Planting an herb garden does not have to be restricted to the outside. Herbs make great looking gardens inside your home as well. Many herbs have very nice looking blooms and even have nice smells, such as mint. However, there are many people that enjoy an outside garden with their choice of herbs planted in it. It is a good idea to plant the herb section as near the kitchen as possible. Most herbs like to be in full sunlight, however, there are some that like shade as well.

There are many people who do not have the natural type of soil that is needed to grow herbs. So the soil that you use will depend greatly on what ingredients you mix with it. When you first start mixing your soil you should use a good 10-10-10 fertilizer. Be careful not to over fertilize your soil. Using a spreader will help distribute the fertilizer in an even manner. When the plants have developed, about half way through the season, you will need to spread more fertilizer down, as the plants have used most of the nutrients in the fertilizer by this time.

At the end of the season, some of your herbs will die back to the ground, such as oregano, sweet fennel, tarragon, and mint. Mint should be kept more to itself than in the middle of the garden. There are many herbs that stay green all year round, such as rosemary, sage, and thyme; however, these need to be pruned by removing all the dead leaves and stems once spring has arrived. These herbs grow more than two years. Annual herbs are basil, dill, chervil, and cilantro. These annual herbs will have to be replanted from fresh young plants.

Nothing tastes better than food that you have grown yourself; and you cannot get any fresher herbs anywhere. You can dry and even freeze some herbs; such as angelica, bay leaves, chamomile, dill, fennel, oregano, rosemary, and sage are just a few herbs that can be dried and stored in the pantry for future use.

Herbs that can be frozen include thyme, tarragon, parsley, fennel leaves, chives, and garlic. When freezing these herbs you should use a plastic zip lock bag and lay them flat in the freezer.

Here are some of the herbs that are great to start with when planting an herb garden, even if you have never grown one before. Bay plant-start it in a pot and bring it inside during the winter.   Dill- you will need at least 4 to 6 plants to start; thyme at least 4 plants; and 2 plants of fennel. With oregano, tarragon, and parsley you can never plant too much. For rosemary one plant will do while for sage, two plants depending how much you like sage. Sweet basil at least 8 plants, because it takes a lot to cover one pound of pasta. Winter savory is the same as sweet basil it depends how much you want in your sauces.

Organic Herb Gardening is both beneficial for you, and the herbs are easy to grow. If you have ever wondered what types of chemicals are found on store bought herbs that you pick up at the market, you will be more than happy to purchase food grown in an organic garden.

When we think of herbs, we think of having a cup of mint tea, or taking a fragrant lavender bath. You can smell the fragrance of the spices in your herb garden, or taste the Italian dishes full of garlic, basil, and oregano. Herbs have many uses other than just spices for your food.

They have been used in every culture down through history. Using herbs started around 2700 B.C., by the Chinese. Then they spread to the Greeks and Romans and were used by them to crown their heroes.

Organic herbs were found in their own habitat without any sort of pesticides to drive away unwanted insects, and they thrived without any type of fertilizer at all, except what nature itself has provided for them.

So what is the big secret to having a nice healthy, thriving herb garden? Think about the above paragraph and you will realize that what nature provided for these plants was nothing more than old dried out leaves covered with dirt and aged over a time period. So the secret is to plant your herb garden with plenty of compost.

Soil is the largest problem that herb gardeners have. Mulching, compost, kitchen scraps, and other recycling materials can be used in the soil that you prepare for your own herb garden. Be very careful not to over water your herbs; that is just as bad as not getting enough water. You can purchase a soil tester to keep a check on your moisture level.

Many of these herbs have a natural bug repellent built into their composition. Herbs such as chives help the other herbs by keeping bugs at bay. Herbs like to be planted fairly close together, just for this reason. However, some herbs do not do well in a companion environment, such as mint which likes to take over the entire area. So it should be planted in a spot by itself and then you will still need to clip the edges, so that it doesn’t overtake the other herbs.

Some of the kinds of herbs that can be grown in an organic garden include Sweet Basil, Bay, Chervil, Chive, Dill, Garlic, Mint, Parsley, Sage, Tarragon, and Thyme. Other more unfamiliar herbs are Catnip, Catmint, Dill, Fennel, Chamomile, Lavender, Cilantro, and the list just goes on and on.

If you are not sure how to start an organic herb garden just ask someone at your local garden store, or purchase a book about gardening organically, or perhaps you would prefer to look it up on the internet. There is a lot of information about organic herb gardening on the internet, and you can find companies that will send you seeds or small plants, even some starter plants to help you get your organic garden going. They will explain the importance of pH, Soil requirements, and the importance of good drainage. They can explain potential pest problems, and anything you need to ask them.

