Bring in spring and summer by growing fresh herbs at home.
There are few things more satisfying than being able to cook with ingredients that you’ve grown yourself! And one of the simplest ways to accomplish this is by learning how to grow an herb garden. Many herbs are relatively easy to grow and can add bold, exciting flavors to your recipes.
Here’s how to grow an herb garden in seven steps:
- Choose your favorite herbs
- Decide on the type of garden
- Consider sun exposure
- Get good-quality soil
- Buy starter plants if you can
- Give them enough space
- Water and harvest them frequently
Keep reading to learn more about these steps to growing an herb garden.
Choose your favorite herbs
One of the most fun steps is brainstorming all the delicious flavors you could have at your fingertips! If you often buy herbs at the grocery store, start with those, since you know you like to use them in your cooking. Or, if you keep certain dried herbs in your spice rack, you can get fresh varieties of those for an upgrade. Popular herbs to grow include basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, and chives.
Decide on the type of garden
Another wonderful thing about herbs is their flexibility. You can grow them outdoors in the yard, in a pot or window box on the porch, or even inside on your kitchen windowsill if you have space. Think about where it would be convenient for you to access a handful of herbs while you’re cooking.
Consider sun exposure
Speaking of location, the main factor you need to consider when placing your herb garden is sunlight. Most herbs want at least six hours of sun a day. Before you plant, consider spending a day monitoring your potential location ideas and recording how much sun the area is receiving. If growing herbs indoors, you can even choose placement based on the direction your windows face, keeping in mind that south-facing windows are best.
Get good-quality soil
Herbs will thrive best in a good-quality potting soil, which is less dense than regular garden soil. You can boost soil nutrients by adding compost or fertilizer, as necessary.
Buy starter plants if you can
While you certainly can plant herbs from seed, it’s faster and often easier to buy young plants from a garden store or order plants online. Since seedlings have already done some growing, they’ll be ready for successful transplanting. If you think you’d enjoy nurturing a plant from seed instead, it can be a slightly cheaper option.
Give them enough space
Although windowsill plants are often known for being quite small, herbs don’t like to be too confined. If you’re planting in containers, start with pots at least 8 inches in diameter per plant, with holes at the bottom for drainage. If you’re planting outside, space them 18 inches apart.
Water and harvest them frequently
Once your herbs are planted and growing, you’ll soon be able to start enjoying them! To care for your herbs:
- Water enough to keep the soil moist (but well-drained)
- Rotate them on occasion, so each side has a turn with the sun
- Do regular trimming and harvesting so that the plants don’t outgrow their space or start bolting.
These steps will encourage new growth, so you always have fresh leaves when you want them.
Are you dreaming about the delicious recipes you can cook with your fresh-grown herbs? Call up a gardening friend to talk shop! A CapTel captioned telephone makes phone calls easy with hearing loss.
These tips on how to plant an herb garden will help you create delicious and nutritious recipes at home. For even more ways to use your herbs, check out this article. For more healthy living articles, head to our blog.
