May 27, 2023

Growing a Beautiful Cocktail Herb Garden

Fresh Herbs All Season Long

Growing a Beautiful Cocktail Herb Garden

Growing herbs in containers is an easy and rewarding way to garden. They require minimal effort and yield fantastic results. This year, get creative with container gardening by growing herbs and edibles you can use to mix up your favorite summer beverages! It’s a simple DIY project to enjoy and make good use of the entire growing season.

The First Step

Selecting a Container

Veggies and Herbs grow rapidly in a single season, so it’s important to start with large enough containers where they have plenty of room to flourish. Elevated planters like the one pictured here are ideal for the balcony, deck, or patio when in-ground garden space is limited. They’re also great if you want to garden without bending over or kneeling. Start with a nutrient-rich, raised bed, or garden soil such as Petitti Planting Mix, amended with Espoma® Organic Garden-tone®. Plan to fertilize regularly throughout the season to keep plants happy and healthy, and water thoroughly, as needed.

Shop Elevated Planters

The Next Step

Selecting Herbs & Edibles

When it comes to selecting plants for a cocktail garden, start with the fresh herbs you tend to use frequently throughout the summer. Strawberry and mint-based teas, lemonades, and cocktails are always popular, but there are so many more interesting drink recipes to be found!

In the elevated garden pictured here, two quarts of Strawberry ‘Delizz’ were installed near a large, 10” ‘Genovese’ Basil. ‘Mint Julep’ was planted in the far corner with a large rosemary called ‘Gorizia’ behind it. And, a lovely, hybrid French lavender ‘Grosso’ was planted as a centerpiece.

How are all these edibles used in drinks, you ask? A simple Google search and some trial & error will result in refreshing concoctions, like one of our favorites featured below.

Download Strawberry Basil Cocktail Recipe

A Video Guide to

Herb Container Gardening

Memorial Day Weekend is the signature time in NE Ohio to plant the veggie & herb garden. It’s past our average frost-free date of May 15th, so it’s statistically unlikely that these plants will experience a damaging frost after being planted, giving them the best chance for success! Looking for new ways to use herbs? Noelle planted a container garden of Mint, Lavender, Basil, Rosemary, and Strawberries to harvest all season long for cooking, cocktails, and mocktails!

Fresh Herbs All Season Long

Maintaining & Harvesting

Our best advice? Harvest early in the morning for the best flavors. Store in a refrigerator or cool area, until ready to make your drinks. For basil, use an airtight container in the fridge or simply place the stems in a glass of water on the counter at room temperature. Avoid washing the edibles, until just before using them. Also, don’t be afraid to harvest often. The more herbs are harvested, the better they’ll produce. If harvested more than you can use on any given day, simply air-dry or freeze your herbs in ice cube trays. They’ll be ready to pop into drinks (or soups & sauces) on a later date. Enjoy!

Summer Gardening

Growing Herbs

Whether you prefer using them in savory summer dishes, or for added flair to cocktails, try growing fresh herbs this season!

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