Getting Started With a Simple Home Herb Garden
If you have ever thought that the herbs that are sold at your grocery store are too expensive and not nearly as fresh as you would like, it might be time for you to look into starting a small home herb garden. Whether you have a real green thumb or you have never tried growing plants before, herb growing is a lovely choice when you are thinking about doing some planting. Herbs can be used to greatly enhance your cooking and even to scent your home and yard. So let’s think about how to get started…
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!
