Herb Gardening

Growing herbs is another gardening project that yields plenty of satisfaction.

Besid extra work out you will get there is something to seeing that you have nurtured something to grow and have it nourish you or others that you care for. This goes for all gardening! Herb Garden is easy, and does not require the amount of space that a veggie garden does, although it depends on how much you want to produce, and why.

If you are just doing it to have fresh herbs, then you can get by with a small one, if you are doing it for potential profit then a bigger space is going to be needed, and as I will discuss later if you have no ground space to plant them in you can always use plants/containers to hold the "garden"

Now a little detail about herbs

Herbs thrive with just a small amount of care, and they do well in small spaces and growing in pots.Many herbs mix well with other annuals and perennials, so you can tuck them into your flower garden.

Most herb plants come from Mediterranean regions and they thrive in summer's heat and sun. They can take a bit of dryness in stride, which makes them a good choice for containers.

Even better, most herb plants have few insect and disease problems, and most types grow best in average garden soil, rarely needing added fertilizer.

Herbs (and other plants) have merit in many aspects of life, and the most common use of herbs for both medicinal purposes and for enjoyment is undoubtedly the making of herbal teas.

Growing herbs

Are you growing them to eat? to smell, or as ornamentals , attractive herbs include chives, fennel, basil and sage. Almost every herb needs well-drained soil and full sun (6 hours daily).

Water your plant well to get them established. Although most herbs don't need much watering through the season, don't neglect them in times of drought. Most herb plants thrive in dry soil, but some types, mint, for example, prefer moist soil.

Once herbs are established, regular pruning promotes lush new growth - which has the best flavour - but avoid removing too many leaves or stems at one time. The plants need leaves to grow and thrive, so keep about 6 inches (15 cm) of growth intact.

The best way to harvest herbs is to snip a portion with sharp scissors or pruners. Avoid tearing or pulling branches and stems off. Pulling can injure or even dislodge roots.

Growing herbs: annual and perennial types

Annuals :

Such as dill, chervil and cilantro are easy to grow from seed. They are ready for harvesting several weeks to a couple of months after sowing. You can buy them as transplants, but you will get stronger, bushier annual herbs if you grow them from seed.

Annual herbs flower and go to seed quickly, and that's when their leaves tend to lose flavour. For a fresh supply, replant every 3 weeks into early or mid August. To harvest, snip off leaves, or pull entire plant.

If you want to grow herbs such as French tarragon, chives, sage or thyme, buy small plants. Allow a couple of months of growth before harvesting. While you can grow some perennial herbs from seed, it's generally not worth it if you only need a few plants because it takes more than one season to get a good harvest.

Growing in containers

Growing herbs in containers is a great way to have kitchen herbs close by for snipping as you're cooking.

Spreading herbs such as mint are also easier to control when you grow them in pots.

With rosemary, which is not hardy in cold winter regions - growing in a container makes it easier to take the plant inside. Herbs like sweet basil grow well in containers

Big enough containers: At least 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) deep with one or more holes for good drainage. Larger containers such as half barrels give you enough room to grow several kitchen herbs in one space.

Soil-less potting mix: Dosen't use garden soil, although you can add a little compost or bagged manure to enrich potting soil.

Watering: How much to water depends on the weather, the plants and the size and type of pot. Terra cotta containers dry out quickly and usually need daily watering high summer. The larger the pot, the easier it is to keep moist.

Fertilizing: Like all container plants, herbs need fertilizer. Slow release fertilizer pellets added to the top layer of soil at planting are easy: they feed constantly over the growing season. Or give soluble fertilizer with watering once a week.

Growing herbs in containers indoors

Although it's tempting to take your herb plants indoors for winter, especially perennial types, unfortunately, in northern regions even a south-facing window gets a lot less sun in winter than the plants need.

It helps to remember that most culinary herbs thrive in the hot and sunny Mediterranean, and that they do best in such conditions.

Mediterranean winters are moist, but central heating keeps the air very dry, which is another disadvantage.

Growing indoors in winter, your herbs won't be as flavourful - they need heat and sun to create the aromatic oils that make them zesty.

If you're really serious about having a herb garden indoors and you don't have a south-facing window, an Aerogarden might be just the thing for you. It comes with it own grow light, and works by suspending plant containers in a tank of water and flowing water to them by means of a small pump. You start the plants from seeds (which are supplied). It's basically hydroponic gardening: no soil, just water, air, and nutrients.

For plants grown in soil in containers, you need:

A sunny south-facing window, plus a florescent grow-light for extra brightness.

Growth will slow down, so harvest small amounts only (if your goal is to keep plants for next year); or continue to harvest until you use leaves up and then discard plant.

Water when potting soil feels dry to touch. Avoid overwatering, but mist around the plants often.

Big enough containers: At least 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) deep with one or more holes for good drainage. Larger containers such as half barrels give you enough room to grow several kitchen herbs in one space.

Soil-less potting mix: Don't use garden soil, although you can add a little compost or bagged manure to enrich potting soil.

Watering: How much to water depends on the weather, the plants and the size and type of pot. Terra cotta containers dry out quickly and usually need daily watering high summer. The larger the pot, the easier it is to keep moist.

Fertilizing: Like all container plants, herbs need fertilizer. Slow release fertilizer pellets added to the top layer of soil at planting are easy: they feed constantly over the growing season. Or give soluble fertilizer with watering once a week.

Although it's tempting to take your herb plants indoors for winter, especially perennial types, unfortunately, in northern regions even a south-facing window gets a lot less sun in winter than the plants need.

It helps to remember that most culinary herbs thrive in the hot and sunny Mediterranean, and that they do best in such conditions. Mediterranean winters are moist, but central heating keeps the air very dry, which is another disadvantage.

Growing indoors in winter, your herbs won't be as flavourful - they need heat and sun to create the aromatic oils that make them zesty.

For plants grown in soil in containers, you need:

A sunny south-facing window, plus a florescent grow-light for extra brightness.

Growth will slow down, so harvest small amounts only (if your goal is to keep plants for next year); or continue to harvest until you use leaves up and then discard plant.

Water when potting soil feels dry to touch. Avoid overwatering, but mist around the plants often.

For best winter survival of rosemary, move plant into shadier spot outdoors in early fall to acclimatize to lower light.

Indoors, keep pots in a cool bright window with a florescent grow light. A bright, unheated sun porch is ideal, as long as temperatures don't dip below 21ºF

Indoors, keep pots in a cool bright window with a florescent grow light. A bright, unheated sun porch is ideal, as long as temperatures don't dip below 21ºF

You should now have a little more knowledge over this subject and I hope that you too may flavor you own chicken with herbs from your garden!