Italian Herb Garden – The Perfect Herb Garden for Beginners
August 18, 2011 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Italian Herb Garden - The Perfect Herb Garden for Beginners
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Home Page > Home and Family > Italian Herb Garden - The Perfect Herb Garden for Beginners
Italian Herb Garden - The Perfect Herb Garden for Beginners
Posted: Apr 01, 2011 |Comments: 0
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Why is an Italian Herb Garden perfect - because it contains the four main classes of herbs: Aromatic, Culinary, Medicinal, and Ornamental herbs. Plus it has annual herbs, perennial herbs, shrub herbs, and evergreen herbs.
Here are the most common herbs found in an Italian herb garden: basil, bay, fennel, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic. They are used in a variety of Italian recipes as well as other cuisines. These herbs are easy to grow, which makes it the herb garden for beginners and will give you a great sense of fulfillment when you use your herbs.
Basil: refers to sweet Basil and all of the different varieties of Basil, and is used frequently because of its strong flavor. Its fragrance is a main stay of any Italian herb Garden. Basil is also a good companion plant and insect repellent. This herb can be over powering, start off by adding a little at a time to your dishes. This is an annual herb, which will need to be planted every year. In warm climates it will self-seed.
Bay Leaves: Bay is easy to grow in an Italian herb garden; however there are many poisonous plants that look like Bay. You'll want to check with your local county extension office or the nursery expert to find out what the correct specie is for your area. The essential oils are in the leaves and the flavor is best after the leaves have been dried. When used in cooking the leaves are put in whole and then removed when the dish is finished.
Fennel: No Italian herb garden should be without this herb, and it can be used in so many different ways. Almost every part of the plant can be used; the bulbs, seeds, and the leaves are used in a variety of different dishes. Fennel seeds are a common ingredient in Italian sausage. Sweet Fennel is often used for its seeds and fronds, the Florence variety for the stalks and bulbs. It has a licorice flavor, and can be eaten raw, with some olive oil, lemon wedges and a little salt, as well as put into antipastos. While it is a perennial evergreen plant, it does need some protection in the winter, and it should be replanted ever few years, because it will start to lose its flavor. If you have some dill planted, it should be well away from Sweet Fennel, because it will cross-pollinate.
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Oregano: This is another common and popular herb that is included in every Italian herb garden. Oregano is used mainly in culinary dishes, but is also used for decoration, as well as medicinal purposes. There are two different kinds of Oregano: Mexican, and Greek. Oregano and Basil often are combined in many different sauces including pizza sauce, and marinades. It adds a special flavor to Italian cooking.
Parsley: there are many different varieties of parsley; you'll want Italian Parsley for your herb garden. It differs from the garnish variety due to its broad leaf. It is quite easy to grow in your Italian herb garden, and will re-seed itself it you let it go to seed. Parsley is another herb that can be added to just about every dish. Unfortunately slugs also love Parsley so take precautions against them.
Rosemary: Make room for Rosemary in your Italian herb garden. It can be used in just about any dish, and has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years as well as ornamental. Rosemary can be used fresh or dried; it has a very distinctive flavor. It is an evergreen shrub, is quite aromatic, and will attract bees to your garden. It is a perennial evergreen and can be harmed by frost; caution should be taken to protect it when the weather is extremely cold. Cut it back every spring to promote new growth.
Sage: This is an evergreen bush that grows wild in many areas, and can be grown in your garden easily. In order to prevent Sage from getting unruly, you should keep it pruned back. It provides Italian food with a distinct flavor, including pork, and antipastos, as well as poultry. Sage wasn't as popular for a while, however it is still an important part of Italian cooking and with the new varieties its regaining its popularity in the kitchen.
Thyme: This herb has been used for centuries, not only as an additive in culinary dishes, but also in the bath water, and other medicinal purposes. Thyme is the herb to use in a dish when you are uncertain of what to use. If you are growing this versatile herb to cook with, make sure you are using Thymus Vulgaris, or common Thyme. It is quite easy to grow in your Italian herb garden, but this perennial tends to get quite woody after a few years and should be replaced about every two or three years.
Garlic: last, but certainly not least, herb gardening for beginners should always include Garlic, especially if you don't want to get smacked by your Italian relatives. Even though it may be called the 'stinking rose' by some, it is a very important herb, not only in cooking, but for its medicinal qualities. Eating a lot of garlic will keep you system detoxified. If you want your relatives to love you forever, use garlic in your dishes. It really doesn't matter what variety of garlic you grow, and it is easy to add to your garden.
