How to Start an Herb Garden
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What would be better than having all the herbs you want right in your backyard? Learning how to start an herb garden with all your favorite herbs is simple and fun! And great for beginning gardeners because they are easy to grow!
You will be blessed with the freshest herbs you can find, and you won’t even have to go to the supermarket you can pick these herbs right from your own home. When I was little, my grandma always had a garden growing on the farm. I was just amazed that instead of going to the grocery store, we could go get food from the yard or the freezer or the cellar.
I have always loved the idea of growing your own food and herbs in particular are super expensive. You can buy a little clump of fresh herbs in a plastic container and it will cost several dollars. More than I pay for one herb plant. But that plant will produce enough herbs to make 20 to 100 of those little bunches. And they don’t take much space to grow!
During the summer we are always begging people to come get wheelbarrows full of herbs, we can never use as much as we grow. And we love herbs! I love drying them and making my own spices and seasoning mixes like this Italian seasoning. (It’s my favorite)
Check out this Month by Month Garden Planting Guide for all of your when to plant what.
Herb gardens are easy to take care of and they can be fun for the beginning gardener. The beauty of having an herb garden is the freshness of your homegrown herbs, it doesn’t take up a lot of space, and it will leave you home smelling like your favorite herbs.
Herbs are wonderful plants for several reasons. They are attractive to look at and they often produce a pleasant smell. They grow in various conditions and can live in small areas indoors. Furthermore, they can be used to make delicious meals.
I love to make these herb wreaths for my kitchen. It dries right on the wall where it’s hanging. It looks pretty fresh and pretty when it’s dried. At any stage, you can snip off a bunch of herbs and toss them in the dish you’re making. It’s wonderful!
Starting an herb garden is extremely easy and requires skills that everyone has. If you are interested in having fresh herbs for cooking or any other reason read the following guidelines for starting an herb garden.
The first thing you need to do when you start an herb garden is to think about the types of herbs you will need. Unless you want them for aesthetic reasons, you only need the herbs that you plan on cooking with. If you like to experiment with your cooking you should add a few extra herbs into the mix to keep things interesting.
Most herbs grow well in dry, warm, and sunny conditions, but necessary conditions vary depending on the plant. The best part is they aren’t fussy. They will grow in the worst soil conditions imaginable.
Once you have identified the herbs that you would like for your herb garden, prepare the area. If you are going to grow herbs indoors make sure that you keep them in separate containers and give them plenty of access to sunlight. In the outdoors sometimes you will need to split your herb garden between various beds around your home. If there is a bed that gets lots of sunlight then put your sunny herbs there.
The best part is that herbs are fragrant and repel many garden pests. They make the most wonderful companion plants for your garden vegetables and many of them produce gorgeous flowers. Herbs are the whole package!
Be sure to loosen up the soil so that it is filled with air. Water your herbs one inch per week. To find out how, check out the highlighted link.
DIY Herb Garden
Let’s go over the steps you will need to take to start an herb garden.
- Make a list of all the herbs you would like to plant in your garden.
- Next figure out where you are going to place your herb gardens. I like to have pots of herbs on the back porch for easy access when I’m cooking dinner. My kitchen is right inside the porch.
- Make sure you have well drained soil. Herbs hate to sit in water. So this is key for great herb growth.
- You can start with seeds or you can get plants that have already been grown at the garden store.
- Your herbs will be ready to harvest any time. If they begin to grow flowers, you need to prune them so they will produce more leaves. Once you harvest your herbs in food, you can make soaps or teas with them.
It’s time for garden planning and help is here!
Herb Garden for Beginners
With some patience and careful attention, you can grow healthy herbs in a matter of a few months. Some of these plants will continue to grow and thrive, filling your beds with more than enough herbs. Plants like rosemary can grow into beautiful and strong plants that are beautiful to look at.
There are many ways to plant your herbs you can even grow them from a sprig.
And you can grow your own spices at home too!
Herbs for an Herb Garden
For more ideas on growing and using herbs, check this out:
- How to Grow Lavender and Use It
- How to Grow Sage at Home
- How to Grow Marjoram
- How to Grow Mint
- How to Grow Italian Parsley
- How to Use Excess Herbs from the Garden
- How to Dehydrate Herbs and Greens from the Garden
For more herb gardening basics, check this out.
