Six Vital Tips to Use for Your Herb Garden

July 14th, 2012 Garden

People out there who don’t necessarily have the greenest of thumbs still want to garden, they just don’t want to go for anything that’s overly difficult. Well, this is when an herb garden can really pay off in a big way. It doesn’t take a lot of time, money or space to create an herb garden, and you definitely don’t have to be a gardening professional to pull it off.

The spot you select for your herb garden is very important. Whether you’re choosing an inside or an outside location, you want to pick a spot that gets plenty of sun, that’s sheltered from harsh weather, and is where pests and animals can’t tear things up if you’re not around keeping a close eye on everything.

The types of herbs you plant are what makes the herb garden special. There’s a lot more out there to choose from than rosemary and basil. Get creative and seek out some inspiration. The vast majority of herbs are easy to grow, and some even have medicinal qualities. Select which types of herb plants you want to grow and prepare accordingly from there.

Think about your fertilizer and your compost before you get busy planting. Do you want to go all organic? Do you think you’re going to need any type of specialty fertilizer for your plants? These are questions you want to answer beforehand to ensure that you have everything on hand when the time comes. It’s just more convenient to take care of these things preemptively.

Now, depending on where your herb garden is located, you may or may not have a lot of pests to worry about. But regardless of where your plants are, something’s going to eventually try to eat them. Herbs definitely attract bugs. Look into all-natural organic solutions in order to keep those crawlers away from your treasures.

You shouldn’t go nuts when it’s time to harvest. You probably do want a big yield, but if you strip the plants bare they’re not going to produce any more herbs. The idea here is to simply harvest the leaves themselves (or a few stems depending on the type of plant), and you want to leave everything else intact so that it will continue to grow for the next bloom. You can harvest it year-round if you’re doing it correctly.

Where you choose to store the harvested herbs also matters a great deal. You can’t just keep the fresh leaves in plastic bags and expect them to last. If you want to use them fresh, think about using them in a few days or freezing the rest. The best way to go here if you harvest a lot at one time is to try them out. Invest in a food dehydrator or learn some drying methods so that you can have fresh herbs any time you want them.

An herb garden is going to help you spice up any dish you cook. You can even head over to a local flea market and make a few bucks by selling fresh herbs to people. The important thing, though, is that you’re proud of your own results. Follow the advice you’ve read here and grow the best garden you can.