If you have limited space, all of these herbs will do well as container plants, including the garlic. Planting an Italian Herb Garden in the actual soil or in containers is easy and you'll be off to a great start with herbs for all uses, making herb gardening for beginners enjoyable and a success! There are different varieties of each herb. Check with your local county extension office or nursery to see which variety does best in your area.
For more in-depth information of each of these herbs along with my families "Italian Pizza Sauce" recipe and a free mini herb course, please see Herb Gardening for Beginners and the Italian Herb Garden.
Remember don't be afraid to try new things. Happy Herb Gardening!
Jaylyn Huson is an herb garden enthusiast and enjoys helping others learn about growing and using herbs. Her latest book is "Home Herb Garden Answers - The Answers You Need for Planting, Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Using Your Herbs" found at http://www.homeherbgardenanswers.com/
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Recognizing The Importance Of Well Defined Indoor Herb Garden Plan
September 6, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
There is always need of fresh herbs in your kitchen as they are healthier and we are aware of the advantages associated while consuming herbs on consistent basis. In order to get a hand on fresh herbs, the best idea would be to build an indoor herb garden. With your own indoor herb garden, you will have assurance of consuming healthy herbs without the application of chemical fertilizers and synthesizers.
In order to plant your own indoor herb garden, the very first thing which you need to consider is designing an appropriate herb garden plan. In this piece of writing, I will be elaborating some key points which must a part of your indoor herb garden plan at all costs.
Before finalizing your indoor herb garden plan, the foremost thing which you have to consider is the availability of light in the area where you would be planting your indoor herb garden. Light is a necessity of plants and it must not be overlooked at all. You indoor herb garden plan should have a clause about the location of your indoor herb garden where suitable amount of light will be available all the time for your herb garden plants.
After you select the location of the garden then you can make some different arrangements that you would be doing in your indoor herb garden. You must add all small aspects within your indoor herb garden plants such as arrangements of herb garden plants within your indoor herb garden, the size of your indoor herb garden, the shape of your indoor herb garden, different accessories and tools that you would be applying for different purpose within your indoor herb garden and etc.
You pre-defined indoor herb garden plan will ensure that you will have all the necessary information about the indoor herb gardening ahead of time. You will have everything arranged ahead of time and this will surely save you a lot of time and efforts.
Last but not the least important aspect of your indoor herb garden plan would be the selection of herbs that you would be planting within your indoor herb garden. The herbs should be selected in such a way that they should be grown in room temperature very easily. The herbs should be selected with care and according to availability of space and the conditions of your indoor herb garden.
After planning each and every thing, you can begin with your indoor herb gardening. The indoor herb garden will make you feel good and will add a sense of elegance to the overall décor of your house.
Do You Nead Help With Your Herb Garden Design?
September 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Herb Garden Design
People have used herbs for thousands of years in their everyday lives from medicine to seasoning people have used herbs. Today people sometimes take inspiration from older herb garden landscape designs to create something new from a classic idea.
Choosing herb for herb garden landscaping design is very personal; one needs to plan the desired focus of the garden. This is a very basic gardening theory but a good one; think of a single intent for the garden and build from that.
The Chef
A culinary herb garden landscape design can combine the beauty of the outdoors with their passion for cooking. Common herbs like sage, parsley, garlic, rosemary, oregano, chives, and mint have many lovely qualities that can be enjoyed outside of cooking.
Sage is very aromatic; parsley is beautiful, garlic flowers and grows easily in most areas. Rosemary is also very aromatic, oregano is another herb that makes a nice bushy ground covering and chives will flower as well.
The Aroma-therapist
Herb garden landscaping designs are ideally suited for aromatherapy. People may enjoy the tranquil effects of herbs and combinations of herbs simply by sitting in a comfortable chair, hammock, or swing in their herb garden.
Aroma-therapists can plant complimentary herbs together to form the best combinations for mood enhancement. One form of herb garden landscaping design is to plant herbs in beds according to a need or aesthetic appeal. This type of container gardening is also ideally suited for aromatherapy.
Lavender for example is a very common aromatherapy herb; it can be planted alone for some purposes and can be planted with other herbs in a container to achieve a specific blend of herbs.
Medicinal Herbs
For thousands of years people have used herbs for medicinal purposes, once people started cultivating the most useful herbs, herb garden landscaping design was born. People would often have two separate herb collections, one which was grown towards the back of their property for herbs that would be dried and stored. A second herb garden was often grown closer to a person''s home to be used as needed.
