Home Herb Garden
If you’re like me, I had no idea where or how to start my home herb garden. I stood in front of a table full of herbs at a local nursery wondering where to begin. All the choices were overwhelming! I didn’t know where to start or what I needed to do first. I didn’t even know where or how to grow herbs. I just knew I wanted them.
You can start from seeds, but on your first time out, I’d recommend just buying your plants. It isn’t the cheapest option, but it will give you a head start and make growing the herbs easier.
Before you head for the store, you’ll need to do a few things:
• Evaluate your space to see where you’ll plant the herbs. You’ll need to know the quality of sunlight, the type of soil the herb needs and how close the herb will be to the watering source. I made a huge mistake by planting a fragile little pair of hens-and-chickens (succulents that like very well drained soil) right beside the downspout. They were constantly flooded and because they bloated fast, they eventually died.
• Draw a plan out on paper of where you’ll place your herbs (especially if you’re planting them in the ground). If you’re using containers, set the containers out where they’ll eventually end up so that you can visualize it and see how the light will work with your containers. This should eliminate most of the sun/shade issues.
• Notice the amount of space that you have for your herbs. I am notorious for buying more plants that I have space for. I end up shoehorning them into a space too small. Keep in mind that they will grow bigger! This will reduce the amount of transplanting you’ll need to do later, and also the need for additional trips to the store for more plants to fill up the gaps that may be left if you didn’t get enough plants.
Here are a few of my favorites for newbie herb gardeners:
• Garlic: It’s not just for vampires! Eating garlic can help you reduce your high blood pressure. For you diabetics, it can also lower blood sugar. It can help clear up fungal infections. A clove or two of garlic a day can also boost your immune system, which can ward off the common cold as well as the flu.
• Rosemary: Because starting with seeds can take forever, I would suggest you buy your first rosemary plant. This particular herb likes full sun in a very well drained soil—I recommend adding sand your potting soil. Once you get it going, your rosemary plant will last for years. My sister-in-law has one that’s more than 6 feet tall.
• Morning Glory: If you have a trellis or even a pole or rod, these beautiful blooming herbs will grad hold and shoot straight up. They’ll bloom all summer long and always in the morning. You late risers might miss them. If you get the potato variety, you’ll end up with edible tubers before you know it. These are annuals and do not winter, but keep the seeds and use them next year.
• Madagascar Periwinkle: I buy this variety of periwinkle each year to grow by my garden gate, where the hot, pounding sun and dry ground make most anything green impossible. This happy little plant will grow where others won’t, accepting full sun and near drought conditions. It comes in beautiful colors (I prefer the pink and purple varieties) and the leaves are crisp green. You can use these in bouquets and press the flowers for use on your homemade cards and stationary. I’ve got a few blooms that I glued into some homemade paper hanging in a frame on the wall.
Here’s a word to the wise: don’t depend on the tags that are on the plants at the nursery or store. You really can’t rely on them because they often end up in the wrong plant or go missing. Make a list of what you need before you go and have a good idea of what the plant will look like so you can easily find it (and also so that you will know which ones are healthy).
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
