A Guide To A Beginner's Herb Garden

By: Rachel Ray

Herbs have been around for a very long time and served different kinds of purposes. They have been used to treat sickness and season cooking as well as being used in many craft projects. Interested in starting your own herb garden? Here are a few ideas on how to begin an herb garden.

Make your garden plan. Think about the type of herbs you want to plant. Consider the kinds available. Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials? What are the purpose of the herbs that you are interested in?

How much space will they occupy when they are full grown? You can purchase a book or go to the library that can give you the right information on what specific plant's requirements for each variety. You can also check out a gardening book or catalog or the nursery you purchase plants from to give you that information. You'll want to look at sunlight needs as well.

List or draw your garden on paper first. Consider planting the annuals separate from the perennials so when at the end of the season you can pull up the annuals, you won't disturb the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the outer edges of your garden so when it is time to till your garden they won't be in danger of getting dug up. They can also be placed in an area dedicated for just the perennials (which means they come up every year on their own).

Some tips would be to consider planting the taller plants towards the back of the garden and the shorter ones in front. Give your plants plenty of space to grow and mature to avoid overcrowding. Be sure to consider their sunlight requirements as well when choosing which to position to plant each plant.

If you would not put your herbs in your garden you could grow them in container pots. These are large pots with three or more outlets. Fill the container to the first outlet and plant it before filling the second outlet, and continue that process until finished. It's preferable that the herb that requires the most water is planted in the bottom outlet, while the variety that needs the least, goes in the top one. Use a good quality potting soil and ensure that it has proper drainage.

You can consider having a square herb bed. You can have your square bed divided into sections. You can edge it with stones or bricks for a beautiful look . A wooden ladder may also do the trick. You can lay it down on your garden and plant your herbs between its rungs. You can also choose to have a wagon wheel bed. Planting here is like planting with the wooden ladders. Plant your herbs in between the wagon wheel's wedges.

Different plants have various requirements, but many of them need alkaline soil. This is the reason why it's important to discover your plants needs before you begin the planting process. If you germinate your herbs from seeds on your own, remember to follow the directions on the packet for soil, watering and temperature and when it's safe to plant them in the spring.

Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. You just have to provide them with an effective drainage, sunlight, enough humidity or moisture and fertile soil. Even with just minimally meeting these requirements they will be bound produce a good harvest.

You'll also want to consider what you plan to do with the harvest. Will you cook them fresh? Freeze or preserve them in some other way? You'll discover that you have some favorites each year and which ones didn't perform as you would have hoped.

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By Rachel Ray an avid gardener who loves being out there in the fresh air. Visit her site for resources dedicated to assisting home and work life be more comfortable .

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