Humans have been using herb gardens for household needs since ancient times. Our earliest recorded histories, in ancient China and Egypt, describe herbs. The Bible and other medieval texts describe the uses people put herbs to within the household. In modern times, growing herbs is still useful for many purposes. Herbs can be used to add flavor to cooking, scents in the home from potpourri, medicinal teas, and as pest control.

Grow herbs for specific uses in groups, or mix them up in your plantings. For your family’s herb needs, you do not need a dedicated four-by-six foot raised bed garden (though they love that). Scatter your plants across your patio in containers and pots, or integrate plantings into your existing landscape. Many herbs grow well indoors on windowsills.

Gardeners new to herbs usually gravitate toward those familiar for cooking, but many 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 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 them 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.

A sunny or partially-sunny location is ideal for most herbs, although a few prefer full shade. Herbs are notoriously hardy and rarely have trouble with insect pests or disease. Aphids can be found on many, such as dill, anise, caraway and fennel. Mint has been known to get rust. Hot, dry weather can lead red spider mites to low-growing herb branches. Growing herbs in containers will allow the gardener to relocate an herb unhappy with its location.

Grow your herb garden from starts purchased at a nursery, or grow them from seed. Watching an herb plant develop from a single tiny seed can be an empowering experience. While it lives, an annual plant 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?

To start an herb garden from seed, plant seeds just beneath the surface in a shallow container in the late winter using light, well-drained soil. Plant seeds no deeper than three times their width; many seeds are so tiny they need hardly be covered by dirt at all to germinate.

Seedlings can be sown in special planting mix and transplanted outdoors, however some herbs such as dill, coriander, anise and fennel do not survive transplant and prefer to be directly sown in their home spot. Some medicinal herbs, such as milk thistle, are considered invasive or noxious weeds in certain areas; check with your local extension office before planting herbs.

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 gardening has just sprouted. You have much to learn and understand about herb gardens before you get started?read on!

By: Sandi Stewart

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