Once you get started with organic herb gardening, it will become your favorite and most enjoyable hobby. Soon your small herb garden will become an even larger one, as they really do not need a lot of space, just a flowerbed, or the side of a walkway, or even in a rock garden.

There is nothing more rewarding as growing your own herb garden. Growing your own herbs inside your home is more beneficial than growing herbs outdoors, because you are in complete control of everything. You can control how much light and water your herb plants get. You are also in control of the insect situation, and disease control.

For those of you that are limited in your knowledge of indoor herb growing how to. There are some great guidelines that you should follow.  Here are a few to get you started.

In order to have a good growing herb garden you must start from the very basics. Herbs grow best when they are started from young plants, although, seed will work; they just have to be replanted once they have grown a little. Be sure to get enough of every kind of herb that you want to plant. If you like garlic in your food you may want to pick up some extra plants; the same thing with any herb that you think that you will use a lot of. You will also want to pick up a soil moisture tester to place inside each pot.

Some of the easiest herbs to grow are basil, sweet basil, parsley, garlic, mint, thyme, chives, tarragon, summer savory, rosemary, dill, and coriander. You may want to try some cilantro also. These herbs do not need as much attention or pampering as some of the other herbs.

The most important thing is how to mix the soil. Although there are quite a few herbs which are easy to grow, however, they do not tolerate bad drainage. Remember that you want to purchase some good 10-10-10 fertilizer, some small gravel, sand, along with some good top soil. Next, mix 1 part of sand, 1 part of fertilizer with 2 parts of top soil. Next, before you put any soil in the pot you want to put about one inch of gravel in the bottom of the pot, then put enough of the prepared top soil about ¾ of the way up the pot. Take one of the small plants and put it in the center of the pot and gently put more soil around it. Tap the soil down gently around the plant and water the plant moderately for the first time.

Once all your herbs are potted, the next thing that you will want to do is to place the soil moisture tester in the pot and wait about 10 minutes to get an accurate reading. If the tester says that the soil is dry just water it a little more. It will let you know when to water your plants.

Next is the placement of your herb plants. Mint should be put in its own container as it likes to take over an area, and if you plant it next to another herb it will begin to take over those plants and could even choke them to death. If you have the kind of mint that crawls then a good idea would be to put it into a hanging basket, in a semi sunny area. Your garlic, chives, and bay should be kept in the kitchen window so that it will always be close by and fresh for your food spices; plus it will help keep your kitchen smelling like someone is cooking and that is the mood you want to set for a kitchen area.

You can harvest either fresh leaves to dry for winter use or for immediate use. Something to remember is that with fresh leaves you will need more of the herb then when it is dry. Be careful not to take too many at once or you will kill the plant. Grow multiple plants of the same kind to prevent this. Harvest the leaves at as close to dawn as possible in order to get as much of the beneficial oils in the plants as possible.  To reap the full benefits of the herbs sweeten the teas with honey not sugar.  Sugar tends to reduce if not totally block the benefits of the herbs.

What kinds of plants are good for herbal teas?  A great place to start in answering that question is in understanding the benefits of the herbs you will most likely grow. Popular herbs in most herbal gardens are listed below.

Mints…There are so many varieties of this little but tall beauty. There are so many flavors out there besides the standard garden varieties like peppermint and spearmint. There is apple, lemon, pineapple, chocolate, lavender and believe it or not catnip is in the mint family. But one thing all the varieties of mints have in common is that it is great for an upset stomach, nausea , depression, stomach flu, flatulence, heartburn, liver function, hunger, gall bladder, menstruation, headache, toothache, thrush, chapped hands, bee stings and other kinds of insect bites, bad breathe (always a good one), foot baths, and depression. By the way catnip will help with your stomach, provided that you can get past the bitter taste.

Chamomile…Unlike mint chamomile has only two types; Roman and German. The German is the herb that is the best. The part that you use is the small flowers. This plant needs sandy soils and plenty of sun and water. Chamomile is used for indigestion, nausea, insomnia, promoting the healing of wounds, an anti-inflammatory, headaches, colitis, bladder or kidney infections, warts, pink eyes, chapped skin and eyestrain. This herb has a apple scent and taste to it.

Lemon Balm…This plant can be grown either by seed or by plant dividing. It isn’t picky with the soil type or sun quality. This herb is good in a tea not just for the lemony taste but for what it can do for you. It can help you with nausea, headache, toothache, flatulence, digestion, menstration, eczema, mumps, fever, depression, cold sores, stomach cramps, a sedative, anxiety and bleeding.

