This year I'm encouraging everyone I know to try growing some Asian herbs. If you've never gardened before, herbs are an easy way to get started. Most will grow on their own without a lot of fuss. And if you're an old hand in the garden then adding some Asian herbs will expand your repertoire. With herbs, you don't even need a yard or gardening plot - a couple big pots on the front steps, or a line of soup cans in the windowsill will do fine for you.   

Here are some ideas if you want to create an herb garden for your favorite cuisine.

Thai Bird Chili

Thai

• Thai Basil - The pointed leaf, red stem will distinquish this slightly spicy basil from their sweet cousins. Perfect in combination with the bird chili, lime, cilantro, galangal in SE Asian cooking. Great chopped into salads, more hearty you can plant outside now. 
• Bird chili - These are really fun to grow because of the color they add to the garden, put in a sunny spot.
• Cilantro - Succession plant and plant enough so that it will last you the summer. After they bolt, pull up and use the roots for making Thai curry pastes. You'll see the roots at farmers markets in mid-summer and fall when farmers "retire" the crop.
• Kaffir Lime Leaves - Recipes say you can use regular lime zest as a substitute for kaffir leaves, but they really don't come close to matching the kaffir lime's unique taste and aroma. I have a plant that lives on the deck in the summer and comes inside in the winter. Right now you can get your own tree at Magnolia Garden Center.   

Vietnamese 

• Mint-all types
• Basil--all types
• Lemongrass - Buy stalks at the grocery store, set them in water to start roots, then transfer to a pot. See this lemongrass growing how-to video for more info.
• Ngổ Ôm - This plant has a very interesting citrus taste and is used in sour fish soup. This

  Ngò Gai   (via flickr user FootosVanRobin)

  is another plant you can put in water to grow roots, then follow the plastic bag greenhouse technique described by Andrea Nguyen. (Also called rice patty herb.)
• Ngò Gai - Great to add to phở. (Also called culantro or sawtooth herb.)

Chinese

• Scallions or Green Onions
• Garlic  
• Ginger - Growing ginger in the Northwest probably qualifies more as a fun experiment than anything else. But some say they've figured out how to make this tropical plant grow in cold climates. Here's one person who was able to grow ginger in Maine. 

Japanese

Shiso (via flickr user nstop)

• Shiso - This is a very pretty plant that's also good to eat. There are red and green varieties, the green ones show up in recipes more often, but your garden will benefit from growing both. Shiso is eaten raw, cooked, and pickled. Use it with your sushi, and in salads. (Also called perilla.)  
• Kaiware - Peppery little daikon radish sprouts to use in sushi, salads, and garnishes.  
• Mitsuba - Often described as Japanese parsley, it's taste is also celery-like.   
• Shingiku - Tangy green leaves that you can use in place of spinach. Try it raw in salads, in soups, or in stir-frys. (Also called edible chrysanthemum.)  

As I mentioned above, many herbs can be started from just a cutting. (Next time you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, be sure to take home the plate of greens and herbs that accompany your meal!) Here are some very detailed instructions for how to propagate herbs from cuttings.

You can also start from seed of course. Uwajimaya is your local source for Asian seeds. Online, check out Kitazawa Seed Company, which has been selling Asian varieties of vegetables and herbs since 1917.  Their chef specialty combo packs are a super idea for getting a kitchen garden started. The farmers market is a source for all kinds of veggie and herbs starts, flowers, and shrubs.   Visit West Seattle, University and Columbia City markets running now.

Some tips for using herbs: 

• To preserve the aroma of the herb, basil is best torn or used whole verses being cut with a knife.
• To freeze and preserve basil, put a small bunch in a plastic bag, blow air into it and place in your freezer. You can harvest right out of there when you need a leaf or two. Or put into pesto to preserve color.
• Harvest your herbs early in the morning or cooler evening when the oils are up in the leaves for maximum flavor. They migrate down as the sun heats the leaves.
• Choose herbs with bright color, not wilted or browning. Store in the refrigerator wrapped in a damp paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag for up to 5 days. You can also make an herb bouquet with the stems in the water and sealed with plastic over the top. Change your water every two days and herbs can last up to 10 days.