The Home Herb Garden

Archive for the ‘Indoor / Outdoor Herb Gardens’ Category

Tips On Outdoor Herb Garden Preparation

When you begin thinking about growing herbs, there are a few important things that need to be considered as you make your outdoor herb garden preparation. First, you need to pick the spot you will use for your garden and prepare the soil to receive the herbs you will be planting. Then, you will want to know which plants to start when and how they should be placed.

The first step in outdoor herb garden preparation is location. When you are growing herbs, it is important that you locate the garden in an area where there is plenty of sun exposure. Many herbs need at least six hours of sun during the middle of the day. Depending on how your property is facing, you will want to be careful to choose a plot that is away from shadows produced by your house, fences, and even large trees.

The next step is to prepare the soil properly so that water can travel the full depth of the soil and disperse rather than pooling around the roots. Making sure that it is well-drained will help you judge when to add water. It is important that you use nutrient rich gardening soil to mix into the soil in your garden plot for a well balanced soil that has a reasonable amount of organic matter. Some people like to add sand and compost to the soil so that not only is it full of nutrients but it is light soil that allows for proper drainage.

Another tip for outdoor herb garden preparation is that is you are planning to grow your herbs from seeds, you may want to first plant them in flats or pots during the late winter and keep them indoors so you can get a head start on the growing season. Once the frost danger is past, you can transplant them into the garden. If you are simply sowing the seeds in the garden plot after the frost danger is gone, a general rule is to plant the seeds at a depth that is two times their diameter.

During the winter when you are planning your outdoor herb garden preparation, you will want to think about which herbs to plant and when to plant them. For instance, basil and mint are great to start in early spring, while such herbs as garlic and ginger are great for fall planting. Always do your research so that you can put plants that need similar soil conditions together and so that you plant them with the proper spacing between plants.

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If you love herbs and have ever thought about starting your own home herb garden but believed it would be too much of a hassle or that you’re more of a brown thumb than a green one, you’re not alone. Let me just say from personal experience that the biggest obstacle to starting a herb garden is the “starting” part. Once you get started you’ll soon find out just how easy and gratifying it can be to grow your own herbs how beneficial it is to do so.

The first benefit you’ll experience is the stress relief it offers as well as a sense of accomplishment. Think how rejuvenating the sight and scent of your very own herb garden can be.

Benefit number two is that you get to eat what you grow and supplementing your diet with fresh herbs is not only healthy but very tasty. Adding herbs to your dishes will make simple foods burst with flavor. For example, add chopped rosemary to roasted chicken, sage on potatoes, or tarragon to eggs and you’ll immediately know that adding herbs is a very satisfying thing to do, and the combination’s are limitless. You might even become your family and friends favorite chef.

Another great benefit is that you’ll save money. If you’ve ever bought herbs at your local market, then you know just how expensive they can be, and for what really? After the initial investment of starting your own home herb garden, you’ll have them readily available whenever you want them and for a fraction of the cost of buying them at the store.

Benefit number four is choice and quantity. When you grow your own herb garden, you can pick the herbs that you like best and will use most and grow as much as you want. If you want to experiment with other herbs, you can do so in smaller quantities until you decide if they’re right for you. You also get to choose what type of herb garden you want, whether it be an indoor or outdoor garden.

Benefit number five is what you don’t or can’t use you can share with your family, friends and neighbors. It’s always nice to give and receive gifts. Or you might decide to dry your herbs for future use.

So you see starting and having your own home herb garden is beneficial in many ways, not to mention easy and fun – I guess that’s another benefit in itself. The sooner you get started the sooner you can enjoy these benefits yourself.

If you love the flavor that adding fresh herbs to your cooking gives, but you hate to spend a lot of money in the grocery store to constantly purchase them, then you may have just figured out when to plant a home herb garden. Once you have come to the conclusion that you will be better off doing it yourself than relying on the store to have just what you need, you are ready to make the move to growing the herbs yourself.

When to plant your herb garden will depend on where you live. If you live in an area with mild winters, you may plant most herbs in the fall or the spring. However, if you live in a colder climate and experience hard frosts, you will need to be aware of the exact requirements of the herb(s) you are planting. While indoor herb gardens can be planted virtually all year round in containers or via hydroponics, the best time to start an outdoor garden in the northern hemisphere is in the spring time and after the last threat of frost.