Thyme is another herb that is good for stomach troubles. It has a spicy taste to it so you may have to take your time to get used to it. Also do not use if you are pregnant, sensitive skin, and if taken in large amounts may cause poisoning by overstimulating the thyroid gland. However if the necessary precautions are followed then this herb can help with stomach upset, insect bites, cough, flatulence, asthma, colds, bronchitis, rheumatism, water retention, digestion.

Basil…This herb takes a bit to get used to the spicy taste but this herb that has about 250 varieties is not just wonderful in cooking but in teas as well. You could grow several types in one pot. But what this tasty and aromatic plant is good for as far as your health is concerned is…indigestion, anxiety, stomach cramps, sores, insomnia, depression, nausea, lung congestion, milk production, menstrual cycle, insects stings, and acne.

There so many wonderful herbs that are great to grow in a potted herbal tea garden. It is up to you to discover which ones work for you and learn what soils that work for the herbs; that way you can group herbs that match soil type and sun requirement. Growing your own herbs for teas is a rewarding experience. If you’re just beginning the important thing is to learn and have fun.

These sets offer a big selection of herbs and are available in most herb categories such as culinary, Italian, International, German herbs, Salsa, herbal tea herbs, and many others. Herb sets range vastly in what they offer but most have a number of things in common. Such as, every kit comes with herb seeds. A dome is available in some sets which provides a constant level of humidity and temperature enabling the plants to flourish and establish healthy root structure. Instructions are included with each set as well. These easy to follow directions will help you become a successful herb grower. Another helpful item that some sets offer is recipes specific to the herbs you’ll be growing. By the way, if you buy your set online, check to see if the website you purchase from has a newsletter that they send out which will give you helpful information for raising your herbs, as well as cooking recipes for your herbs. A planter to grow your herbs in is also a common item provided.  The majority of kits also contain pellets or soil for growing your herb seeds.

There are a lot of benefits in using an herb kit to grow your indoor herb garden. Having your herbs close by makes it so simple and enjoyable. If you need a bit of seasoning for the meal you’re cooking up, your fresh garden herbs are within reach. Harvesting and freezing your herbs for later use becomes just as easy as well.  Also, the consistent indoor conditions provide indoor plants a safe atmosphere to grow in and you won’t have to hassle with winterizing them or worry about them surviving the winter season.   Additionally, most herb sets are the perfect size for an apartment or small area because they are compact and don’t take up a lot of room.  Another plus for indoor herb gardening is that you are able to control the amount of light it receives each day. With outdoor gardens it can sometimes be difficult to determine where to plant your herbs to get the right amount of sunlight. You also control the amount of water your herb garden gets. Yes, rain does make watering your plants easy but too much rain can harm them. A home herb garden set and the instructions that come with it, give you everything you need to successfully grow your herbs indoors and enjoy this wonderful hobby.

It’s a very rewarding achievement to plant and grow your own herb garden.   A herb kit is a great way to get started, not to mention easy too. And as you learn about growing different herbs within your kit, you’ll then be ready to try your hand at growing your own outdoor herb garden. Before you know it, you’ll be an herb expert!

Home herbal remedies are usually made into salves, tinctures or infusions. A salve is an ointment that you can use topically. A tincture is made by steeping an herb in an alcohol or glycerin base to extract the medicinal compounds. An infusion is similar to a tea, but the steeping takes place over a much longer period, allowing more of the plant’s compounds to enter the liquid.

All of these remedies are easy to make and can be made from the herbs in your garden. Some can even be made out of common garden weeds. Some of your most useful herbs for your home herbal pharmacy include lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, comfrey, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Rosemary, for example, can be made into an infusion and used as a hair rinse to condition your hair. It also has antiseptic qualities. You can add rosemary infusion to your cleaning water to disinfect any surface that you are cleaning. Rosemary can be used to relieve minor pains. Mint can be used by making an infusion and then soaking a compress in the cool liquid. This makes a cooling compress to use to reduce fevers or swelling. Mint tea can also help with indigestion.

If you grow yarrow flowers in your garden, a simple leaf can be stuffed up a nostril to stop a bloody nose. It is also useful to help clot a bleeding wound. Bee stings can be helped by using a chopped up comfrey leaf to help relieve the sting. You can also use a common weed known as plantain the same way.

If you grow some more specialized herbs like ginger, eucalyptus, garlic, nettles or other plants, you may be able to make throat lozenges, cough syrups, tonics and vinegars. Herbs that you don’t wish to grow or don’t have room for can be purchased dried and ready to use from one of the many herbal companies available.