Pure Enjoyment
Many herb garden landscaping designs are inspired by people''s pure enjoyment of the herb they grow. Herbs can make a fragrant border to a lawn and a beautiful ground covering for gardens. Combining vegetables, flowers, and herbs in one garden bed can make a very beautiful and interesting garden area.
One way to accomplish this type of herb garden landscaping design is to grow things together which are used together. Bell peppers, tomatoes, and basil all like the full sun and plenty of water, the three plants will grow well together. Mint, lemon balm, and impatients can all be grown together in the shade for a beautiful accent under a porch or flowering shrub.
Trendy mini herb garden
September 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Whilst the majority garden enthusiasts reason about a mini herb garden, they as a rule refer to herb gardens that befall in little containers, or those minute container herb gardens that are commercially sold. When these herb gardens are undoubtedly mini, the extra correct word for them is little container herb gardens. A authentic mini herb garden is still found outside, it merely is not in as majestic a magnitude as further traditional herb gardens.
A mini herb garden could still participate around with design, but the rows of herbs design is regularly the the majority convenient. It employs slight bits of ground, everywhere from 3 by 4 feet to just to some extent larger could be thought out a mini herb garden. Three rows is as a rule a useful way to section off the herb plants in this mini herb garden. Off the bat, though, you want not be able to cultivate mint in this mini herb garden for the reason that mint has a habbit to take over the place it is planted inside, and your garden is too insignificant for a plant equally dominating as mint. If you like to keep mint, pot your mint plant and put it someplace else. By the entrance of the kitchen or someplace on the veranda are helpful ideas.
Elect about 3 or 4 herb plants for every herb. Not-likely a great herb garden where you could maintain rows and rows of the similar herb, your mini herb garden will simply allow you as much. If the garden is really undersized, pick two herb plants per herb. The purpose of owning additional than single plant, and expectantly added than two is with the purpose of you could reap leaves from two of the herb plants, and leave the other plant or plants to go off on to flower and seed so with the intention of you bear what you require to initiate your garden ones-more after that year. Resolve this if you like to be able to reap flowers and seeds. If you propose to purchase fresh seeds from a storehouse each year, though, then this is not essential.
Same as a sizeable herb garden, your mini herb garden will maintain the similar rules in requisites of irrigation, fertilizing, and excellent soil. Mini herb gardens bear a advantage, though, and that is with the intention of you could invest in selected terrific topsoil and fertilizers since you will be retailing a smaller amount of the product. You could furthermore fill your dug up plant plot with an inch or two of gravel otherwise rock in this area previous to placing dirt on top of this and then planting your seeds. This assist drain water and keep the dampness in the dirt useful. This works in support of a mini herb garden, and could perform for a larger herb garden equally good, but is trully impractical for the bigger gardens.
Furthermore, a mini herb garden will require a smaller amount attention and attention from you in the prolonged run. It needs a smaller amount irrigation, a lesser amount of pruning, not as much of weeding, and fewer everything compared to a great herb garden. So you acquire all the benefits of herb gardening with fewer trouble.
If you're unsure in relation to herb gardening, and do maintain a generously proportioned garden, you can opt to start with a mini one first and see to it that how it goes. You may well be branching out sooner than you know it!
Herb Garden Designs
August 31, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Designing your herb garden can be either a bit daunting or a lot of fun. You will have a lot of questions to consider: Where shall my garden go? What plants will I be able to grow? Which herbs do I use the most? Do I want a theme garden? Will it be a formal or informal garden? How much time do I have to care for it?
First of all, settle on a location. Rather than planting your herbs in the garden, look out your kitchen window and see if there's a suitable spot nearby to locate them. By finding a sunny spot near the kitchen door, you will have fast access to your culinary and tea herbs. Another option would be to plant these herbs in containers on a sunny patio.
Now, think about how much time you have to maintain the herb garden. This will help you decide the style and size of the garden. Generally, a lot of herbs can be grown in a small space, if the growing conditions are met. A six to eight foot square or round space will be plenty large, and remember, you can always expand it later. A formal garden will take much longer to design and plant than an informal garden. Think about the type of herbs you use most, and plan your garden around them.
Design a Formal Herb Garden
Formal herb gardens, often called knot gardens can be beautiful additions to your yard.A formal herb garden is generally geometric in shape, subdivided into symmetrical spaces. Low hedges of herbs or box with paths of brick or gravel separate the spaces. Each space usually contains one type of plant, or perhaps one color of plant. You could plant culinary herbs in one section, tea herbs in another, and so on. The overall shape could be circular, square, rectangular or diamond shaped. Many formal herb gardens have a central point of interest - a tree, a fountain, or a statue.
