If you have a soft spot for chicken roasted with rosemary or fluffy eggs with thyme, how about bringing some of these herbs home to grow? Reportedly, they are relatively easy to raise and adapt to most climates, or that’s what Chennai-based Imteyaz Ali promises. His two-year-old herb garden boasts of over 25 varieties of exotic herbs like Chamomile, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Lavender etc and the seeds are imported from the USA, Canada and the UK. A strong believer of organic gardening, Ali,who runs Ethnik India, a boutique, uses as little chemicals as possible. “To start with, you just need a few containers (used plastic containers, tins, etc) for the germination of your seedlings and later on, move to bigger pots as per requirements,” Ali says.
Getting started
Basil, Oregano, Cilantro, Sage, Parsley and Lemon Grass are easy to grow and adapt to a hot climate. While Basil and Oregano take four to seven days to germinate, Cilantro takes 7-15 days, Parsley around six weeks and Sage, four weeks. Rosemary will need some extra care, for it needs to go through an initial stratification process (where they need to be kept in the fridge) before it adapts to the heat. Place the seeds in wet tissues and put them in Ziplock covers. Store in the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator for a month after which you plant them in the soil. Rosemary requires watering once in three days. It takes four to eight weeks to germinate. Place it in your verandah since it needs sunlight through out.
Ali couriers exotic herb seeds on order within India along with printed instructions. Seeds are sold at `100 for a standard pack. Details: 09940283414
