In the ninth book in Guides for the Prairie Gardeners series seasoned gardeners Sheryl Normandeau and Janet Melrose take all your questions about growing and enjoying herbs.

If you’ve ever stood in the produce section of the grocery store trying to pick out the least wilty of those little plastic containers of herbs, you’ll understand the appeal of growing your own. In the ninth installment of their prairie gardening series, seasoned (ahem) gardeners Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau answer all your questions about growing these culinary, medicinal, and spiritually beneficial plants, including their potential for use in pest management and as hardy lawn replacements.

Beginning with the where (containers, raised beds, spirals, and more), the pair then provide guidance on choosing healthy plants, how to nurture herb seedlings, soil needs, watering, dealing with aggressive spreaders (hello, mint!), pest prevention, overwintering—including how not to kill that potted rosemary you brought inside for its own darn good—and lots of ideas for storing and enjoying your herbal goodies, from drying and freezing to making tasty infused oils, vinegars, and butters.

The final chapter is a roundup of herbs for all occasions and locations, including the pair’s top choices for insect repellers, butterfly and hummingbird attractors, edible flowers, and ingredients for herbal tisanes.

Introduction

Chapter One: Designing with Herbs

Chapter Two: Planting and Propagating Herbs

Chapter Three: Growing and Cultivating Herbs

Chapter Four: Harvesting and Storing Herbs

Chapter Five: The Things That Bug Our Herbs

Chapter Six: Herbs for All Reasons and Seasons

Acknowledgements

Notes

Sources

Index

About the Authors

About the Series

Praise for the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series

"This guide to a very Prairie topic is a great resource for gardeners everywhere." —Quill & Quire

"Herbs offers highly local advice on how to grow herbs for your kitchen in our climate." —Savour Calgary

"This go-to paperback addresses many issues of perennial plants that will prove extremely useful to gardeners." —Calgary Horticultural Society

"Helping gardeners across the prairies succeed in growing food, flowers and everything in between." —Medicine Hat News

"Melrose and Normandeau answer all the questions that the two experts could think of when it came to horticulture on the prairies." —Edify Edmonton

“The Prairie Gardener’s series offers knowledgeable yet accessible answers to questions covering a broad range of topics to help you cultivate garden success. Get growing!” —Lorene Edwards Forkner, gardener and author of Color In and Out of the Garden

“This is a beautiful and incredibly well-written series of books on earth-friendly gardening. Lavishly illustrated, with photos in every segment, the books are a pleasure just to leaf through, but the accessible writing and level of expertise makes them essential to any gardener’s library. Although they’re geared to prairie gardeners, I found great information that transfers anywhere, including where I live, in the Sierra Foothills, and will enjoy them for years to come. Well-indexed, to help you find solutions to elusive problems. Highly recommended!” —Diane Miessler, certified permaculture designer and author of Grow Your Soil!

“All your gardening questions answered! Reading the Prairie Gardener’s series is like sitting down with your friendly local master gardener. Delivers practical guidance that will leave you feeling confident and inspired.” —Andrea Bellamy, author of Small-Space Vegetable Gardens