Learn how to grow your own basil in your home vegetable garden here in the Portland area.

There’s nothing like the freshness and sparkle that a handful of home grown herbs can add to a meal. And while most people resign themselves to a fall and winter of stews and roasts, abandoning hope of all things fresh until spring, they don’t realize that your winter table can, in fact, be garnished with a little hint of Summer! And a few beloved annual herbs planted late in the season can make all the difference.

While many of us associate cilantro with tomatoes, tomatilllos and hot chili peppers, this beloved herb does not like the heat like those other plants do. That means it is easier to grow cilantro in the spring and the fall than it is in the summer (when peppers and tomatoes are ripe). That being said, growing the beautiful cilantro you want from your garden is not out of reach!