Herb Gardening For Beginners
Growing your own herbs is a great way to add freshness and color to your home, as well as have easy access to homegrown ingredients. Believe it or not, it’s even easier than growing the average house plant. It can be a great way to add some healthy and fresh flavors to your meals and drinks, as well as bring new life to your garden or kitchen window sills. Whether you have a full backyard or just a small balcony space, growing herbs can be adapted to fit any lifestyle.
The Basics of Herb Gardening
There are four basic steps to be taken when growing your own herbs: placing the herbs in the right spot in your backyard or home, planting them properly, watering the herbs, and harvesting them regularly.
The ideal amount of sunlight for the average herb to grow is anywhere between four to six hours of sunlight. This is plenty for herbs like cilantro, parsley and mint to grow healthily. Planting your herbs in an area where they will receive plenty of sun is optimal for healthy and successful growth. Filtered sunlight, such as beneath a tree that still allows light to pass through, can also be strategic as afternoon shade can be beneficial to the plants to avoid dehydration.
Next, you will want to ensure you plant them with enough space and the proper soil so they have the appropriate room and enough nutrients for growth. If you have enough space to plant the herbs into the ground, giving them between one to four feet in diameter of space, depending on the plant, would be ideal to provide enough space for growth and to avoid competition for nutrients. Herb growing in containers, especially if the ground space is not accessible, is also very possible. You will want to make sure that the containers are still large enough for the herbs to be planted in, about eight to eighteen inches in diameter. If you intend on potting multiple herbs together, make sure they have the same watering requirements before planting them in the same container.
You do not want to overwater your herbs. Over watering can cause your plants to get diseases or live in unhealthy growing conditions, reducing the growth of your plants. Most herbs do best when they are watered just as the soil located a couple inches below the surface is dry to the touch. Checking the soil often to make sure you are accommodating the watering needs of your herbs is important as the necessary frequency of watering these herbs can vary based on temperatures, humidity and general weather.
How to Plant Your Herbs
Planting your herbs require similar processes, whether they are going in the ground or being planted in a container. Both require a decent amount of space per plant, as well as soil. However, there are some mild differences in action that you want to take so that your herbs can grow in a healthy way, no matter their designated space.
Herbs being planted into the ground require one to four feet in diameter of space. Some specific guidelines include three to four feet for rosemary, sage, mint, oregano and marjoram, two feet for basil, thyme, tarragon and savory, and one foot for cilantro, chives, dill and parsley.
When digging the holes to plant your herbs, be sure to use a large garden fork, as opposed to a chovel, to loosen the packed soil in the ground so that water can drain through the soil and the plants’ roots are given space to grow. Adding about an inch of compost to the top of the soil, and mixing them together before planting your herbs also helps to prevent drainage problems and adds fertilizer to your garden.
When planting herbs in a container, space is also important however the containers can be shared among plants requiring similar amounts of sunlight and water. You want to be sure to designate about eight inches in diameter to each plant. Fill the container with good soil and fertilizer according to the relevant directions for each specific herb. After digging holes for each plant, place them in their designated holes and cover with soil. Water the areas immediately after planting the herbs. After watering them after the initial planting, do not water your plants again until the soil a few inches from the top is dry so as to ensure they are not overwatered, and continue to use this as your rule of thumb for continued care of your new herbs.
Harvesting Your New Herbs
Once your new herbs have begun growing, and it seems time to harvest, do so by cutting off about one-third of branches when the plant reaches about six to eight inches. When harvesting your herbs, be sure to cut close to the leaf intersection. This will help them to regrow quickly.
Also take into consideration the specific growth patterns of the herbs you are growing and harvesting. This will help you trim accordingly, and make sure your herbs remain healthy. Observe your plants throughout the process, taking in any growth patterns you see are harmful or helpful, and that you may have some control over when harvesting, watering or placing your plants.
Why Should I Grow My Own Herbs?
Picking the right plants for you can bring you a lot of benefits that take into consideration both your health and overall quality of life. If you are looking to grow herbs for crafts or decor, growing plants like lavender may be most beneficial to you. Not only does fresh lavender then help you expand your creativity and make your living space more inviting and homie, but it has also been shown to have calming qualities, improve sleep, and help asthma among other benefits.
If you enjoy cooking and are hoping to use your new and fresh herbs for some tasty recipes, you may also be optimizing on the health benefits many herbs carry. Herbs like peppermint and oregano can help soothe your colon and fight inflammation. Fresh peppermint can make an easy and quick tea to help ease pain-sensing fibres, while oregano can be added to dinner recipes to inhibit the signaling of inflammation, preventing the irritation to even occur.
Thyme is also a useful herb that is filled with antioxidants, vitamin A and C, dietary fiber, and iron. Other herbs have been shown to have cancer fighting benefits, and to improve brain function. Having access to fresh and homegrown herbs can only build on these natural benefits with easy and consistent access, not to mention fresh flavors straight from the garden.
Growing your own herbs require some T.L.C.. However, aside from some caring attention, they aren’t too difficult to grow. They bring a lot of benefits to your space and your lifestyle. And, well, a lot of flavor, too. If you are considering starting your own herb garden, decide what herbs you want to see more of in your life, and then you can start building from there.
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