Since ancient times, people have grown herb gardens. Peoples of ancient China and Egypt left written records of their use of herbs. Medieval documents and references within the Bible show people used herbs for perfumes, cloth dyes and medicine as well as cooking. Today, herb gardens are useful for supplying people with herbs for cooking, tea, medicines, potpourri and for controlling pests.

Herb gardens can be specialized for the plants’ use, culinary here, medicinal there, or mixed for aesthetic reasons. Herbs can be planted directly in existing landscape with flowers or vegetables, or contained in pots or a raised-bed garden. A four foot by six foot garden plot is all the space a small family needs for an herb garden. Many herbs can be grown together with other species in the same container. Herbs can be grown indoors or outdoors.

Gardeners new to herbs usually gravitate toward familiar herbs used in cooking, but many herbs are grown for the appearance of their foliage and flowers or for their aromatic properties. Culinary herbs, used in cooking, can be used as flavor-additives or as garnish, and may be used either fresh or dried. The portion of the herb plant used may be the leaves, stems, roots or seeds, depending on the herb and the intended use.

As with other garden and landscape plants, herbs vary from small shrubs to trees, and can be annuals, perennials or biennials. Plant herbs in well-drained soil. Heavy or clay soils will need to have organic mulch mixed in to break up clumps and allow water passage for the herb garden’s roots. Fertilizer is not needed for most herbs. Perennial varieties may appreciate fish fertilizer every other year or a dose of Osmocote.

Full or partial sun is required for most herbs, although some herbs prefer full shade. Group herbs by their sun and water requirements for ease of care. Insect pests and diseases rarely trouble herbs, but aphids can attack herbs such as anise, caraway, dill and fennel. Mint can get rust, and red spider mites can attack low-growing branches of herbs in hot, dry weather. Grow your herb garden from starts purchased at a nursery, or grow your herbs from seed.

Watching an herb plant develop from a single tiny seed can be an empowering experience. While it lives, an annual herb provides your family with taste, smell, sight, texture and emotional experience as well as adding nutrients to your diet. How many garden plants can do all that? Herb seeds need a shallow container of light, well-drained soil. Plant seeds in the late winter indoors. Bury the seed no deeper than three times its width and keep the soil moist but not saturated until germination. Virtually all herbs can be purchased as seeds and started in this way.

Transplanting seedlings is risky, and some herbs are not suited to this practice. Anise, fennel, dill and coriander prefer to be directly sown where they will grow. Some herbs may be considered noxious weeds and will be listed with the local extension office, so check listings prior to planting medicinal herbs. Your local nursery may have information on this as well.

Herb gardens are easy, fun and rewarding. From a single small pot on the kitchen windowsill to a full herb garden with perennial shrubs regularly harvested, your discovery of herb gardening has just sprouted. You have much to learn and understand about herb gardens before you get started, read on!

Herb Garden Design

People have used herbs for thousands of years in their everyday lives from medicine to seasoning people have used herbs. Today people sometimes take inspiration from older herb garden landscape designs to create something new from a classic idea.

Choosing herb for herb garden landscaping design is very personal; one needs to plan the desired focus of the garden. This is a very basic gardening theory but a good one; think of a single intent for the garden and build from that.

The Chef

A culinary herb garden landscape design can combine the beauty of the outdoors with their passion for cooking. Common herbs like sage, parsley, garlic, rosemary, oregano, chives, and mint have many lovely qualities that can be enjoyed outside of cooking.

Sage is very aromatic; parsley is beautiful, garlic flowers and grows easily in most areas. Rosemary is also very aromatic, oregano is another herb that makes a nice bushy ground covering and chives will flower as well.

The Aroma-therapist

Herb garden landscaping designs are ideally suited for aromatherapy. People may enjoy the tranquil effects of herbs and combinations of herbs simply by sitting in a comfortable chair, hammock, or swing in their herb garden.

Aroma-therapists can plant complimentary herbs together to form the best combinations for mood enhancement. One form of herb garden landscaping design is to plant herbs in beds according to a need or aesthetic appeal. This type of container gardening is also ideally suited for aromatherapy.

Lavender for example is a very common aromatherapy herb; it can be planted alone for some purposes and can be planted with other herbs in a container to achieve a specific blend of herbs.