If you decide on a formal garden, plan it out carefully on graph paper. Give your design enough room for both plants and paths. Look in garden books for inspiration, and find patterns that please you. Decide upon the type of garden you would like - devoted to culinary herbs, fragrance herbs, or perhaps a few of each. Think about color, foliage shape, plant height and spread, and how your herbs will fit into the sections of your garden for best effect.
Informal Gardens
More frequently, herb gardens are very informal, with herbs sprawling and creeping naturally. They seem to have a pleasing mix of textures and foliage colors. Do pay some attention to planning as you plant. Learn how large each will grow, both height and spread. You don't want to allow tall herbs to shade or over-grow smaller ones, or to have sprawling oregano overtake your smaller herbs.
You can plant your informal herb garden as a themed garden - culinary, tea fragrance or medicinal herbs. Italian culinary herbs, health enhancing herbs or edible flowers and herbs could be your theme. If you live in a hot, dry location, perhaps a Mediterranean theme would work, with lavender, thyme, sage, rosemary and oregano your main herbs.
Another informal but attractive herb garden could be planted with low growing herbs as a rockery. Roman chamomile, dwarf oregano and sage, winter savory, prostrate rosemary, pennyroyal and thymes are good rock garden herbs. Use local rocks to form the basis of your rockery, dug into the ground so they look natural, and intersperse them with your herbs, and perhaps a few marigolds for color.
Your herb garden, whether formal or informal, will be an investment of time, imagination and money that will repay you for years to come. Take the time to research and plan it and have fun with it.
Herb Garden Design
August 29, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Herb garden design should take into account how easy will it be to get to your herbs. If you plan to have a larger home herb garden, you might want to build a few small paths to reach all the herbs in your garden. Paths can also guide a user through a variety of fragrances produced by the herbs. A popular design resembles a cart-wheel with the wheel spokes translating into the garden paths. Gravel, brick or paving make good path material. Here the different herb types are grouped in rows.
The size and type of garden depends on personal interest, time, and space of the person planting the herb garden. If you are new to herb gardening, I recommend you start small. Some people like to mix their herbs with a mixture of flowers and vegetables plants. Your herb garden design should include a way for you to identify your herbs and a clear path to get to each herb.
Make sure that when you design your herb garden you put it in a place that gets plenty of direct sunlight. Herbs need about 4 to 6 hours of sunlight or more per day. You can have rosemary, chamomile, mint, basil lavender and oregano in your indoor herb garden. You can buy a set of new gardening pots for your indoor herb. Indoor herbs will grow in any kind of containers just make sure that the container has proper drainage.
Perennial herbs, however, will do better if you place them outdoors during the summer. Check for extremes in temperature since herbs don't take to them too well. Heat from the kitchen stove or radiator might shrivel and dry up your indoor herb garden. Ensure that the herbs get 6 - 8 hours of light every day. Keep on the lookout for insect infestation. You can rinse off any insects you see on your herbs. Avoid use of insecticides. Herbs can be used for cooking, tea and potpourri or just to enjoy their sharp fragrance.
Proper soil is an essential part of growing indoor herbs. Mix soil with sand and a small amount of lime to give your herbs the best soil condition possible. It would essential for its growth. And, before adding soil to your container, layer the bottom with gravel to make sure if it has suitable drainage.
Many herbs can be successfully grown in containers. Container-grown herbs can be designed to accommodate nearly any setting or need and are a great alternative to gardening in small areas. They can also be arranged into attractive groupings and changed around or moved as needed.
Herb garden designs are not too hard to maintain and can be done even by a beginner who would acquire the skills in the process. All level of skilled gardeners can try their hand in herb gardening and enjoy its simple yet effective results. There are different ways to design an herb garden. The best herb garden design is one that works for you.
Using Grow Lights for a Basic Herb Garden
August 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Many people find that their biggest challenge to have a successful indoor garden is their location. If you live in an area – or a building, for that matter, that doesn't receive an abundant amount of light, you may feel it is impossible to garden indoors successfully. Never fear, where there is a will, there is a way!
