by Francis Jock

Created on: May 15, 2008   Last Updated: May 03, 2012

Growing and harvesting your own indoor herb garden can be a delightful, rewarding experience. Herbs have many uses besides the obvious: preparing a delicious meal with great seasonings you have grown in your very own garden. Almost all herb plants can also be used for medicinal purposes and as companion plants for enhancing and protecting other plants from troublesome insects.

One rule of thumb to remember when managing your herb garden is that fresh herbs have the most powerful flavor for cooking purposes when harvested before they grow to the flowering stage. So stay in tune with your garden's growth.

There are many different kinds of herbs that can be grown at home, on the patio or in an indoor garden. An Aerogarden is an easy way to grow a small amount of herbs in a small space, such as your kitchen counter. The most common herbs used for cooking, basil, chives, dill, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.

BASIL. Basil is commonly used for its clove-like flavor in recipes for vegetables, soups, and salads. Basil goes naturally with any recipe calling for tomatoes. It is also a great flavor enhancer for all meat dishes, poultry and fish.

CHIVES. Chives have a mild onion flavor and are great when served as a tasty dressing for baked potatoes topped with butter and sour cream. Chopped chives add a bit of zest to soups and salads.

Chives are also known to be an important companion plant that adds to growing carrots, celery, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes. Planted at the base of roses, chives will help repel invading aphids.

DILL. The dill plant's leaves and seeds have a unique flavor, most commonly found in your favorite pickle. The seeds are one of the main ingredients used for pickling cucumbers. A sprinkle of dill leaves can also be used to touch up the flavor of a salad, meat and eggs.

Dill is a great companion plant of cabbage and tomatoes.

MARJORAM. Marjoram is a popular addition to any French, Italian or Portuguese dishes. Sweet Marjoram, used for cooking, has a distinct flavor reminiscent of oregano with a touch of balsam. Both the leaves and flowers are used in salads, stews, dressings, oils, cheese, and stuffing, servings of green vegetables, but should be used sparingly. If you like mint tea, you can try mixing a bit of fresh marjoram to your next cup. Marjoram enhances the flavor poultry and eggs, as well as lamb and pork. It is also an indispensable ingredient for pizza, lasagna and egg plant Parmesan recipes.

Like many other herbs, marjoram has interesting

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