Back by popular demand, we have Bay Trees! OK well, to be fair, they never actually left, they’re just really hard to find. You can thank their high popularity rating as a savory, flavor-filled culinary herb and their slow rate of growth for that. Because we love them so much, and we know you all do, too, we’ve ensured a large crop for our shipping season this Fall, for all of your delicious holiday meals. If you’ve never grown Bay before, don’t worry. Read on or check out Briscoe’s Tips for some great information on how to keep this robust herb happy and healthy, all year round!

Bay makes a wonderful potted herb and if given well drained soil, and plenty of sun, you could literally grow a tree full of delicious Bay leaves.  At its maturity, a Bay can reach about fifteen feet high and approximately twenty feet wide, but actually responds well to staying pruned into a container-planted shrub. Though Bays are more akin to turtle than hares, in terms of their growth rate, giving them the appropriate amount of space dictates their size quite a bit. Make sure than you give your Potted Bay a large enough planter, because, keep in mind, it IS a tree! That being said, a pot about twelve inches in diameter will grow your plant to about five feet tall before you need to re-pot your Bay into a larger container.

Bays have a shallow root system, and prefer fertile, well drained but moist soil. If the situation allows, leave your Bay outside while it’s nice and sunny to allow it to get full, unfiltered light, making sure that it doesn’t completely dry out while in the sun. If the outdoors is not an option, give your little tree as much direct, clear sunlight as possible. You may need grow lights to keep this herb happy throughout more dreary, cold months. While indoors, also beware of placing your plant near heating vents or where it could catch a draft from an open door. They can be VERY temperature specific!

A native to the Mediterranean, Bay is also very useful outside of the kitchen and makes a highly beneficial medicinal herb. Bay contains healthful components that make it antiseptic, antioxidant and perhaps even an anti-cancerous herb. A wonderful source of vitamins A and C, folic acid, and B-Complex groups such as niacin, as well as many necessary minerals like potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. Combining these powerful, health boosting properties, Bay is useful in healthy digestion, strengthening the immune system, healing to heal wounds more quickly, and among other things, aid in regulating your body’s metabolism. So while you may be adding this deliciously aromatic herb to your favorite recipe for its great flavor, you’re actually helping your body in lots of different way to stay healthier!