For growing herbs indoors, it seems that fluorescent lighting is probably the best bet. There are other types of lighting systems that include; high-intensity discharge and incandescent lighting. However, if you live in a small area and plan on a garden that is not too large, you will want to use grow lights that do not take up too much room but also do an excellent job in giving the seedlings a good start. One of the advantages of using fluorescent grow lights is that they release less heat making it a safer method. One important piece of information, initially, it is best to place your seedlings in a warm place. Most people choose to start their herb garden in a room that is usually warm. A laundry room is a good room to use. If you don’t have a laundry room, use the room of the house that receives the most sun. Even if you don’t receive direct sunlight in that particular room, if the sun beats down on a certain part of your house or apartment, that room should be the warmest room in your living spaced. When the seeds sprout you gradually increase the amount of light they get. This method works best; at least it has in my experience.
Fluorescent lighting is ideal for small gardening projects. The light given off from fluorescent bulbs can be as much as three times the intensity of incandescent lighting. It may take some trial and error on your part, to determine how to use grow lights to their best advantage. As with anything, having a good plan before you purchase them and exploring all the possibilities they offer is the best idea.
To find the appropriate grow lights for herb garden seedlings, you need to know that a successful basic herb garden, or any gardening project for that matter, should receive anywhere from around 1500 to 3000 lumens per square feet. If you start your garden indoors, you won’t have the advantage of the naturally high lumens put out directly by the sun.
Once you know how to use grow lights, the rest of the process is easy and lots of fun. Knowing the herbs you want to grow, planting the seeds, and preparing for an abundant supply of fresh herbs throughout the year is definitely rewarding.
Making a Herb Garden
August 25, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Your herb garden can be as large or as small as you choose to make it, or you have room for. If you live in a flat or apartment, then a few containers on your windowsill, or a window box will provide you with enough fresh herbs to add flavour to your cooking. The only essential is that you must have a sunny spot since many herbs originated in the warmth and sunshine of the Mediterranean.
We know that medieval monks created formal herb gardens, using the herbs for both culinary and medicinal purposes. These gardens would also have contained vegetables and fruit and probably developed into the potager - a vegetable plot that is attractive in appearance as well as useful.
The classic four-square design for a formal herb garden has developed from the gardens of large churches where the four beds originally represented the four rivers of paradise. If you decide to go for this relatively formal design, then be sure to plot it out on paper before you start digging and planting. Specialist computer programs are available, or else use graph paper to help you to square up the design as you implement it in your garden.
It's important that you keep in mind the available sunlight, and how your design will fit in with the rest of your garden. Don't forget that you'll want your herb garden to be near your house so that it's easy for you to step outside to pick a handful of herbs as you need them for cooking. You will also need to think about pathways for easy access to the beds.
Most herbs, again because of their Mediterranean origins, will need a well-drained soil. If your soil tends to be damp or water-logged, then consider making raised beds to solve this problem. These are a good idea in any case as it's easier to harvest your plants - less bending is involved! You could enclose such beds with brick, timber or, especially attractive in a country setting, wattle fencing. Then all you have to do is choose your favourite herbs.
You should gather your herbs for drying just before the flowers come out as this is when they will be at their most aromatic. Early in the morning, on a fine day, cut the perennials about a third way down the stem and annuals at ground level. Be sure to pick off any debris, including stray insects! Tie woody stems in loose bunches and hang up to dry and place short-stemmed herbs and leaves in single layers on a wire rack to allow air to circulate and prevent mould forming.
If you're in a hurry you can dry your herbs in the oven, but do be careful not to overheat them which will damage both their colour and flavour. Use your oven on the lowest heat, place the herbs on a baking sheet and leave for 2 - 4 hours with the oven door open.
When the herbs are dry, then store in airtight containers. If space isn't a problem, store them whole and crumble just before use to retain maximum flavour. Seeds should always be stored whole and ground when needed.
Raising the Echinacea Herb In Your Herb Garden For Use In Herbal Medicine
August 23, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
First, let's get the pronunciation right, it is pronounced eh-kin-AY-sha. The echinacea herb is very important to grow in your herb garden for use in herbal medicine. By adding the echinacea herb to your herb garden not only will you be able to use it in your herbal medicine regime but you also gain a beautiful flowering herb.
It is mostly found in the Northern Plains and has been used by Native Americans for its healing power in herbal medicine. The Indians used the mashed roots on everything from wounds to snakebites. It was used as a mouthwash to help with painful teeth and gums. They brewed Echinacea herbs as teas for colds and other maladies, like measles and arthritis. The Indians prized this herb for its value in herbal medicine. They thought that the echinacea herb was a blood purifier.