Medicinal Herbs

For thousands of years people have used herbs for medicinal purposes, once people started cultivating the most useful herbs, herb garden landscaping design was born. People would often have two separate herb collections, one which was grown towards the back of their property for herbs that would be dried and stored. A second herb garden was often grown closer to a person”s home to be used as needed.
Pure Enjoyment

Many herb garden landscaping designs are inspired by people”s pure enjoyment of the herb they grow. Herbs can make a fragrant border to a lawn and a beautiful ground covering for gardens. Combining vegetables, flowers, and herbs in one garden bed can make a very beautiful and interesting garden area.

One way to accomplish this type of herb garden landscaping design is to grow things together which are used together. Bell peppers, tomatoes, and basil all like the full sun and plenty of water, the three plants will grow well together. Mint, lemon balm, and impatients can all be grown together in the shade for a beautiful accent under a porch or flowering shrub.

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Luckily many herbs are easy to grow in small areas such as kitchen window sills. They need warmth, sunlight and water. And if your kitchen doesn’t have enough natural sunlight during the day, you can also place them in rooms with better natural sunlight. Remember that it takes about three times as much fresh herb to get the flavor of a dried seasoning, but the taste is much better.

Look for herbs which will remain relatively small. Those which are too wide or too tall may not fit in the area you’ve chosen to grow them. You’ll also want to consider the type of cooking you do most often and choose herbs which will match that type of cooking. Below are five herbs to grow in your kitchen window or another in your home.

Chives. This herb, which tastes like a combination of garlic and onions, can be added to homemade salad dressing, sour cream, soups or burgers. You may want to substitute chives for onions in some recipes to give your food a little different taste. These can be started from seed quite easily. Your recipe will also have a unique taste depending upon whether you use fresh or dried herbs.

Basil. Basil is used in many ethnic foods such as those from Italy, Mexico or Thailand. If you’re preparing a dish with tomatoes, basil is a natural herb to choose. There are several varieties to choose from and you can either start them from seed or purchase seedlings.

Cilantro or Coriander. This is another herb which can be grown easily from seeds. Depending upon whether you’re using the leaves or allowing the herb to go to seed, you can use cilantro in Mexican or Indian cuisine.

Mint. Mint is a universal herb which is used in a myriad of cuisines. If you live in the South you know it can be added to iced tea. You can also use it as an ingredient in salads, jellies and desserts. It can be started as seeds or seedlings.

Thyme. Thyme is often used when cooking meats and other savory dishes. It is best to start these out as seedlings so you can begin using the herb as quickly as possible.

Seeds and seedlings for the above herbs can be found at many discount stores as well as farmer’s co-ops. If you choose to grow your herbs from seeds, follow the instructions on the packet to plant them. Before you know it, you’ll have fresh herbs to harvest and enjoy in your home cooked meals.

Gardening is enjoying a tremendous increase in popularity. Today a great number of people are renewing the practice of home gardening and many are pondering easy herb garden projects.  The National Gardening Association reports that 25,000 schools nationwide have some sort of ongoing gardening projects involving students.  The objective of these programs is to connect children with the practice of growing healthy food and learning about nutrition.  84% of the U.S. population live in metropolitan areas and have become disconnected with the growing of fresh fruits and vegetables and consequently consume less of the healthy fresh foods.

This resurgence in gardening popularity can be attributed to several factors.  The green movement is encouraging the “grow your own” sentiment to help save energy and assist in the reduction of global warming. The current economic situation is encouraging others to have a garden to save money.  Still others are gardening for the purpose of having their own healthy and organically grown fruits and vegetables.

Paralleling this boom in traditional gardening is a significant increase in the pursuit of herb gardening.  Herbs have always been the “stepchild” of gardening and deemed to be some sort of specialty line of gardening whose sole function  was to produce a few of those exotic food flavorings.

The irony of herb gardening is that herb plants are much easier and less troublesome to grow that the traditional vegetable and fruit plants.  There is also a wider variety of herb plants to choose from for a herb garden.  The most well know type of herbs are those of the culinary family.  Most are familiar with such popular food flavorings as basil, sage, thyme, garlic, rosemary and fennel which we all enjoy in all types of cuisine.

There are several other types of herb plants that add excitement to the pursuit of herb gardening.  The medicinal type of herbs provide all sorts of curative remedies for sickness and injury.  Before modern medicine herbal remedies were all that was available to mankind for curative relief and they still provide their medicinal relief today.

