How To Plant An Herb Garden

Learning how to plant an herb garden is easier than you might think. If you have a little bit of time, an herb garden can be started in as little as a day. It won’t be long until you’re enjoying fresh herbs from your garden.

The first step to planting your home herb garden is finding an area. Those with an existing garden may have room to simply add the herbs. Starting a small separate garden close to the house is another option. People in cities or those that prefer staying indoors can still have an herb garden, but will be limited by which herbs can be planted in pots and how much space they have for the pots. Keep in mind the amount of sunlight in the area you’re placing your herb garden. Some herbs can grow in partial shade while others prefer full sunlight.

A herb plant

Choosing your plants is the next step. There is a wide variety of herbs available for your garden. You want to look for ones that do well with your soil type and the amount of sunlight available. Some herbs will grow just about anywhere, while others prefer specific types of soil and light. If you plan to grow your herb garden in pots, you need to consider which herbs are small or grow well when contained.

Prepare your space. You want to be sure that weeds and any other impediments to growth are removed. If one of your chosen herbs is a climber, you will want to put up a trellis. Some plants may require fertilized soil. For herbs that have a tendency to spread, you may want to consider putting up edging that extends several inches below the soil surface to prevent the plant from taking over your garden. Another option is to set aside a separate area for spreaders.

You will also want to prepare your plants. If growing from seeds, check to see if it needs to be started indoors and can be sown directly into the soil. When starting an herb plant from cuttings, you may find it necessary to dip it into rooting hormone and start indoors.

Now you can plant your herb garden. When planting, keep spacing in mind. It’s easy to forget spacing when dealing with seeds, but some seeds end up as large bushes. If you fail to leave adequate space between plants, you may find that they overrun each other. Stronger plants may deprive weaker ones of needed nutrients, moisture, and sunlight, leading to feeble growth.

After your herbs have had a little time to start growing, you may need to go back and thin shoots to prevent overcrowding. You may want to consider adding mulch after plants begin to grow. Much will help protect tender roots and help retain moisture in soil.

Now you know how to plant an herb garden. Before you know it, you will have fresh herbs for use in cooking, teas, and natural medicine. Click here for more information on how to grow virtually any herb and how to ensure your herb gardening success.

Conserving Water