Herb Gardening
What do you need for basic herb gardening?
Full sun The flavour of herbs is in the essential oils produced by the plant. These oils are fully developed in the full hot sun. Some herbs will survive in part shade and will indeed grow (I think mint will grow in a closet) but they will not have the flavour of their sun-baked cousins.
Moderate feeding Again, herbs produce more concentrated oils when they are not lush and growing quickly. The oils become more concentrated (and the leaves more flavourful) when the plants are not growing under the influence of fertilizers. Generally, a shovel of compost is lots of food for any culinary herb in a single season.
Moderate water You don’t want to let the leaves wilt but again, too much water produces a lush plant. Herbs such as thyme that thrive in dry areas will have less flavour if they are well-watered.
Soil I grow my herbs in the roughest of ground. They do not get the rich vegetable soils as they would become too lush. But in containers, I use an artificial soil mix (the same one I use for vegetables, flowers and bulbs) to grow my herbs. I simply don’t feed them when I feed the flowers. And yes, you can grow any culinary herb in a container.
Practical Herb Growing Tips
Herb garden markers are going to be very useful to you both in seeding and in planting.
Kitchen herb gardening
Starting your own herb garden seed is easy if you follow these simple directions.
Indoor herb gardening I also grow some of my herbs indoors and here's my advice on what to try and what to toss away.
Herb Growing Descriptions
Basil is the one herb in the garden I would not be without. This herb can be easily grown in the ground or containers, it is essential in tomato sandwiches and is fantastic in salads. It even looks good as this article points out. Herb gardening would not be the same without basil.
Dill is one of those plants that is ornamental as well as functional and it so simple to grow that if you use dill at all, you really should grow your own.
Garlic growing is very simple. Did you garlic is considered a herb gardening aphrodisiac? Read about it!
Mint is a bit of a garden thug in that it expands exponentially across your garden world. Seemingly innocent in its first two years, by the end of year three it will have colonized your entire front yard and will be scouting your neighbour’s. But what would herb gardening be without hot herbal tea made from mint and apple juice? Not much in my opinion and that’s why it is included here.
Parsley is one of the herbs you can’t be without. While it really isn’t a major cooking herb, it is oh so necessary for summer salads and garnishes. It fits perfectly into my container herb gardening programme and doesn’t take much space at all. Give it a bright sunny spot and it is happy.
Herb Gardening Questions
Got an Herb Growing Problem?
If you have an herb growing question (and isn't answered in an article listed on the herb gardening growing page, then feel free to ask it here.
If you have a picture of the problem or situation, feel free to upload it here as well (keep the pic under 100K please for faster uploading)
See what other gardeners have asked
Click below to see what other gardeners have asked about herb growing
red leaf flat leaf parsley I am trying to grow flat leaf parsley in a container from seed on my kitchen counter. I live in a 2nd floor apt with no easy access to the outside, I ...
why is my basil so sparse? I bought basil from 2 different nurseries, nice sized plants, they were starting to grow lush. When I planted them in containers they started to wilt and ...
lavander seed
why do i not get lavender seeds to germinate
Doug says he doesn't know what you're doing. :-) But they're a slow germinator that demands good soil ...
