An Herb Garden

Herb gardening is a great way to get in touch with your green thumb while also not committing to a full blow garden—plus at the end of it all you have a variety of fresh herbs which come in handy for summer cooking. Another added bonus is herbs can be grown whether you live in a home or apartment making them great for growing if you live in a city. It may seem a little intimidating at first but armed with the knowledge of what beginners mistakes to avoid your herbs are sure to flourish wherever you grow them.

To begin with, you will want to make sure that you grow your herbs from seedlings and not seeds. It is the perfect time of year to grab a couple of these from your local grocery store to begin your herb garden. Trying to grow with seeds is much more difficult to accomplish and you don’t want to get down on yourself before you even start.

Next comes the question of how much to water your herbs—if you have houseplants you might be under the impression that once or twice a week is enough for your herbs. Instead of giving your herbs their water all at once for the week they actually need to have a moderate amount every day. A great starter plant is basil because it is resilient and so if you see it beginning to wilt simply add water and it will quickly recover. Once you have the right amount and frequency figured out you can begin with other herbs.

Finally, you will want to make sure that you are pruning your herbs regularly. This upkeep will ensure that your plants continue to grow. Be on the lookout for flowering and if you see this remove the flowers because this means the plant is now expending energy on producing these rather than growing leaves. When taking leaves to use be sure to leave the largest skirt of leaves at the base of the plant. These leaves will produce the majority of the plant’s energy and fuel growth.

Hopefully with these few tips you feel confident enough to get started with your own herb garden. Once your herbs get to the point that you can begin cooking with them you are sure to never go back!