One of the most popular home herbal remedies to make is chamomile tea. It is made from the daisy-like blossoms of the chamomile plant. Chamomile is easy to grow and easy to use. Steep the flowers for ten to fifteen minutes to make a tea. You can drink this tea before bedtime to ease your sleep or help you relax when you are tense. The flavor is light and slightly floral. Chamomile tea can also be used on your skin.

Other garden plants you may not even consider herbs include calendula, raspberry leaves, and roses. Roses have been used for centuries to make rosewater to soothe the skin. Calendula is also good for the skin. Use the flower petals to make an ointment to apply to chapped skin or superficial wounds. Raspberry leaves are a natural tonic for the reproductive tract.

Look around your garden. You may be surprised how many of your beautiful plants are useful medicinally.

First of all, you should if at all possible locate your herb plants in an east, southwest, or south window; this is because those are the windows that actually get the most sunlight during the day, and this will be important (especially in Winter months) because herbs require a lot of sunlight to be grown. You want your herbs to get at least six hours of light a day, so in the months of shorter, darker days you may find that you should add in some fluorescent lighting.

Next, choose containers that will fit into your windowsill but which won’t melt. Terra cotta is a good herb garden pot material that is durable and looks nice.  You’ll also want to make sure to allow drainage into a bowl or some other type of reservoir pot. Herbs don’t like their roots to be saturated with water, so you want to allow plenty of drainage and not to overwater them. Only water them when their soil is absolutely dry on top; misting is a good idea for watering in the Fall and Winter when you may have the heat on and the house closed up thereby causing an extra-dry environment.

The soil you use for your windowsill plants cannot be too heavy, and soil for an outdoor garden or that of non-herbal plants is all too heavy. Choose a good quality, lighter-weight potting soil and then add perlite to make it even lighter. Another option is to choose a soilless potting mixture. Place some pebbles in the bottom of your planters to prevent drainage from occurring too rapidly, then pour your mixture overtop. Last, gently place the herbs into the soil.

Herbs don’t need a lot of fertilizer, but you can add compost to the soil every seven weeks or so to help them grow more. In the winter, a good fertilization method is to add a kelp and fish fertilizer every three weeks. Never use chemical pesticides or fertilizer because you are likely going to be eating these herbs.

Make sure that your windowsill garden herb plants are all planted together according to how alike they are in growth. For instance, do not plant annuals and perennials together (to avoid fungus accumulation from the annuals), but do plant shade-lovers together and sun-lovers together. Keep your herbs nicely trimmed so that they will maintain their shapeliness. Before long you’ll be enjoying them in your tea!

Bay leaf, chives, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme are among the best herbs to place in your garden of windowsill herbs. They look lovely, they do well indoors, and they are very useful. Enjoy greening up your house with herbs!

One of the most recognized herbs from Italy is basil and is used in a lot of Italian dishes. In addition to bringing its wonderful flavor to so many Italian recipes, it’s also beneficial to other plants within your garden. By growing basil beside vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers, they will become more flavorful. Another great benefit of basil is that it can be used as a fly or mosquito repellent.

Parsley is wonderful in Italian dishes as well other kinds of dishes, but can be a difficult herb plant to grow. In the good ol’ days, long before we used mints to freshen our breath, uncooked fresh parsley would be eaten after meals to eliminate foul breath following an enjoyable flavor filled dish. It became common practice to provide parsley served on a small plate at the completion of the meal. This custom continues on even today as we use parsley to garnish many different dishes.

One more herb plant is the flavorful, yet decorative oregano. Dainty purple flowers sprout from this plant as it becomes mature. When the plant has flowered, it is the ideal time for harvesting oregano as this is the time when it is most flavorful.

Well known for its seeds that gracefully add flavor enhancement to Italian sausage, Fennel is yet another popular herb. One of the traits of interest concerning fennel is as it matures, the plants flavor diminishes. As a perennial plant returning every year, it will need to be separated and replanted about every third year to enjoy its taste.

Similar to basil, rosemary is an Italian herb that also is valuable in your garden. As it grows, Rosemary becomes a large shrub and has attractive small flowers of blue which attract bees which in turn help pollinate your garden.  Be aware that this herb plant is sensitive to frost even though it is a sturdy evergreen perennial.

Likely, Italian cuisines most widely used herb is garlic. Without this herb, any growing Italian herbs is incomplete. Garlic cloves are very low maintenance and easy to grow in practically any garden. This herb can be stored after harvesting for using later by either freezing or pickling for storing in the fridge.