Aromatic herbs are another type that flies under the radar of public attention.  Aromatic herbs produce very fragrant aromas and can be used in many applications to include the making of perfumes, linen and room fresheners, and gifts.  Another type of herb is the ornamental.  Many provide spectacular bloom, leaves and foliage that make beautiful additions to any landscape plans.

knowledge of the different types of herb plants make the thought of raising any of these wonderful plants an exciting endeavor.  As stated earlier growing herbs is easier and less troublesome than the traditional vegetable gardens.  If a person is new to herb gardening and desires to start a garden there are two ways to begin.  One is to read as much as possible on the subject and get instructions from a mentor.  The other is the short cut method of purchasing a herb garden kit that supplies all that a new herb gardener needs to get started.  There are many different types of kits available that vary in the type of herbs offered to the amount of supplies  included with the kit.  They all help the new herb gardener hit the deck running and begin enjoying fresh herbs in a short time.

Here are some tips for herb gardening indoors that will simulate the conditions in an outside garden. For Herb gardening indoors the growing climates need to be pretty much the same as the conditions outside.

Make sure you have a sunny windowsill that your herbs will love. Use a container that is at least 6-12 inches deep.

Get your herb plants from a good garden center nursery who will have plenty of garden advice to help you with your inside garden. You will need some garden equipment like a small digging garden tool, garden gloves, organic fertilizer and some small gardening containers. You probably already have most of these garden supplies in your garden shed.

Soil is the most important aspect of growing herbs indoors. Use only top grade potting soil with an organic fertilizer mixed in. If you think it is too fine a soil, use a little perlite. Fertilize while potting the herbs and they should be happy until spring. If you have an herb that is not growing vigorously add a little organic liquid fertilizer to the water.

When you go to transplant the herb, go one inch up in the size of the gardening container. If the plant is in a two inch pot, go to a three inch gardening container. Leave the roots alone and be careful not to bruise the stem.

Don’t plant oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants because they will overgrow everything. Pot these herbs in a garden container all their own. You may want to always plant those herbs in containers since they tend to “take over” the garden.

Some people swear that you must put garden stones in the bottom of the gardening container, but I dispute that opinion. I feel that the garden stones take valuable space away from the herb roots. You might want to place a small piece of wire screening over the hole to keep it from getting clogged.

Here are some examples of which herbs to plant together:

For an Italian selection try Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Oregano, Marjoram and Thyme.

For a lovely scented container use Lavender, Rose scented geranium, Lemon balm, Lemon thyme, and Pineapple sage.

For really great salads try Garlic chives, Rocket, Salad burnet, Parsley, Celery.

And to say “We love French Cooking!” use Tarragon, Chervil, Parsley, Chives and Sage

Allow time for your herbs to grow used to their new conditions. Once you see growth you can start using you herbs. Snip and use your herbs often to encourage them to grow full and bushy.

When it comes to light, all herbs must get 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day on your window sill. If your window doesn’t supply that much light then purchase garden grow lights and hang them three inches above the plants. If you live in a very hot climate shade the herbs during the hottest periods. If you live in a very cold climate keep the herbs away from the cold glass panes.

When it comes to watering, don’t let the herbs dry out but don’t drown them either. Herbs do not like to sit in wet soil. An inexpensive water meter from your garden center nursery will help with this important step in growing your herbs. Always use room temperature water so as not to shock the herb’s roots.

If you follow all of these steps you will have a healthy herb garden all winter on your sunny windowsill.

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

The popularity of gardening is breaking new ground fast.  Every day people are rediscovering the advantages of gardening.  Whether it be for saving money, going green, or seeking sources of healthful organic foods gardening is a beneficial way to spend ones time and efforts.  Many of these new gardeners are discovering the rewards of growing herbs.  Herbs are more that just flavoring for your favorite Italian dish.  They are the most amazing family in botany that offer the herb gardener a gold mine of exciting choices of plants to grow.

Herb plants are easy to grow and maintain and a herb garden will provide many months of more kinds of pleasure than any other type of garden.  For instance aromatic herbs begin giving its pleasing scents immediately without waiting on a bloom.  Herbal plants have a tradition of use that touches all societies and histories.  They are highly practical and offer a wide range of uses including culinary, medicinal, aromatic, ornamental and industrial.  Using herbs for their different purposes often will lead to a desire to grow them.  Here are some factors to consider.

Herbs share a common genus with other plants so general gardening principles apply but a few specific concerns should be addressed to assist in the gardening success.

