Grow A herb Garden

 

Fresh herbs add spice to your cooking and lots of vitamins . Creating a herb garden is quick, easy and inexpensive. In just a few steps you can grow your own herbs that will last all summer long.

Lets Get Started. 

Choose a large container with a diameter of about 20 inches. Any plastic or clay container will work as long as it has a drainage hole. Select a location that gets full sun at least 5 hours a day or more. Cover the drainage hole loosely with gravel or broken pottery to keep the soil from coming out. Some instructions say to soak your clay pot overnight in water first, but soaking is optional. Some glazed ceramic pots may contain lead in the glaze, so avoid them.

Your herb garden will do best outdoors, but you can place it at a window that gets direct sun most of the day, usually a southern or western window. If your pot will remain indoors, it should sit in a saucer to catch the water. If your indoor herbs get “leggy”, tall and spindly, they need more sunlight.

Fill the container about two-thirds full with organic potting-soil mix. Use a good sterilized potting soil.
Now choose your herbs. Rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil and oregano make good companions. Place rosemary in the center because it’s taller. Add parsley, basil and orange thyme or lemon thyme around the sides. These herbs work well because they all need at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight daily. As you plant your herbs, loosen the soil gently around each root ball. Cover with more soil, and fill the pot with soil about 2″ from the top. Give them a good first watering. Don’t worry whether you’re doing it right. Herbs are very forgiving.

Water the plants well, but don’t let them stand in a saucer of water. Before watering, check the soil by inserting your finger 1 inch into the soil. If it feels dry to the touch, it’s time to water. Allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Clay pots need more water than plastic ones. Outdoor pots usually need more water than indoor pots.

A very light feeding of an organic fertilizer once a month will help your crop.

In a few weeks, the herbs will be ready for you to enjoy. They can be cut as soon as the leaves are ready, and they will produce all year long. Fresh leaves may be picked as long as the plant has enough foliage to continue growing.

Dried herbs from a jar have a stronger flavor than fresh herbs. With fresh herbs, you can use about three times as much as your recipe calls for.

If you have cold winters, bring your herb pot indoors for the winter.

To use herbs, wash them, with the leaves on the stems, lightly in cold running water to remove any soil, dust, or bugs. Strip the leaves off the stalks and remove any blossoms.

You can maintain an indoor herb garden indefinitely by periodic light feeding, yearly repotting, renewing the annual herbs, and occasionally pinching back the plants.

Very few diseases or insects attack herbs. Sometimes, in hot, dry weather, red spider mites may be found on low-growing plants. Aphids may attack anise, caraway, dill, and fennel.

How long do herbs live?

Some herbs, like basil, coriander, sill, anise and summer savory, are annuals that must be replaced every year.
The perennials, like chives, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, fennel, lovage and winter savory, will winter over and return each spring. A few herbs, like caraway and parsley, are biennials that bloom their second year and then die off.

With a herb garden in a pot, you’re on your way to a lot of enjoyment and good cooking. Bon appetit!