Another popular Italian herb is sage which can enhance many dishes from salads to meats. New shoots provide the greatest flavor of this plant so it is important to keep them trim so that they don’t become too woody. This will also encourage more new shoots to grow.  Once the plant blooms it is time for harvesting the sage.

Even though a number of other herbs can be planted your garden of  Italian herbs, proper planning and consideration of the herbs that you will need is important to maximize your enjoyment. You’ll want to learn about the proper growing environment for the herb plants you want and consider if you can create such a situation. Flavorful, Italian herbs will bring tasteful delights to your dining but they also add more value than that alone. Herbs also create wonderful embellishments to your home scenery by adding delightful colors and pleasing aromas. Italian herbs grown alongside your other plants will grace you with pleasant aromas directly from Italy. You’ll feel like your taking a leisurely walk through an Italian vista.

The first thing that you need to think about is what kind of herbs you want. When you are looking at some easy herbs to get started with, think about rosemary and sage, which are perfect for flavoring your food. When you want herbs that are going to add a unique accent to your food without overpowering it, look into tarragon, thyme, dill, mint and basil. Another thing that you might want to think about when it comes to herb growing is whether you want herbs that will bloom for one season, that will grow and then bloom in their second season or ones that will bloom regularly after they have been planted.

Another item to consider is how much space you have to devote to your herb growing. When you want a good-sized herb garden that will help you with all of your kitchen needs, consider an area that is twenty feet long by four feet wide. Make sure that you keep annual and perennials separate because otherwise you risk tearing out plants that do not need to be replaced.

When you are selecting a place for your herb garden, make sure that you think about how well the area drains and how fertilized it is. Remember that when you are looking at herbs, you are largely looking at plants that will grow best in soil that drains fairly well. If the soil is too damp, you will find that there is a good chance that the roots will suffer from rot and disease.

If you have room, you can make herbs part of your vegetable garden. However, you may prefer to grow herbs in a separate area, particularly the perennials. If you are concerned about the drainage, you may wish to remove the soil to a depth of around 16 inches. Line the bottom of the site with crushed stone and then mix the displaced soil with sphagnum peat and sand. If the soil does not seem particularly fertile, simply add fertilizer to it. Be careful not to over fertilize because this can result in plants that are very leafy but that have a poor taste.

Finally, you will be ready sow the herb seed. Remember that your seeds should be sown directly into the ground late in the spring. Before you do it, work the soil surface so that it is loose and then wet it. After the seeds have been sown into shallow rows, pat the soil down over them. And you’ll want to make sure that finer seeds like savory or thyme can be mixed with sand to allow it to distribute more evenly.

Take a moment and consider what your options are going to be when it comes to herb gardening; it is a lot easier than you think!

You should begin your indoor herb garden at your local garden shop, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or even at Wal-Mart. Some people like to use the pots that the small herb plants come in, and other people like to choose a new and even a larger pot that will set a mood in a room, or compliment the flowers of the herb.

If you decide to purchase a new pot, you will want to check and make sure that it has drainage holes in it; some people have purchased very nice pots without checking and once they were home they found out that there were no drainage holes in them.

Next you can start your indoor herb garden from seeds; however, it may be much better to start with small plants. You will want to have a wide variety of herb plants, such as Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic, Ginger, Parsley and any other herb that you may like.

The two things that are crucial is a small book or pamphlet if you do not know any thing about growing herbs; and the second most crucial item is the proper soil for your herbs.  First purchase some potting soil, sand, small gravel, and a small bag of lime.

Start by mixing the potting soil, sand and a handful of gravel together; next read the instructions on the lime bag to find out how much lime to use for your pots for the particular herb that you are planting, then before you transfer the new soil to the pot be sure to layer the bottom of the pot with a layer of gravel for better drainage.

The next thing to consider for indoor herb growing is the amount of light that they get. There are some great places where herbs do very well. Near a window or sliding glass door which is best when it faces south, but north and other directions can work also. However, if the light still makes the plants long and fragile, then you should install a fluorescent light near them. Your plants need at least six hours of light each day. Herbs also need to have a little fresh air for a few hours a day. It is a good idea to take your herb plants out side for a few hours a day, once a week. When taking them out do it in the morning or in the late afternoon when the sun is not so hot that it wilts the stems or leaves. Herbs need at least six hours of light a day.

Always keep a check on the moisture level of your herb plants, because over watering them could be very harmful. There are water control sticks which are available to help determine when to water your plants.

Having an indoor herb garden puts you in charge, not nature. You control the lighting, the watering, the temperature and everything. The great thing about controlling these conditions is that you can grow even the more difficult to herbs inside your home, such as Oregano or even harder herb plants to such as Basil and Sage.