As herbal medicine, the echinacea herb is useful in all its parts. It is a daisy like flower with a rich purple hue. This herb will outshine any other flowers in your herb garden. Monarch Butterflies will flock to your herb garden when you have included the Echinacea herb. The best time to dig up the plant is in the fall but be aware that it takes three years for the herb to be useful in herbal medicine.
In the later part of the 1990's there were scads of studies that showed the usefulness of the echinacea herb for colds and flu. But there have also been studies that claim it as worthless. You will have to try it to see how it affects you.
The echinacea herb is a stimulant for the immune system. The herb boosts the ability of macrophages (infection fighting white blood cells) to fight off invading germs. When taking the echinacea herb as part of your herbal medicine regime, infections cased by viruses, bacteria and fungus will heal much faster than without it.
Typically the root is used in herbal medicine. If you eat the fresh root, you should get a numbing or tingling of the tongue. It will also increase the flow of saliva in your mouth. This is entirely normal and should cease in about 15 minutes. The echinacea herb is best used in its fresh state. So you see echinacea is important to add to your herb garden. When you plant echinacea in your herb garden you will be adding one more natural plant to use in your arsenal of herbal medicine.
With the echinacea herb the most commonly used in herbal medicine is the E. augustifolia. However, E. purpurea and E; pallida can be just as useful in herbal medicine if prepared correctly.
Another way to get the benefits from the echinacea herb is to make a tincture, (look for my article on How To Make Tinctures). In a glass of fruit juice add up to 30 drops in the juice and take it three times a day. Adjust the dosage if you become nauseas. And, as in all things in life, you can get "to much of a good thing". If you take the echinacea herb over too long a period of time, you will over stimulate your immune system. So, take a break when your symptoms start to dissipate.
There are some people that should not use echinacea in their herbal medicine routine. No one with auto-immune disease should take the herb since it could potentially aggravate that disease. And people with HIV should not take echinacea because by stimulating the immune system you may also stimulate the virus. It is most important to always check with your doctor before starting any herbal medicine regime.
Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.
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About the Author
Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.GardeningHerb.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com
Container Herb Gardens – A Great Way To Grow Herbs
August 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Herb gardens are so useful, versatile and easy to grow that they make an excellent addition to any home. Unfortunately not everyone has access to a spacious garden to grow their herbs in. This is where container herb gardens come in. They are great because you just need enough space for a few containers, and you can grow the most wonderful herb garden! What's more, if you ever decide to move house, you can simply take your container herb garden with you!
So where do you start? Well, the first thing you need to do is consider what sort of herbs you would like to plant. To help you decide this, you might want to think about what sort of dishes you like to cook or what you will be using your herbs for. To give you some ideas, the following is a list of commonly used herbs in the kitchen:
Rosemary - Very fragrant and flavoursome herb that goes well with meat dishes. Can also be used to flavour oils.
Basil - Great with tomatoes and often used in pasta dishes. Also commonly used in Thai dishes.
Mint - Very aromatic herb. The leaves of this plant can be dried and used to make refreshing mint tea.
Chives - Especially good sprinkled raw over salads and over roasted potatoes.
After deciding what herbs you would like to plant, you want to go and get the following supplies:
Container/s
Potting Mix / Soil
Seeds and/or herb seedlings
Spade
Watering can
Fertilizer
If you are just starting out, you might want to use herb seedlings as they require less work than growing your herbs from seeds.
Once you have gathered all your supplies together, it's time to start creating your container herb garden!
Fill your container with soil and add a little fertilizer to prime the soil and enhance the growing environment. (Note: If you have purchased liquid fertilizer then you can just add it to the watering water later on.). The amount of soil you put in depends on whether you use seeds or seedling to plant your herb garden. In general, if you are using seeds, fill your container to about 1 inch from the rim so that you will have room to cover your seeds with a little additional soil.
Always check the instructions on the seed packet as they will usually give you more detail on how best to plant your seeds. If you are using seedlings on the other hand, you want to cover the base of your container with only a few inches of soil so that you can fit the seedlings in. When you have arranged all your seedlings in the container you can fill the spaces around them with more soil.
As with seeds, you also want to follow the instructions that accompany your seedlings. If your seedlings to do come supplies with instructions, you can try looking up the information on the internet. These instructions are important for telling you the best growing conditions for your herbs. You might need to move your containers around to give them access to sufficient sunlight to help them grow.
Finally when you are done, give your containers a good water! And of course do not forget to water your herb garden over the coming days.
Follow these step and it shouldn't be long before you have beautiful and bountiful container herb gardens just brimming with delicious fresh herbs!
