Fourteen years ago I heard Roger Swain, host of “The Victory Garden,” a PBS gardening program at that time, tell our local Master Gardener group that the best way to learn to garden is from other gardeners. This past week, I heard another gardening expert, Dr. Leila Scott Kelly, tell more than 200 people at the State Garden Club Convention in Gulfport the same thing.

Miriam Jabour, a Master Gardener and Master Flower Show judge, has been active in the Openwood Plantation Garden Club for over 35 years. Write to her at 1114 Windy Lake Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39183.

Kelly, a consumer horticulture specialist for the Mississippi State Extension Service and coordinator of the state Master Gardener Program, said her formal education was important — but nothing beats information garnered from those who have successfully worked the soil and from one’s personal experiences.

Kelly is an expert on growing herbs. She developed a successful herb business before beginning her career with the Extension Service. She shared tips for growing and using these plants, which man has cultivated for thousands of years.

Good drainage and air circulation around each plant is essential for herb culture, she explained. Raised beds or containers work best. Soil preparation includes adding organic material such as composted manure. Mulching plants will prevent disease spores from splattering up from the soil onto herb leaves and will keep plants cleaner for harvesting.  Moisture must be present for disease problems to occur, so avoid late afternoon watering. Herb leaves are often grayish in color, which means that they are covered in tiny hairs that catch moisture easily. She had problems growing sage until she remembered that her grandmother always threw ashes from the wood stove around her sage plants. The ashes sweeten the soil and create the alkaline pH preferred by most herbs. Kelly recommends locating herb gardens close to the back door. Otherwise, it usually takes too much effort to harvest the leaves for cooking.

Harvest herbs in the morning, immediately after the dew has dried on the leaves when their oil content is at the highest level. In cooking, they should be added during the last 20 minutes for maximum flavor. Herb bouquets are delightful in a kitchen. Kelly picks one every Sunday after church. If she needs herbs for cooking during the week, they are close at hand. If not, she discards the bouquet and picks another. Her kitchen always smells good and many of the herbs, including their flowers, are attractive in a bouquet.

Homemade flavored vinegars, jams and jellies were included in her herb business. She found that plain white vinegar was too sharp for herb vinegar and used wine, rice or apple cider vinegars instead. She usually made a big batch. She heated the vinegar, added the herbs and allowed them to sit four to six weeks in a large jug in a dark area. She then strained out the used herbs through a coffee filter and repackaged the vinegars in decorative bottles with a fresh herb sprig. Herbs used for vinegars should be completely dry, or they will make cloudy vinegar.

Herbal jellies are easy to make, Kelly said. They can be used as glazes for meat or mixed with a little vinegar for marinades, swirled into cheesecake, yogurt or ice cream, spread on Brie or other cheeses for an appetizer or stirred into tea as a sweetener. Her No. 1 seller was cranberry and sage. She experimented with other flavors and developed recipes including limeade with lemon basil, lemon balm or lemon verbena; apple juice with sweet basil, thyme or oregano; white grape juice with tarragon or dill, orange juice with scented geranium and red grape juice with rosemary or garlic.

She cautioned her audience about making herb-flavored oils. Botulism can develop if the oil is stored improperly. When a flavored oil is desired, make only the amount that is needed and store any excess in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days. To make flavored oil, heat olive or canola oil in a pan. Add such herbs as fresh rosemary. When the herb begins to sizzle, count to 10. Remove the pan from the heat source and strain out the herbs. It is ready to use.