The herb garden should first be planned out. The size and type of garden will depend on available space, family needs, personal interest and time. It is recommended to begin small and expand the gardening pursuits along with the gardener’s growth in experience and confidence.   Herb plants can be integrated with other vegetable and flower plants in a starter garden.  There are two factors to be mindful of when planning a herb garden and they are sunlight and drainage.

Most all herb plants need plenty of sunshine. It is recommended that they receive from ten to twelve hours per day but as long as they get at least four to six hours per day they should be able to perform adequately.  If your garden will be located in a southern clime a little shade in the afternoon will be helpful to the plants.  If your garden location is in the shade there are herbs suited for those type areas.  With this in mind the first thing to consider in planning a  herb garden is to determine the amount of sunlight that the proposed garden spot receives.

Drainage is another important planning consideration. Herbs do not like wet feet so it is important to make sure that the garden location will drain.  The best way to determine this is to put a layer of water on the surface of the proposed location and note how long it takes for it to soak into the ground.  If the water does not immediately disappear into the ground it has poor drainage and either a new location must be selected or the drainage on the selected must improved.  This can be accomplished by either raising the site or installing a drainage media about eithteen inches below the soil.    

This information is what the beginning herb garden should know to begin a successful and exciting project.  The time to start is now.

CookingSessions.com host Jason Hill shows how to grow a culinary herb garden. With these tips, home cooks can learn about herb gardening and what to plant in their herb gardens. Among Hill’s favorite herbs for a kitchen herb garden are oregano, basil, thyme, mint, tarragon, cilantro and chives. To see more cooking videos, visit www.CookingSessions.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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The evergreen herb is also classified as a perennial.  Unlike the herbaceous herb, evergreen herbs require regular pruning when not harvested in a continuous manner. Some common types of evergreen herbs include sage, rosemary, and thyme. This type of herb should be pruned  back in the early spring or fall.  Be careful not to cut to much off, this can affect plant growth. 

The annual herb dies back at the end of the season and need to be replanted the following year.  Some common annual herbs include basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, and chervil.  To keep a constant crop of annual herbs, plant them every four to six week during planting season. 

To prevent your annual herbs from going to seed, cut off any flower buds that are present.  Once the herb produces flowers the leave production usually stops. 

When deciding which types of herbs to garden, it’s a good idea to select only the herb variety you plan to use regularly. Planting every type of herb known could be fun at first, but may lead to burn out.   You want to keep it fun and rewarding, so start out slow.  

It does not matter if you have a big or a small garden, most people like to have fresh herbs. Having a natural supply of herbs is wonderful for cooking, grilling and even barbecuing. And with the right herb garden layout it also looks wonderful in your garden. Before you can harvest those delicious herbs you need to consider a few aspects of herb garden layout for an effective and sustainable growth of herbs.

Natural elements to consider

For your herb garden layout, it is important to effectively plan and manage the natural elements involved in your garden. The herb garden layout should integrate nicely into the existing garden layout. However keep in mind what conditions the herbs need (sun, shade, moisture etc.). If you do this, you can successfully create a herb garden layout that will give you fresh herbs all year round.

Herb garden layout and plant type

Herb plants are just like other plants, some are highly sensitive while others are strong durable and easy to grow. Most herbs need little attention but there are a few that do need some extra protection during the first year. You need to be aware of the needs of the plants when you create your herb garden layout. You can also grow some herb plants in pots, this way they won’t grow expansively and stay at one place. But remember that you need to water plants in pots more. It is important to have an effective herb garden layout for all these different needs.

When you are creating a herb garden layout within your existing garden layout you should consider the characteristics of the particular spot you picked:

Determine the type of soil in your garden:

* Sandy
* Sandy loam
* Loam
* Clay loam
* Clay
* Silty loam
* Silt

Determine the Soil pH:

* Acidic (7.0)
* Neutral (7.0)
* Alkaline (>7.0)

And don’t forget:

* lighting coverage
* irrigation
* possible threats

These are the things you should consider for your integrated herb garden layout. This will determine the type of herbs you can place in your existing garden.

For lighting and watering you should consider the following for a plan for your herb garden layout.

A good way to grow a healthy herb garden is in raised vegetable garden beds but you must also consider the lighting coverage wherein your herbs are placed. The plants that require more sunlight should be placed in a region that is constantly or largely lighted. You should also be aware of the watering conditions because that must also be included in the outdoor herb garden layout.

The more sensitive type of herb plants should placed in elevated and shielded portions from rain while plants that require a larger supply of water should placed lower and near a constant water source.

