Herbs are literally the spice of life.

That’s what Adria Afferino told those gathered in the Manteca Library’s John McFall Room on Monday.

Afferino even brought bunches of samples of these aromatic and edible garden staples for the Manteca Garden Club members and guests to get a sample whiff. Later in her presentation, Afferino showed the avid green thumbs how easy it is to create a small herb garden using a shallow plant container where she managed to squeeze in a total of six different types of herbs – thyme, basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley, and chives. The finished miniature herb garden was later offered as one of the drawing prizes at the end of the garden club’s March meeting.

 Afferino, the marketing and events manager of The Greenery Nursery and Garden Shop in Turlock, focused her talk on how to plant, grow, and preserve herbs. Ideas she shared covered the roughly 12 herb samples that she brought to the meeting. Many of her ideas were culled from her years of growing edible plants in her garden.

“I grow lots of my own herbs and preserve them because it’s easy,” said the mother of three young children who “got into herbs” when she gave birth to twins two years ago. All in all, she has been working nurseries since she was 16 years old.

Below are some of the highlights she gave on the following herb samples included in her presentation:

• Rosemary – It’s very drought-resistant and is very easy to maintain. It doesn’t need a lot of attention, and is available for culinary harvesting year-round.

• Thyme – It has many varieties, with each one having a different flavor. The most common variety is English thyme, “lovely to smell and can take full sun” up to a maximum of four hours.

• Basil – Very good for container planting and is an easy annual. Its flowers are also edible. Harvest fresh leaves anytime; pinch the tips when the buds begin to form. Pinching is the key to a continued and bountiful harvest, “so just keep pinching!”

• Oregano – Loves full sun, an easy perennial. Plant appreciates full sun. If the buds are left to flower, prune back the entire plant half way.

• Marjoram – Loosely related with oregano, marjoram is a tough perennial. It dies down in the winter and then comes back. Like the oregano, prune back the entire plant half way to get new foliage. You can harvest the leaves anytime, but it’s best when the buds begin to form.

• Terragon – Another tough perennial – it comes back every year – and loves warm weather. Caution: don’t over-water the plant. Leaves are typically used fresh. Dried leaves taste different from the fresh ones.

• Chives – The common chive is edible from root to flower; a very easy perennial. Its flowers, which are also edible, are great for beneficial insects. Edible as garnish and in salads.

• Parsley – It’s an easy biennial, growing in shade or part-shade. Like the chives, it attracts a lot of beneficial insects.

• Stevia – It’s a sweetener and has enjoyed popularity in recent years. It grows best in part-shade. Like many of the herbs above, it does down then comes back. “Pinch it to keep it full,” and use fresh leaves in teas.

• Thyme – This herb makes an excellent ground cover. A very easy perennial, it can be planted anytime; however, the best time to plant it is in spring.

For more about planting, growing and preserving herbs, visit The Greenery Nursery and Garden Shop at 742 E. Olive Ave. in Turlock (tel. 209.632.4214) or visit www.greenerynsy.com.