Start Herb Garden Enjoyment!

Herbs are a tremendous gift to mankind. They can make food taste better, they can produce delightful aromas and they can create attractive visual displays with their beautiful blooms and foliage.  In addition, they can add their beautiful colors to other items with dyes produced from their oils.  Last but not least, they are mother nature’s medicine cabinet supplier with the many herbs that contain curative properties.  You can start herb garden enjoyment by joining the popular new trend of growing your own herbs.

One of the many attractive things about growing herbs is that they are low maintenance , meaning they’re easy to grow!  Unlike vegetable or fruit plants that require much TLC, herb plants are the original “set them and forget them” members of the plant world.  As long as they are planted in the correct soil conditions and get plenty of sunlight you can just about forget them until its time to harvest and enjoy their benefits.  In addition to their low maintenance requirements they are so productive it is not necessary to have a garden the size of the “south forty” to produce plenty of herbs for the home use.

Starting a herb garden is easy. Step one is to select a suitable location. The first two factors to consider when selecting the location of the proposed herb garden is soil type and sunlight.  Herb plants do not like wet feet.  If they are planted in soils that do not drain well the plants will not do well and probably die.  If the proposed site doesn’t drain correctly, don’t despair.  That situation can be easily corrected by removing eighteen inches of soil in the garden area and laying down a three inch layer of any stone material similar in consistency to septic tank gravel.  Then mix a little sand in the soil you removed and replace it over the gravel bed.  This will allow the water to adequately seep out of the area of soil where the roots are located.

The second important consideration in locating a herb garden is the amount of sunlight the area receives.  Herb plants need sunlight as much as they do dry feet.  The goal is to locate the plants so they receive twelve hours per day of sunlight.  This may not always be possible so it is recommended to make sure the garden spot is located so the it will receive the maximum available sunlight.  The more sunlight the better.  Now the garden is ready to go.  It needs only a smoothing of the surface and a little dampening and it is ready to receive plants.

The next decision tree question is what herbs are to be planted in the new herb garden.  It is recommended for the new gardener to start with a few of the most popular plants like rosemary, sage or basil.  After a little practice and confidence in growing herbs a gardener can move on to some of the more interesting culinary, ornamental, aromatic or medicinal varieties. Be prepared for an enjoyable experience that can lead to a lifetime of happy herb gardening.