The Urban Gardener: Got Herb?

The Phillyist garden is a wonder this time of year. The tomatoes are starting to produce. There are a few string beans to be picked here and there. Scallions are plumping up. But the star of the garden? The herbs.

Nearly everyone who plants a garden on their little concrete patio has some basil stashed in a pot. Because really, who doesn't like basil? Basil goes great in tomato gravy and pesto cannot be had without it. And as we found out recently at Capogiro, basil even makes for some excellent gelato.

But we know many people grow a whole host of herbs in their garden -- mint, chives, parsley, sage, tarragon, etc. And this time of year they need a good whacking. At this stage of the game, those herbs are threatening to take over the garden and block out the sun to the other plants. Grab a knife or a pair of scissors and cut those bad girls down to size! We like to cut them down by a little over half. Don't be shy -- cutting herbs down encourages growth. You'll be needing a weed whacker to cut them down again in another month or two.