However if you’re starting with seeds you can get a jump on the season by starting your seeds indoors under grow lights or in windowsills that will allow 4-6 hours of daily sun, usually at a south and/or west facing window, and then transplant them to the garden (or if you prefer, larger containers) when the weather warms up. Look for compact seeds as they will grow best in indoor containers and check seed packets for individual planting depths. For best results from this method use the same kind of containers and potting mix that you’d use for other indoor seedlings, keeping the soil mix moist until the seeds germinate. Set lights between 3 to 6 inches above the plants, and water thoroughly whenever the soil gets dry to the touch, but not too wet as that can result in root rot. Always keep your plants away from temperature extremes like the kitchen stove or a fireplace. For best results before transplanting outdoors, help the plants adjust by putting the seedlings outside briefly each day while progressively increasing the time for a week or more.

Of course the first step is to figure out what herbs you want to plant and where, keeping in mind that most herbs require lots of sunshine and moderate wind protection. Luckily, this type of garden doesn’t take up a lot of space. You can use an existing vegetable garden or a raised garden or even grow the herbs in separate containers if your yard has minimal space. Once that’s determined and understanding that the time of year can make a big difference to the growth of any plant, you’ll want to know when to plant your home herb garden.

Once the plants have enough foliage to sustain growth, you can start harvesting your herbs continually. The more you harvest the more growth the plant will produce. Pinch off flower buds to keep the plants growing.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/6052486

If you love the flavor that adding fresh herbs to your cooking gives, but you hate to spend a lot of money in the grocery store to constantly purchase them, then you may have just figured out when to plant a home herb garden. Once you have come to the conclusion that you will be better off doing it yourself than relying on the store to have just what you need, you are ready to make the move to growing the herbs yourself.

When to plant your herb garden will depend on where you live. If you live in an area with mild winters, you may plant most herbs in the fall or the spring. However, if you live in a colder climate and experience hard frosts, you will need to be aware of the exact requirements of the herb(s) you are planting. While indoor herb gardens can be planted virtually all year round in containers or via hydroponics, the best time to start an outdoor garden in the northern hemisphere is in the spring time and after the last threat of frost.

However if you’re starting with seeds you can get a jump on the season by starting your seeds indoors under grow lights or in windowsills that will allow 4-6 hours of daily sun, usually at a south and/or west facing window, and then transplant them to the garden (or if you prefer, larger containers) when the weather warms up. Look for compact seeds as they will grow best in indoor containers and check seed packets for individual planting depths. For best results from this method use the same kind of containers and potting mix that you’d use for other indoor seedlings, keeping the soil mix moist until the seeds germinate. Set lights between 3 to 6 inches above the plants, and water thoroughly whenever the soil gets dry to the touch, but not too wet as that can result in root rot. Always keep your plants away from temperature extremes like the kitchen stove or a fireplace. For best results before transplanting outdoors, help the plants adjust by putting the seedlings outside briefly each day while progressively increasing the time for a week or more.

Of course the first step is to figure out what herbs you want to plant and where, keeping in mind that most herbs require lots of sunshine and moderate wind protection. Luckily, this type of garden doesn’t take up a lot of space. You can use an existing vegetable garden or a raised garden or even grow the herbs in separate containers if your yard has minimal space. Once that’s determined and understanding that the time of year can make a big difference to the growth of any plant, you’ll want to know when to plant your home herb garden.

Once the plants have enough foliage to sustain growth, you can start harvesting your herbs continually. The more you harvest the more growth the plant will produce. Pinch off flower buds to keep the plants growing.

With the way the economy is looking these days, people all over the nation are looking for ways to improve their lives without having to spend a lot of money. It is so easy to spend a lot of that flimsy green paper we keep in our wallets if we depend on outside sources to supply our homes and families with the things that we daily need. However, with a garden in the backyard, you can save yourself a lot of worry and money by learning to be self sufficient. But you’ll need to know a few tips, like where and how and when to plant a backyard herb garden. Here are a few tips.

Planting a garden in the backyard can be one of the best things you do for your home. It becomes a place of work and enjoyment–a place for the family to come together and work towards a common goal that will benefit all involved. It adds a simple element of beauty and a sense of home to your residence, and will be something you can surely be proud of as you learn to take care of it, and use what you can gain from it. Having a backyard herb garden can also be extremely beneficial for your kitchen, as fresh herbs will constantly be available for use.

While early to mid spring is generally the best time to start a backyard herb garden, the right time for you will surely depend on your location, and the kind of climate that you have in your area. There are some herbs that are not suited to certain areas, and others that are perfect. What you’ll have to do is do some research on the individual herbs, with the knowledge of what kind of climate you really have. What you’ll want to do is make a list of what kinds of herbs you would like to have in your garden. Also, by planting the garden as close to the kitchen as possible, you will be able to access the herbs at any time.

