» Photo gallery: Herb garden in Owen Co.

An easy and fun way to bring zing to your meals is an herb garden.

And what better time to scratch in the earth than the sun-filled months of summer.

Whether you have plots to scatter seeds or pots to house plants, herbs are a healthy and inexpensive way to bring an extra kick to your culinary treats.

“It’s very affordable,” said Linda Chapman of Harvest Moon Farms in Spencer. You can grow a “lovely herb garden for $25 in terms of buying the plants.”

Chapman along with her husband, Deryl Dale, have been growing herbs locally for about 10 years as an addition to their flower farm. In fact, if you’ve ever dined at Finch’s, Tallent, Limestone Grille and Bloomington Bagel Company, you’ve likely tasted their parsley, rosemary or basil.

The couple sell their bounty to the popular Bloomington restaurants and participate in the community-supported agriculture program at Musgrave Orchard.

Chapman took a break from planting, hurrying before an expected rain storm last month, to talk to INstride about starting an herb garden.

Hard and soft

Chapman explained that there are two kinds of herbs, hard and soft. Soft herbs are what most people grow this time of year, ideal for sprinkling on summer-friendly salads and grilled dishes.

Think parsley, basil, dill and cilantro—“the most useful in the kitchen and most understandable,” Chapman said.

Herbs are year-round so when the days get shorter and colder, rosemary, thyme and sage of the “hard” herbs come out, perfect for winter cooking—stews and soups that simmer a long time.

A little or a lot

The number of herbs you plant, of course, will determine the harvest.

Chapman recommends growing multiple herb plants so you’ll always enjoy something fresh from your garden.

If you plant five parsley plants, for example, harvest a whole plant, snipping it an inch or two from the ground, rather than taking some from each plant.

Then, let it rest. Continue down the row until you have enough, leaving some behind for your next pick.

Once you are done with the second pick or harvest, the first plants you harvested should have regenerated.

Good weather should allow for a parsley plant to spring back in two or three weeks.

Dill is not so quick to spring back, Chapman said, warning to leave a little more behind when you harvest.

But someone with little or no land can still pot a basil plant and take a snip or two when needed. Even a pinch packs a punch.

Just be mindful of the size of the plant, Chapman suggests, and buy an appropriate size pot. Basil is rather large, so a 4-inch pot won’t work.

Either in the backyard or on the front porch, homegrown herbs add so much to healthful culinary creations. She said her basil and cilantro plants are among the most popular. She herself can’t pick a favorite; she loves rosemary, tarragon and basil, but “parsley works in just about everything.”

“I can’t imagine cooking without fresh herbs,” Chapman said.