Lemongrass

Lemongrass forms tall clumps of fragrant, citrus-scented grass that's essential for Thai and Vietnamese cooking. The tender white bases add bright lemon flavor to curries and soups, and the plants make beautiful ornamental grasses too.

Lemongrass: Transform your cooking with this tropical grass (Cymbopogon citratus), which forms attractive 3-4 foot fountain-shaped clumps that naturally repel mosquitoes. Delivering an intense lemon-ginger flavor essential for Thai curries and Vietnamese soups, the thick, white base of the stalk is the culinary heart of the plant. The entire plant releases a lemon fragrance when brushed, and established clumps are readily divisible for propagation.

• Growing Tips: Transplant after all frost danger when soil warms, spacing 18-24 inches apart; grow as an annual in cold climates or overwinter indoors.

• Sun Requirements: Full sun (6-8 hours minimum).

• Preferred Soil: Rich, well-drained, consistently moist soil; broad soil adaptability.

• Harvest Details: Harvest when stalks reach pencil-thickness (typically 90+ days); cut stalks at ground level and utilize the bottom 4-6 inches of the white stalk for cooking; plants regrow continuously in warm weather.