Herb Gardening for the Beginner

Herb gardens are among some of the easiest gardens that a person can grow. These sorts of gardens require an area of land that is relatively small. They can be grown indoors in pots, window boxes or even hanging planters. These gardens may be used to spice up your dinner dishes or for medicinal purposes and their pleasant aroma and beautiful flowers. They may also be used either fresh or dried and they are a staple in every kitchen cupboard.

If you’ve ever reached for spice in the kitchen and realized that you were out, it may be a good enough reason to plant your own herb garden. Rather than running off to the store for some fresh supplies you can easily walk over to a plant and clip off what you need. You can have everything from fresh basil, thyme, sage, chives, dill, to tarragon or rosemary right at your fingertips from your herb garden.

Herbs may annuals, biennials or perennials. Annuals tend to flower one season and then die the next. Biennials live for at least two seasons, flower once and then die. Perennials tend to die in water but return to blossom the next season. If you pick perennials you should ensure that they are planted in a place that they can be kept from one year to the other.

Herb gardens require very little space and they may be either planted as seeds or plant clippings. Seeds should also be planted in shallow boxes in the late winter and from then they can be transplanted outdoors during the spring. Soil is a determinant factor that governs the issue of whether your garden thrives or falters. Herbs also do not grow properly in wet soil so it is essential that you provide adequate drainage for the herbs. If adequate drainage isn’t available then you can easily compensate by adding compost and sand to the soil that you have. You may also dig out at least 15- 18 inches of dirt and add crushed stone in it to aid in the process.

Unlike other plants herbs don’t need too much fertilizer. The more fertile the soil that you have, then the less foliage will occur and your herbs won’t have enough flavor. Certain diseases or insects also tend to attack herbal plants too.

Harvesting herbs should take place in the morning and only when the plant has had enough foliage to maintain its growth. Whenever they are picked they should be washed almost immediately in cold water. They can also be used fresh or dried for use in winter.

In order to dry herbs, after washing you should hang them up in order for the water to evaporate. After this you should bind the stems together and place them in a band with the stems placed at the bags opening. After this close the bag with a rubber bag and hang them from a line so that they cool in a place that is dark and dry. The attic is usually a better choice as basements are usually damp. When two to three weeks have passed then you may remove the herbs from the bag and then crumble the leaves. When the crumbled leaves are perfectly crispy they should be stored in glass jars or airtight containers placed in a cool place so you can have them whenever you require them.