Jen

When I first started gardening, my focus was mostly on vegetables and a few kitchen herbs. But over time, I got curious about how people used to grow their own medicine right alongside their food. That’s when I dipped into the world of medicinal herbs—and honestly, it changed the way I garden. Having a living […] More

If you’ve ever planted mint directly into your garden bed, you probably learned the hard way how fast it spreads. I sure did. One little transplant turned into a full-blown mint invasion by the end of the season! These days, I grow my mint in large pots or containers, sometimes even sinking the pots into […] More

When I first started gardening, I believed herbs were sun-loving plants that needed at least six hours of full sunlight a day. And while that’s true for Mediterranean classics like rosemary and thyme, I soon discovered that there’s a whole world of herbs that not only tolerate shade—but actually thrive in it. This was a […] More

When I first started gardening seriously, I spent so much time trying to pull every last weed out of my vegetable beds. I was convinced they were all freeloaders, stealing nutrients from my prized tomatoes and lettuces. But over time, something shifted. I began to wonder what those weeds actually were—what if some of them […] More

There’s something undeniably magical about chocolate mint. The first time I encountered it, I was browsing a local plant fair on a warm spring morning. I leaned in to sniff a plain-looking mint plant, and suddenly—I was hit with the unmistakable aroma of chocolate and peppermint. It was like dessert and garden freshness rolled into […] More

I fell in love with lemon thyme the very first time I crushed a sprig between my fingers. The scent—bright, citrusy, and just a little savory—was enough to stop me in my tracks. It was like bottling up a summer afternoon and tucking it into your pocket. I couldn’t believe I’d gone so long without […] More

I still remember the first time I brushed my fingers over the silvery leaves of a curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) at a garden center. A warm, spicy scent rose up—something like sage mixed with a touch of curry powder and sunbaked herbs. It instantly brought back memories of childhood meals and lazy summer evenings. I […] More

I still remember the first time I tasted Vietnamese coriander. It was in a steaming bowl of phở at a tiny restaurant tucked away in the backstreets of Ho Chi Minh City. The herb had this unmistakable peppery zing—bold and refreshing, kind of like regular cilantro but with a spicy, citrusy twist. From that moment […] More

I’ll never forget the first time I tried growing chives from cuttings. It was a cloudy spring morning, and I was sipping coffee by the kitchen window, staring at a sad little bunch of leftover chives in a glass of water. Rather than toss them in the compost, I decided to give them a second […] More

Stevia might just be one of the most rewarding herbs I’ve ever grown. Known for its natural sweetness, stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a fantastic sugar substitute, and it’s surprisingly easy to grow at home—especially from cuttings. When I started growing stevia, I was curious if the leaves would really taste sweet straight off the plant. […] More

If you’ve never grown marjoram before, you’re in for a treat. This soft, sweet herb is one of my favorite additions to the garden—and the kitchen. With its delicate flavor somewhere between oregano and thyme, marjoram adds a subtle, floral earthiness to soups, stews, and roasted vegetables. And like many Mediterranean herbs, marjoram is wonderfully […] More