GrowGirl

Herb gardening is a very satisfactory pastime and can also promote better health for you and your family. You not only have a form of exercise and relaxation but you also manage to provide yourself with a healthy herbal alternative to unhealthy food and health remedies. You also have the satisfaction of knowing that the herbs you have are all home grown and organic.
Herbs are commonly used as health remedies and food additives to make food taste or smell better. Herbs are sometimes the leaves, flowers, stems, roots, bark and any other parts of the herbal plant that may be used. Herb gardening is a great way to start your past time as a gardener.

Tips For Herb Gardening
Having your very own compost heap or bin is a good way to start your herb gardening. Biodegradable dirt and other carbon based matter which can be used in the compost bin are usually added to several layers or soil. In a few weeks time, you will have yourself a nutrient rich compost pile which you can use during herb gardening. Herbs and the people who will use them will benefit greatly from organic compost and other organic ways to grow them.

Knowing which plants are great companion plants for your garden can also help your herb gardening experience and yield. Some plants get along well with each other while others do not. Some herbs and plants even grow better with specific companion plants beside them. It is better to first find out which plants go well with the herbs that you have chosen.

You can use containers to hold your herbs if you have limited space. Herb gardening need not be concentrated on wide open spaces and can be effectively done using pots and plant boxes within the house.

It is also a good idea to test the pH of your soil before you start herb gardening. You might need to add a little something to your soil to balance it out or you might really need to get a new kind of soil if you find out that the spoil you currently have is not suitable for planting herbs.

Setting Up Your Garden
If you have enough space to make a garden plot for herb gardening, you would be wise to start planning where the herbs you wish to grow would go. Some plants prefer direct sunlight and more water than others while others prefer sandy soil, etc. Consider the conditions of the area you want to do your herb gardening before starting.


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Saturn

This last summer was the first time I have ever grown my own herbs. It was so nice to be able to go outside and pick fresh herbs for supper every night. Plus it was supper easy! I am definitely trying some indoor this year.

lulugardens

I've really loved growing my own herbs also. It's great to just go outside and pick what you need for any given dish instead of adding it to a shopping list. Makes cooking more fun and less of a chore!

This year I'm putting together little herb gardens for some friends and my kid's preschool teachers as holiday gifts. Just buy a pot and a few herbs and plant them together. It's pretty, compact (for those without space to grow outside) and really useful. And it only costs about $20 per gift!

smgardener

It's amazing -- we grew fresh basil the past few years and basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow. It just needs lots of water. We had fresh pesto whenever we wanted -- and pesto takes lots of basil!

(from elise.com)

janke

Right on!
I just discovered it too this summer.
delicious isnot it?!

wolfherbs

if anyone has questions about herbs, I use to have a huge garden in Michigan, just herbs. I now live in Indiana and cannot have a garden, but plan to do container gardening with herbs this Spring and Summer. I grew everything from basil to germander. I loved going out in the mornings with the dew still on the plants and all the wonderful smells.

smgardener

Found a great herb reference web site on the West Virginia University Agriculture Dept. page.

pursuebliss

Thanks for the herb reference web site ~ it's a keeper! I plan to start a herb garden.

lspichkin

There's a nice herb garden photo that lulugardens just put up on the gallery last week.