Through your herb garden layout and critically looking at and including all possible factors, you will create a wonderful sustainable and productive outdoor herb garden. And you will have a lot of fun in your garden and in your kitchen.

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There is always need of fresh herbs in your kitchen as they are healthier and we are aware of the advantages associated while consuming herbs on consistent basis. In order to get a hand on fresh herbs, the best idea would be to build an indoor herb garden. With your own indoor herb garden, you will have assurance of consuming healthy herbs without the application of chemical fertilizers and synthesizers.

In order to plant your own indoor herb garden, the very first thing which you need to consider is designing an appropriate herb garden plan. In this piece of writing, I will be elaborating some key points which must a part of your indoor herb garden plan at all costs.

Before finalizing your indoor herb garden plan, the foremost thing which you have to consider is the availability of light in the area where you would be planting your indoor herb garden. Light is a necessity of plants and it must not be overlooked at all. You indoor herb garden plan should have a clause about the location of your indoor herb garden where suitable amount of light will be available all the time for your herb garden plants.

After you select the location of the garden then you can make some different arrangements that you would be doing in your indoor herb garden. You must add all small aspects within your indoor herb garden plants such as arrangements of herb garden plants within your indoor herb garden, the size of your indoor herb garden, the shape of your indoor herb garden, different accessories and tools that you would be applying for different purpose within your indoor herb garden and etc.

You pre-defined indoor herb garden plan will ensure that you will have all the necessary information about the indoor herb gardening ahead of time. You will have everything arranged ahead of time and this will surely save you a lot of time and efforts.
Last but not the least important aspect of your indoor herb garden plan would be the selection of herbs that you would be planting within your indoor herb garden. The herbs should be selected in such a way that they should be grown in room temperature very easily. The herbs should be selected with care and according to availability of space and the conditions of your indoor herb garden.

After planning each and every thing, you can begin with your indoor herb gardening. The indoor herb garden will make you feel good and will add a sense of elegance to the overall décor of your house.

Fresh herbs have a benefit over the dried ones you buy in the store. If you have a sunny spot and some good soil, you can grow your own herbs at home. Choose the ones that you use most to season food and grow them in small planters.

When growing herbs, treat them like any other plant. Pruning and cutting back the leaves brings even more leaves. As you cut and use fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, they will continue to grow. In fact, the herbs may grow faster than you can use them, so share some with friends and neighbors.

Another alternative to letting the extra go to waste is to dry your fresh herbs. Dried fresh herbs lose their moisture, but still retain the entire flavor of a fresh plant. You’ll now have herbs to last for months to come and you can pass them on to others once they are dried as well.

Begin with your equipment. You’ll need a place to dry them. You can use wooden or wire racks. That cooling rack you use in the kitchen for cookies and cakes would be perfect for drying herbs. Gather together a colander, some cheesecloth, paper towels, and some string.

All herbs to be dried should be washed and rinsed in cold water. A colander is perfect because the water can drain out the bottom. Use paper towels to pat each leaf and stalk until dry of any visible moisture.

Herbs can be dried in many ways. If you only want the leaves, remove the stalk and lay the leaves on a drying rack. Depending on the size of the leaves, you may need a wire rack for them as opposed to a cooling rack from the kitchen.

Herbs can also be dried in bunches. Tie them with string at the stalks and hang them upside down on a nail to air dry. This can be accomplished outside or indoors, but should be done in an area that is ventilated with no humidity. Humidity will help your herbs to retain their moisture and prevent drying. Use cheesecloth to cover herbs on a cooling rack if you plan on letting them dry outside.

Use the oven for faster drying. The temperature should remain low (around 120 degrees). Gently touch the leaves every half hour to test for dryness. The microwave oven is an alternative, but you will have to be careful not to shrivel them up.

Dried herbs will keep for a six months. After that, the flavor begins to wane. Herbs should be stored in Mason jars or plastic containers, just be sure to label them so you know which herb is which. In order to keep the herbs dry and avoid molding during storage, seal the containers air tight.

Herbs season food in many unique and yummy ways. Drying herbs allows you to savor the flavor while saving money and having fun all at once.

Here are some kids herb garden ideas:

Build a Pizza Garden

A typical “pizza garden” will contain basil and oregano, and perhaps thyme and parsley.
You could also let the child grow some of the other things that often go into pizza sauce, like garlic and roma tomatoes.

