Proven Techniques for Your Herb Gardening

By Antoine D Olivero

Herb gardens are very common these days because they are so easily grown. There is a myriad of herbs to pick depending on the use you need it for; possibly for cooking purposes, aroma therapy or its healing powers. The herbs you will grow will likely depend on not just the use you intend for them, but also the weather in your area. Below, you will discover some suggestions that could be useful for getting your herb garden off to a good start.

If you don't have a lot of space, or if you want the simplest type of garden to maintain, a container herb garden is probably your best choice. There are many advantages to container gardening. It's convenient if you have to move your plants around in case the weather changes. It's much easier to control pests when you plant in containers. You can also keep your plants separated so they don't interfere with each other. You can choose any type of container you want, whether it's a traditional pot used for planting or something you've redesigned for this purpose. Containers can be made from almost any material, such as plastic, wood or ceramic. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that if you plan to move your containers around, it's best not to choose a very heavy material.

In recent years, many gardeners have discovered hydroponic herb gardening. You don't need any soil to grow a hydroponic herb garden. The types of maintenance you have to deal with when you have a "normal" garden, such as weeds and pests, aren't an issue with a hydroponic garden. A nice bonus with hydroponic gardening, since it is inside your home, is the fact that it doesn't matter what the weather is doing outside. Higher power consumption is one of the main drawbacks when using hydroponic gardening. Ultra violet lights are necessary for hydroponic gardening, and this can cause your power bill to be more than you're used to. Nonetheless, hydroponic gardening is the method of choice for a lot of people due to the convenience. You may want to learn more about hydroponic gardening to see if it interests you.

When it comes to pests, very few gardeners are immune from having to tackle this problem It might be hard to decide which kind of pests are the most irritating. Those that want your herbs for lunch, or the insects, like aphids, that attack the plants themselves. A good method to help protect your herbs is by planting a few of the herbs that are abhorrent to insects. Thyme is great for repelling cabbage root fly, carrot fly, and the bean beetle. Don't forget to plant some lavender. It will help protect your other herbs from moths and smells wonderful. Insects will be less of a problem if you include these natural insect repellent herbs in your garden. You can find many more if you search online. A fence may be necessary if your pets, or those of your neighbors, raid your garden. The larger "critters" have been known to totally destroy an herb garden in one rampage. This is why you must ensure that they cannot gain access to your garden.

An herb garden is one of the best choices for anyone who wants a simple and practical type of garden. It can be fun as well as useful, and it can even save you money. The spices and herbs you grow will taste much fresher than ones you find on the shelf at the store. Keep these ideas in mind when you start your herb garden, and you'll soon have a hobby you can enjoy for the rest of your life!

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An Herbal Gardening How To Guide

by Rachel Ray

Herbs have been around forever it seems and serve different kinds of purposes. Herbs have been used to treat illness, maladies, and flavor cooking as well as being used in many craft type projects. Interested in starting your own herb garden? Here are a few pointers on how to start an herb garden.

Plan your garden. Consider the herbs you want to plant. Think about their types. Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials? Are you wanting certain plants for cooking, or another purpose?

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.

Time to draw out your plan on paper. Some suggestions would be to separate the annuals from the perennials. The reason for this is at the end of the season you can easily pull up the annuals without disturbing the perennials and make planting annuals next season easier. Sometimes you can plant the perennials on the perimeter of the garden, or in a section by their lonesome.

Another factor to consider is to plant the tall ones towards the back and the shorter ones in front. Give your plants plenty of space to grow and also find out their sunlight requirements and make adjustments accordingly. Properly positioning will help you in this department.

If you would rather keep herbs out of your garden (and some are quite invasive) you could have herb pots. These are large containers with three or more outlets for the herbs. Fill the pot up to the first outlet and plant it before continuing on with the filling and planting process. Usually, the herb that requires the most water is planted in the bottom hole, while the variety that requires the least, goes in the highest hole. Use a great quality potting soil and make sure it has proper drainage.

You can design your garden in a creative manner. Try using a wooden ladder or wagon wheel and lay on top of the garden. Then plant your plants in between the sections for a square or circular division and interesting look.

It's important to factor in the needs of each variety of plant. Many need alkaline soil conditions, so if you need to add any special additives you'll already have that information on hand. If you start your own seeds, be sure to read the packet on the seeds as to water, temperature requirements, as well as when it's safe to plant them in the spring.

Herbs can be very easy to grow on your own. Give each plant it's basic requirements in regards to sunlight, proper drainage, moisture and fertile soil and you're bound to get a great 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.

About the Author:

By Rachel Ray who loves planting and gardening .and finds it so soothing to the soul. Visit her site dedicated to making life more comfortable and lessening stress.