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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2007 - 10:15:57 AM |
Herb gardens are among the most popular of all indoor gardens, and it is easy to understand why. In addition to bringing beauty and charm to the home, an herb garden provides healthy herbs for cooking as well. Many
people feel that growing and using fresh herbs imparts many healthful benefits compared to buying pre-packaged dried herbs. And many cooks feel that fresh herbs are much more flavorful as well.
Another great benefit of starting an indoor herb garden is that most varieties of herbs are quite easy to grow from seed, even for a novice gardener. An unlike some varieties of plants, herb seeds begin to grow quickly, so it is easy to see the results of your efforts.
There are two ways to go when planning an herb garden. One approach is to buy one of the many packaged herb garden kits. These kits generally come with an assortment of the most popular herbs, pre-seeded in individual pots, with soil and growth medium. These kits can be a low
cost way to start an herb garden with little effort.
The other alternative, of course, is to build your own herb garden. This is easy to do, and often less expensive than all but the cheapest herb garden kits. To start an herb garden on your own, simply buy an assortment of small pots, some good quality potting soil and fertilizer,
and of course the herb seeds. Seed the herbs according to the instructions on the packet, water them and wait for them to grow. It is important to keep the soil moist until the seeds have begun to grow.
Many people like to start their home herb garden in a sunny spot like a windowsill, and the windowsill is certainly a good place for an herb garden. For one thing, this tends to be the sunniest spot in most homes, and good sunlight will help the herbs grow stronger and more quickly.
After the herb seeds have sprouted, it is important not to over water them. Be sure to follow the instructions for each herb when watering. Some varieties are much more sensitive to over watering than others.
It is also important, of course to label each pot with the name of the herb. This will make, growing the herbs, and using them, much easier.
After the herbs are growing well, you can snip them down as often as needed for cooking. In fact, this snipping down will actually promote growth, so do not hesitate to harvest all you need for those popular recipes. Herbs like chives, parsley, sage, thyme and dill are great for the home herb garden and the table.
Gosia Wajchert is a garden writer from the UK.
Website: Flowers
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