Grow Scented Herbs

There are all kinds wonderfully scented herbs with a variety of scents.    Geraniums make a perfect companion for this type of garden.   For example, there are geraniums that are scented like orange, strawberry, lime, and apricot!

Teach Differences Between Varieties

Herb gardening is an excellent way of teaching children the differences between  varieties of the same plant types.  For example, planting several different varieties of basil can help kids understand that there can be many types of the same animal or plant.

You could plant globe basil, Thai basil, lemon basil, and purple basil.  Your child can learn the difference and similarities, so they can see that things can be similar, yet very different.

Teaches Responsibility

An herb garden is a great way to teach your child responsibility. You child will learn that they have to take care of their garden on a regular basis.  If they don’t, they’ll see that there are consequences to shirking duties.  When some of their plants start to wither and die, they’ll see how important it is to keep up with their tasks.

Perhaps most importantly, herb gardens can give kids something to be proud of.  They’ll get a big boost to their self-esteem when they successfully grow something that you’re able to use in a meal, and they’ll enjoy learning!

Kid’s Herb Book, A: For Children of All Ages

For thousands and thousands of years we have turned to plants we call herbs for flavor, dye, perfume and cosmetics. We have believed that individual herbs held the power to repel insects, evil and vampires, while others attracted the perfect lover, good luck or bees to pollinate our crops. For some, the use of herbs can cure headaches and burns. And, of course, what would fine dining be without the culinary herbs?

Here are some tips for herb gardening indoors that will simulate the conditions in an outside garden. For Herb gardening indoors the growing climates need to be pretty much the same as the conditions outside.

Make sure you have a sunny windowsill that your herbs will love. Use a container that is at least 6-12 inches deep.

Get your herb plants from a good garden center nursery who will have plenty of garden advice to help you with your inside garden. You will need some garden equipment like a small digging garden tool, garden gloves, organic fertilizer and some small gardening containers. You probably already have most of these garden supplies in your garden shed.

Soil is the most important aspect of growing herbs indoors. Use only top grade potting soil with an organic fertilizer mixed in. If you think it is too fine a soil, use a little perlite. Fertilize while potting the herbs and they should be happy until spring. If you have an herb that is not growing vigorously add a little organic liquid fertilizer to the water.

When you go to transplant the herb, go one inch up in the size of the gardening container. If the plant is in a two inch pot, go to a three inch gardening container. Leave the roots alone and be careful not to bruise the stem.

Don’t plant oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants because they will overgrow everything. Pot these herbs in a garden container all their own. You may want to always plant those herbs in containers since they tend to “take over” the garden.

Some people swear that you must put garden stones in the bottom of the gardening container, but I dispute that opinion. I feel that the garden stones take valuable space away from the herb roots. You might want to place a small piece of wire screening over the hole to keep it from getting clogged.

Here are some examples of which herbs to plant together:

* For an Italian selection try Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Oregano, Marjoram and Thyme.
* For a lovely scented container use Lavender, Rose scented geranium, Lemon balm, Lemon thyme, and Pineapple sage.
* For really great salads try Garlic chives, Rocket, Salad burnet, Parsley, Celery.
* And to say “We love French Cooking!” use Tarragon, Chervil, Parsley, Chives and Sage

Allow time for your herbs to grow used to their new conditions. Once you see growth you can start using you herbs. Snip and use your herbs often to encourage them to grow full and bushy.

When it comes to light, all herbs must get 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day on your window sill. If your window doesn’t supply that much light then purchase garden grow lights and hang them three inches above the plants. If you live in a very hot climate shade the herbs during the hottest periods. If you live in a very cold climate keep the herbs away from the cold glass panes.

When it comes to watering, don’t let the herbs dry out but don’t drown them either. Herbs do not like to sit in wet soil. An inexpensive water meter from your garden center nursery will help with this important step in growing your herbs. Always use room temperature water so as not to shock the herb’s roots.

If you follow all of these steps you will have a healthy herb garden all winter on your sunny windowsill.

