Herb gardening basics
Are you interested in growing herbs in your garden? Herb gardening is a really fun pastime and it can happen all year long! You can either grow an herb garden outdoors in your yard, or you can grow an herb garden indoors. If you are interested in growing herbs, there are a couple of things that you need to know. Here is a run down of herb gardening basics:
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- Herbs do not grown well in wet soil: If you want to grow herbs, you will need to grow them in soil that drains very, very well. Herbs will not grow well in wet soil. If you have an outdoor garden, this means that you will want to make sure that the soil is only about 15 to 18 inches deep. This will ensure that the soil will drain well and dry in the sunlight. If you have an indoor herb garden, you should also not drench your herb roots when you water them. Instead, you can mist or spray your herbs to keep them moist, but not drenched. In addition, you also could put herbs on a tray of moistened pebbles. Just make sure that you do not drench those herb roots!
- Herbs can also be used to add color to a garden: If you also want to decorate your garden with color in addition to herbs, there are specific herbs that you can pick that have color. For example, you can put colorful purple basil in your garden to add a great splash of color. It is a good idea to place the colorful herbs along the border of your garden, and then place the less colorful herbs in the middle of the garden.
- Separate your herbs in the garden: You will want to separate your herbs a little bit in your garden by about 12 to 18 inch plots. This will help the herbs to have enough space to grow. In addition, however, separating the herbs will also help you to be able to tell them apart later! It is a good idea to also make a map of your herb garden, so that you can remember where the different varieties of herbs are located in your garden. This way, you will be able to know exactly where the herbs you want to use are and you won't have trouble telling them apart!
- Place the herbs in a sunny location: Whether you have an herb garden that is located indoors or outdoors, you will want to make sure that you place your garden in a sunny location. If you have an indoor herb garden, you should place your herbs near a south facing or west facing window. If you want to grow herbs year round indoors, you can use a fluorescent "grow lamp" to give your herbs the light that they need.
- Mint spreads quickly: Many people who have herb gardens like to include mint in their garden, because mint is such a popular herb in cooking. However, if you do include mint in your garden, you need to be aware that it spreads really quickly. One of the ways that you can stop mint from spreading to other areas of your garden is to place the mint herbs in a planter box. In addition, you could also try a pot or cement block to confine the mint to a certain area.
