Starting A Herb Garden

A herb garden doesn’t have to be big so you don’t need much space to grow one. You can even start a potted herb garden on your windowsill! This way you’ll have the aroma of fresh herbs right inside your kitchen or on your patio.

When growing herbs, location is key. Some like it sunny and dry, while others prefer filtered sunlight and moist soil. Regardless make sure to use well drained fertile soil. Most herbs will survive in poor sandy soil, but few will tolerate wet clay soil. If your yard is all sun, try planting shade-loving plants east of taller varieties like sunflowers. The tall plants will generate shade for the smaller ones.

Basil, Chives, Dill, Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, and Thyme prefer full sun. The following plants prefer partial shade in your herb garden: Chervil, Lemon Balm, and Mint prefer shade

Planting Tips

Basil, chives, lemongrass, parsley, Dill, MARJORAM, Sage, and thyme are best started from seed while mint, rosemary, and tarragon are easily propagated from cuttings or bought as plants

Your herb garden doesn’t have to contain several plants of each variety. Start by planting only the herbs you know you will definitely use in your daily cooking. Prepare the ground well in advance, remove weeds (they compete for nutrition), fork in organic matter, such as compost, and rake the soil so that the bed is level. You don’t need to add large amounts of manure or fertilizer because that produces soft growth.

Before transplanting herbs out of their "nursery" pots into the ground, water the pots well because a dry root ball is difficult to wet thoroughly once it is in the ground.  Because "nursery" pots are small, herbs tend to become root bound. To encourage new root growth gently loosen the root ball before planting in the ground. Pinch out the tips of shrubby herbs, like thyme, to encourage bushy growth. Add some bone meal or fish meal at the bottom of each planting hole.