Herb Gardening Anyone Can Do At Home

Think you don?t have time to grow and maintain a garden, think again. Try herb gardening. It might not be as beautiful as a flower garden or offer up as big of a harvest as a vegetable garden, but an herb garden can add so much to your home.

First you have to decide what herbs you?ll plant in your garden. The choices are huge so it can sometimes seem difficult to choose. The best way to choose what?s right for you is to look at your current cooking herbs. By growing your own herbs, you save money on your grocery bill and you have the luxury of fresh herbs whenever you choose. Try growing some of my favorites, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Dill and Parsley. There are so many to choose from.

One of the tricks to growing a healthy herb garden is to have good draining soil. If the soil gets too wet and stays that way for extended periods you will be dealing with unhealthy plants. If your garden is in the ground you can use crushed rock about a foot down into the soil under your garden bed, then just cover with the top soil, this will allow the moisture to drain down.

Once you?ve decided what plants you want to grow you need to decide if you will buy seeds or seedlings. Herbs are relatively easy to grow from seeds and it?s a less expensive way to garden. Some herb species are fast growing. A good example of this is the Mint plant. It can grow dangerously fast if planted in an open area. It will soon take over all the land it can. You can avoid this by planting fast growing herbs such as Mint in containers. Once your herbs have started growing it is tempting to pull some leaves, but it can be fatal to the plant if you take off too much or do it too soon. In fact it isn?t healthy for your plants at all if they are not yet well established. This can take several months of growing time. However, the wait is worth it, as your plant will be healthier and produce fragrant herbs for years.

Once your herbs have been harvested they need to be dried out in order to be usable for cooking. You can accomplish this by baking them on a sheet at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 4 hours. Once that process is complete, consult your favorite cookbook on how to use your own home grown herbs in your cooking.

Dried herbs can be stored in plastic or glass containers. Do not use porous containers such as paper or cardboard as they will absorb the flavor out of your leaves. Be sure to regularly check the containers during the first few days to make sure no moisture has accumulated. If that happens, simply remove them and repeat the drying process. If you don’t take this step, mildew can grow in your herbs and you don?t want anyone to get sick from your cooking.

So if you enjoy gardening or even if you love to cook, consider growing your own herb garden. It requires a little work in the beginning, but with optimal growing conditions you will have fresh grown herbs for years to come to enjoy. Share them with your friends too, they make a great gift.