardy for your climate.
Annual Herbs
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| Thyme-vigorous and bushy |
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| French Tarragon- a lovely herb |
What about Sage? Lately my garden sage comes back each spring, but for many years it did not. This past year (2020) it did not survive the winter.
Coriander and dill are annuals but they reseed in the garden by themselves. Let them flower, let the seeds drop, and they will sprout up in June the following year.
Basil is best started early indoors from seed and transplanted out. It is extremely sensitive to low temperatures, cutworms and scalding sun. Grow it in a pot and pamper it in the Alberta climate. I have had success growing it in the ground under floating row covers. If you love basil, plant a pot every few weeks.
Rosemary will die off outside over winter, and is difficult, not impossible, to grow from seed. I manage to grow some from seed and also I buy rosemary bedding plants. Start seeds in February, grow under lights, as rosemary takes a long time to grow. Plant rosemary bedding plants in the main garden in full sun. Or grow it in a large pot.
Parsley can be grown from seed, but in Alberta, start it early indoors. We grow both curley and Italian (leafy) parsley. They both do extremely well out in the main garden. Parsley has deep roots and prefers the garden bed to a pot.
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| Sage and parsley seedlings Check out my video on how to grow great garlic in a cold climate. |