Visit Mary Hanna’s websites at: Gardening Herb, Gardening Landscaping Tips and Container Gardening

Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video. Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from carlo_scialla and more videos in the Herb Gardening category. You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com There’s nothing nicer than being able to pluck fresh herbs from your own little garden — especially when that garden is right in your home! To complete this How-To you will need: Containers Pottery shards or gravel Planter soil or potting soil and perlite Saucers Seeds, starter plants, or cuttings A sunny spot Fluorescent lighting Plastic wrap Step 1: Choose your herbs Decide which herbs you’d like to plant. Basil, cilantro, chives, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme all grow well indoors. Step 2: Get containers For each herb, get a container that measures, from end to end, one-third to one-half the expected height of the grown plant. Buy ones especially made for herbs from a gardening center, or use a clean milk carton or yogurt cup; just make sure you punch a hole in the bottom for drainage. Tip: Basil needs a large pot because of its extensive roots. Step 3: Cover the bottom and add soil Place pottery shards or gravel in the bottom of each container for drainage, and then put each container on a saucer. Fill the containers with planter soil, or use potting soil mixed with perlite. Step 4: Plant …

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Herbs of all kinds have been cultivated and used for thousands of years. They have been used for cooking, tea and medicinal purposes. Herb gardens easy to grow and require little maintenance. The following article covers the basics of starting an herb garden.
Plan your garden before planting it. Consider the herbs you want to plant and what you’ll use them for. Herbs grow in various ways; some herbs, such as thyme, are low growing and spreading while others, such as parsley, grow in clumps. Mint is a taller, vigorously growing herb which often needs to be contained. Herbs are considered either annuals or perennials and many will bloom just like more traditional flowers.
List or draw your garden on paper first. If you know the size of your garden you’ll easily be able to choose the appropriate plants. Likewise, if you have certain herbs in mind you’ll able to plan the right size garden. Plant the annuals and the perennials in different locations in the garden. When fall arrives and you have to pull out the annuals, you won’t disturb the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when it is time to till your garden they won’t be in danger of being dug up.
Research the growth habit of the herbs you plant in the garden. As a general garden design rule, plan your garden with the tall herbs at the back and the short ones in front. Also, give your plants with enough space to grow; many of the spreading herbs require quite a bit of space. In fact, some can be quite invasive and require frequent pruning.
If you lack the adequate space for a garden, plant your herbs in containers. Be sure to use a high quality planting mix. A good planting mix will feed your plants throughout the entire growing season.
Designing your garden depends on the plants you choose as well as your own preferences. Square beds can be divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point. You can border it with stone or brick. A more rustic idea is to create a wagon wheel bed. Plant your herbs within the wagon wheel’s wedges. Locate the garden where they’ll be easiest to access; especially if you plan on using them in your cooking. An herb garden adjacent to a patio usually works well. Kitchen window boxes are also a great place to plant herbs.
Though different herbs have different needs, a sunny location is almost always necessary. Add lime to your garden since many herbs also prefer alkaline soil. Become familiar with the herbs you’ll be planting and design and prepare your garden accordingly. Though perennial herbs can be planted anytime during the growing season, annuals should be planted in the spring, after there is no longer a chance of frost. You can also start herbs from seed, just be sure to follow the directions on the packet for soil, watering and temperature.
Herbs are simple to grow and, once established, easy to maintain. If you provide them with adequate drainage, a sunny spot, water and nutrient rich, organic soil, your herb garden with thrive for years.

In herb gardening, the most important aspect of having an indoor herb garden is to have access to a sunny window. Grow an herb garden inside a house that has a lot of natural light with tips from an experienced gardener in this free video on gardening and growing herbs. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner
Video Rating: 4 / 5

You may not know it, herb-gardening, indoor herb gardening is becoming more and more popular and one of the reasons for that is its practical value. Why? Aside from its uses in kitchen, herb garden also offers a decorative view that flowering plants can do. In other words, herb garden serves for a double purpose.

Another essential part of herb gardening, whether an indoor herb gardening or container herb-gardening is that, you can dry herbs so that they can be used during winter or off-season. To have this done, you may cut,wash, and hang up-as the process of preservation. Then, after a couple of weeks, you can put them in a jar after drying in an oven. Though this can be laborious in your part, proper herb gardening management can make it simpler for this procedure.

One of the most planted in herb-gardening is Basil. This offer a decorative view like ornamental flowers and also can be used in your kitchen. Specifically, this can be added to tomato juice and paste to add flavor

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Another is the herb called Chives that is similar to grass. They are much stronger, more than their appearance and can be grown up to the most dry season- drought. Whether in container herb gardening or not, you can add this as part of your herb garden. Chives are being used in egg-dishes, salads and several types of sauce.

Mint is also one of the most planted and this is very simple to grow. This is commonly used in mint juleps; mint jelly; lemonade and other kind of drinks.

