How To Maximize The Use Of Your Garden Tool Storage Space
Looking For Unique Garden Decor Items?
Choosing The Right Plastic Garden Furniture For Your Garden
Create A Kitchen Herb Garden For Your Home
The Need For Organic Gardening Information
Shopping With Your Local Garden Center
Bamboo Garden
Vegetable Garden
Water Garden
Flower Garden
Gardening
Garden Tool
Garden Decor
Garden Furniture
Herb Garden
Organic Gardening
Garden Supply
Bonsai Gardening Secrets
The Complete Grape Growing System
Organic Food Gardening Beginners Manual
The Hypertufa How-To Manual
Diy Japanese Garden
The Hydroponic Garden Secrets Guide
Organic Vegetable Gardening
Home Hydroponic Gardening Guide - Learn To Grow Hydroponics
High Density Gardening
Step By Step Blueprint To Start And Maintain A Home Organic Garden
Square Watermelon Secrets Revealed
Herbs can be decorative, aromatic, completely functional or a
combination of all three. Most gardeners find that an herb garden is
a satisfying experience because many herbs are easy to grow and do
not require a lot of special treatment to thrive. If you are
interested in adding herbs to your home garden, read on for tips
that will help your herb garden thrive.
Cultivating the Soil
The first step in any successful garden is providing the right soil
for your plants to grow. This is also true of the herb garden that
is filled with plants that have their own unique needs. The most
important requirement for an herb garden is sufficient drainage,
which can be achieved by using a lighter potting soil or plenty of
compost if planting herbs in the ground.
Some gardeners will even place a layer of stone about 18 inches
under the surface and add plenty of peat and compost to the soil to
ensure adequate drainage. Herbs don't generally need a large amount
of nutrients, so fertilizer is unnecessary for a successful herb
garden.
Starting Seeds
Herbs are a hearty bunch, so most can be started from seed right in
the ground. You can also start your herbs in containers the same
way, although many gardeners will buy a few seedlings to place into
pots. For an earlier crop, herbs can also be started by indoor
gardening in late winter, and then transplanted into the ground when
the danger of frost has passed.
To find out the best time to
plant a particular herb, check the seed packet for instructions or
ask your local extension office for advice. It is important to note
that some herbs, like mint, are aggressive enough to take over an
entire herb garden and might be better off in its own container than
in the ground.
Harvesting Herbs
Most plants in your herb garden will reach the peak of their
culinary value just before the buds begin to bloom. This is an
excellent time to cut the herbs for cooking, whether you use them
fresh or preserve them for use throughout the year.
Nearly all
herbs can be dried indoors and stored throughout the winter, but
some gardeners have found that freezing the herbs instead of drying
them preserves the flavor better. In the case of herbs that are best
used in their fresh state, consider starting a few pots on your
window sill that will allow you to enjoy fresh herbs throughout the
year.
An herb garden can provide beauty and many different functions to
your outdoor space. Whether you are planting herbs to enhance your
favorite recipes or simply enjoy the aroma and aesthetic quality of
these plants, an herb garden can be the perfect way to expand your
garden this summer.