Local garden shops help cultivate an interest in small herb gardens

My large backyard makes my 700-square-foot house seem palatial in the summer, when our life spills over into it. And although my husband and I spend most of our weekends tending to our garden, we reap the benefits in the kitchen with fresh herbs and vegetables.

But it doesn't take a quarter acre and hours of work to enjoy home-grown produce. A window box or small pot on a sunny kitchen counter can provide culinary herbs to enhance your cooking all summer long. Below are a few shops that can help you get started.

The Copper Vine
This Capitol Hill garden shop caters to apartment dwellers and condo denizens. It carries EcoForm containers made from recycled grain husks, an earth-friendly alternative to plastic that biodegrades in five years. Fill a 12-inch EcoForm ($12.25) with three herb starts for $3.75 each and you're good to go.

The Copper Vine also sells pre-made herb gardens ranging in price from $11 to $23.

Some advice from Copper Vine employee Aubriy Brown: Start with hardier plants such as thyme, savory and chives. More delicate herbs like basil and cilantro need sunny, warm weather to thrive; and peppermint and oregano, which tend to take over, are best planted in their own containers.

Emerald City Gardens
This diminutive Ballard shop plays soothing classical music, sells local honey and offers a great selection of interesting culinary herbs ($2.49-$3.49), including Caraway thyme, French peppermint, Tuscan Blue rosemary, Oregano thyme and wonderful, huge-leafed Woodcote sage.

Urbanweeds 
This shop in Fremont offers modern garden décor, sleek containers and a great selection of plant starts. I like the colorful, glazed ceramic Three Pots on a Tray ($22.05) and the rough-hewn 18-inch cedar boxes ($14.99), which are perfect for the window or patio and roomy enough for five four-inch starts ($3.99 each).

The space-saving Create-A-Garden kits ($24.99), stackable pots that hold up to nine plants, can be used on the ground or as hanging baskets. Pick up a copy of the Northwest Herb Lover's Guide by Mary Preus ($24.99) for inspiration and get planting.

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