Herbs That Grow Well In The Northland

Living in the Northland, no one would blame you if you just gave up and never planted a garden again.  I mean with the extremely short growing season, late and early frosts, harsh temperatures, clay, and rocky soil composition - it's a wonder we can get anything to grow here sometimes.  But nonetheless, gardening is rewarding and adaptable and perhaps that's why some many of us decide that it's worth the extra trouble and headaches to plant something in the ground and make it grow.

Some people plant flowers to look at.  Others plant fruits and vegetables - produce - to eat.  But many overlook other plants that are usually pretty low-maintenance and surprisingly do quite well in the Northland:  herbs.

Any cook will tell you that fresh herbs are the key ingredient to making a recipe "pop".  While you can use dried herbs, fresh just have so much more flavor and they can truly make or break any dish.  But, that taste comes with a price.  Fresh herbs are extremely expensive to buy at the grocery store and sometimes finding them can be a chore.  That's why planting and growing herbs in your backyard garden can pay off in big ways.

Most herbs are pretty resilient.  Plant them in the ground or even in containers.  You do need to watch for rodents (squirrels and rabbits) - which like to chew them down to nothing.  But other than a little water and maybe a little fertilizer, your herbs should grow quite well.

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Similar to other plants (flowers, fruits, and vegetables), you do need to watch what kind of herbs you plant in relation to our soil and climate conditions.  Some herbs do better in the Northland than others.  Here's a look: