Starting An Herb Garden Ideas

When you are thinking of starting an herb gardenyou are in for a great treat, but you are also going to need some

pointers in the right direction.

Following the best herb garden ideas on how to grow your own herbs will go a long way towards enjoying a variety of abundant growing herb plants.

It is important to plan to grow your herb garden and not to plunge into it headlong, as herbs on the whole require certain soil, light and fertilizing conditions.

Without going into the specifics of container herb gardening, windowsill herb gardening, or kitchen herb gardening, we will basically go over the main points on how to start a herb garden.

PLANNING

First, start by considering your available location and space for starting your herb garden and for its layout. Big or small? Maybe if this is your first time, start small, as to handle the project comfortably! In both cases you need to think of the following:

• Uses. Do you want to grow your own herbs for culinary use, their aromatic properties, display or cut flowers,  attracting the bees and bird, or any other reasons?

Depending on your choice, it would be useful to choose the specific herbs that you like to cook with for example. In

the kitchen some of the herbs cooks generally prefer are mint, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, dill, chives and tarragon. Lemon balm and lavender can be enjoyed for their beauty and beautiful scents outside and inside the home.

It is an amazing pleasure to pick your own fresh herbs for a specific purpose, but do try and grow ones you don’t know as well, to further discover the wonderful world of herbs.

CONDITIONS

• The first requirement for successful herb growing is a location with adequate sunlight. The majority of herb plants need at least 4 – 6 hours of direct sunlight. A couple of herbs like mint, lemon balm and chervil like some shade to grow well.
• Your herb garden site need to have good drainage as herb plants don’t like to be waterlogged. So in the case of clay soils you can add coarse sand and rough compost, or in the case of sandy soil, add organic matter.
• When starting an herb garden you’ll want to be sure that the soil Ph factor is between 6.5 and 7.5. If you’re not sure what it is, you can determine that easily with a soil test. If the soil test result falls outside those two parameters you can correct the soil by adding either lime or sulfur to the soil.
• Proper preparation of the soil is important: weeding and removal of foreign plants, loosening the soil to at least a foot deep, adding compost and manure.
• Fertilizing the soil of your herb garden is important, but never overdo it as it will affect the taste and fragrance of your herbs. Best to use natural fertilizers such as liquid seaweed, and fish and bonemeal.

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PLANTING

• Herbs can be grown from planting seeds, propagated from plant cuttings or buying the small plants from your local nursery. Be sure to protect young herb plants from severe cold and frost.
• Now that you have decided on the specific herbs that you would like to grow, consider their adult size so you can leave adequate space around them  for vigorous growth. Other considerations include are where to plants with special care, whether the plan is an annual or perennial, and if you prefer a herb plant close to the kitchen.

It is worth it to have done this research as you’ll know where to plant taller herbs like dill which may grow upt to three feet tall and might need staking, or lemon balm and mint that might have to be shaded during the hot months.

• Mulching around your new herb plants is a good practice to keep your herb garden neat, prevent water evaporation and stop weeds from growing.

These are some ideas on how to make a herb garden. If you want more info check out the other articles on this site.

Starting an herb garden will enable you to enjoy your own healthy, fresh, beautiful home-grown herbs, and you’ll make a green contribution to the environment!