Many people like to make this backyard herb garden a special place, adding decorative things like fences, or little signs to indicate what kinds of herbs are contained in the garden. These things are very important, as they serve more purposes than just aesthetic quality. The fences, although cute, can also help to keep out unwanted animals or children. By having labels for each plant, you can always be sure what kind of herbs you are gathering. And by knowing when to plant a backyard herb garden, you can be sure to make the whole garden experience a great success.

Are you planning on planting a herb garden? What a wonderful way to bring fresh herbs into your home and kitchen, and what better way to occupy your free time? There are many pros and cons to having either an indoor or an outdoor setting for your herb garden, but the choice is ultimately yours, and whatever will work best with your situation is the best way to go. Here are some things to consider when you are deciding where and how to put in a herb garden.

The great thing about it all is that herbs don’t necessarily need soil, and can be grown all year long, no matter what the weather is-as long as you do it right. It is important to begin with seedlings when growing an herb garden, and, should you do it in the spring, it will be important to begin the growing process inside. You will need to find a sunny location, or begin in a greenhouse, if you can.

Some herbs are so small and take up so little room that you can actually put them all in one container, and save a lot of space. If you are planning on having your herb garden inside, this can be a great advantage, as your amount of space may be somewhat limited.

There are many herbs that simply will need to be replanted every year, so this gives you that indoor-outdoor option over and over again annually. If you have been blessed with good soil, and a good climate for the herbs that you are trying to grow, an outside herb garden can be an attractive addition to your home. However, if the soil is sandy or not very healthy, you’ll need to provide a some space that contains the right kind of soil and conditions that will be conducive for the growth of the plant.

Garden boxes can be purchased that will raise up the herbs from the level of the ground, and also give you a good place to plant the herbs in healthy soil. This is something that can be placed outside in your garden, or perhaps even in your windowsill. As each herb requires different things, it might be best to determine what kinds of herbs you are planning to grow, and then decide where to grow them, so that the atmosphere provides the best place for them to flourish.

As you learn more and practice, you will soon find having an herb garden – indoor or outdoor – is a fulfilling and useful hobby to have.

Even if you live in an apartment or condo, or just don’t have available space or a big backyard, you can still get your fresh herbs by growing an indoor herb garden. There’s nothing better for a home cook than to have fresh herbs at their fingertips. Plus indoor herb gardens can be grown year around since they won’t be affected by inclement weather or rapid temperature changes.

You can traditionally plant (or buy) your indoor herbs in containers, or you can choose hydroponic gardening. Planting in containers is usually less expensive but takes a little more time and effort, and needs to be in a location that gets at least 4-6 hours of sunshine daily – usually at a south and/or west facing window if you live in the northern hemisphere. If you do not have a location where your plants can get sufficient sunlight, you might consider grow lights which have a larger light spectrum than incandescent light that plants need to survive and grow. Containers can be anything from a purchased pot (be sure the pot is suitable for live plants) to buckets, even old boots or discarded toilets (cleaned of course).

Hydroponics is getting more and more popular and is a method of growing plants without soil and has been around for thousands of years. The growth rate is considerably quicker than planting in soil, up to 50 percent in some cases and the yield is usually greater too. Plants in a hydroponic system derive their water and nutrients directly to the roots several times a day instead of having to search the soil for them. These plants also have fewer problems with bugs, fungi and disease and are generally healthier and happier, plus they use much less water. Whichever way you choose you’re sure to have fresh herbs.

There are several advantages (and some disadvantages) to growing an indoor herb garden.

Some of the advantages include:

* Plants are protected from inclement weather
* Easily accessible and convenient
* Can be grown all year long regardless of season
* The plants help keep the indoor air cleaner
* Easy to move to shaded area if sun gets too hot
* Insects and fungus are easier to keep under control
* Requires less fertilizer, if any
* No need for bird netting
* No need for weeding
* No need for gardening tools like hoes, rakes, shovels, etc.

Disadvantages include:

* Less productive yields, however hydroponics will provide you with greater yields.
* Must provide adequate lighting either from sunlight or HID grow lights if sunlight is not sufficient
* Less growing space which, depending on your indoor accommodations, might mean less selection
* More difficult to maintain proper fertilization which often results in over fertilizing
* Proper watering can be more difficult since soil indoors doesn’t adjust or dry out as well which can result in over watering and root rot.
* I’ve heard some say there’s less flavor, but I haven’t noticed it myself.