Another is the Lavender and this perhaps the best smelling herb from all. This is used to produce scented candle, as a perfume scent and for improving the linen chests. Herb gardening really have several uses and that is the fact that can not be denied.

There are a lot more of herbs that you can plant in your garden. These will surely make your garden beautiful like ornamental and other decorative plants; these also give you the things that you need to add in your kitchen stuff like salads and other foods that need herbs for additional flavor. You can achieve its full benefits if you learn more knowledge regarding their particular usage.

And one thing is for sure, herb gardening can be an ideal hobby that you can have. So, it is practically essential that you are able to have an herb gardening management strategy to maximize its benefits.

Typically people think of chives as these dried up little green pieces that look like cuttings from your lawn. Sadly little taste survives in this dried version. Most of us are introduced to using chives as an herb simply as a condiment for a baked potato…sour cream with chives. Due to its past classification as a common household herb, the fascinating features of chives as a plant and herb have been much maligned. Here’s what I unearthed as a beginner planting my own home herb garden when I somehow mistakenly ordered 9 chives plants, but intended to get only 1.

The Basics Of Chives Plants For The Home Herb Garden

Chives are part of the onion family but the flavor is much milder and more subtle. Until you’ve tasted fresh chives you won’t believe the difference in taste from those dried up commercial counterparts sold at the store! Chives grow in clumps, which is why they’re always referred to as plural. The upright green shoots growing from the clumps are really called the leaves of the plant.

Growing chives is a dream for beginners gardening herbs at home. I’m prime proof of how easy it is. In fact, for ease of growing I put them in the category of daylilies because they’re so indestructible no matter the amount of rain or scorching heat. I was clueless how to plant my chives plants (or any herb) in the garden when they arrived. Somehow they’ve survived in the clay soil of hot Kentucky summers for almost a decade now. You can even dig up their roots (actually little onion-like bulbs), divide them, and replant them just like daylilies! Although chives plants are best planted in a healthy mixture of soil, peat, sand and compost, my ignorance proves chives plants do well as long as they have plenty of sun and some water now and then.

In my accidental adventure growing herbs in my home garden, I discovered chives plants are perennial! That means, the plant dies back through the winter and sprouts new leaves in the spring. Perennials make a gardener’s life far easier simply because they DO automatically emerge every year without my help.

Also in the spring, the chives plant produces a bounty of beautiful purple “pom-pom” flowers that sprout up on tall stems. Who knew growing chives produced beautiful flowers as well? The flowers, similar in shape to the flowers in clover but bigger, can be used in dried ornamental bouquets, too. The bees happen to love those flowers. Just by growing my chives plants, there’s this added benefit of attracting the bees for pollinating some of my other garden plantings. The flowers are edible, but frankly I haven’t given that a try.

Another side benefit for my outdoor home garden is the chives plants actually protect my other plants and flowers from unwanted insects–like aphids. Insects apparently find chives to be repulsive. You can also use the juice of the leaves as a repellant. The juice is equally repugnant to pests. The chives plants themselves are very hardy and don’t seem to be prone to diseases (or pests).

Home Herb Garden Basics – Chives Culinary Side

Chives are chock full of vitamin A and C, plus calcium and iron. A great choice to flavor foods, cut chives are fat free and combine well with more than sour cream and cream cheese. I found them a winning alternative to salt seasoning. Harvesting chives is a simple task. Simply snip some of those leaves (the soft green shoots) down to the base. The chives plants will continue replenishing itself by regrowing the leaves continuously during its growing season.

Chop the leaves into smaller pieces and use them fresh. The oils of the plants are its seasoning source. By chopping the leaves, the oils are released to flavor your food along with an arresting aroma. Store what you don’t use in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about a week. Postpone washing the chives until you use them. The extra moisture will make them wilt and decay rapidly.

Add them for flavoring to perk up your soups, sandwiches, fish, vegetable dishes, sauces, and salads. The vast variety of culinary uses can ignite those creative juices and rock your recipes.

 For instance, I have a friend whose family loves to enjoy ‘chives sandwiches’ every spring. Avoid the mistake of growing chives as a basic garden herb simply for a garnish…it’s so much more versatile. Try using them to make an herb vinegar. A low cost gift exhibiting your new talents in growing herbs in your home garden without revealing you’re a beginner!

Tips on How to Plant a Potted Herb Garden. It’s container herb garden made easy this week on Six Minute Style.
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