Herb gardening is becoming more and more popular every day, and for a good reason.  Herbs have practical value, serve a purpose, and with herb gardening you can actually use your plants.  When most people think of herb gardening they automatically think of cooking, but herbs are also grown for their pleasant aroma and their beauty.

One important part of herb gardening is drying the herbs for use during the winter months, especially if you plan on cooking with them.  First the tops of leafy herbs have to be cut, washed, and hung up for the water to evaporate.  Then, tie stems together and hang up in a paper bag to dry.  After two to three weeks they must be removed; crumble the leaves, dry them out in the oven, and store in a glass jar.

One of the most common herbs gown in herb gardening is basil.  “Dark Opal” and regular green basil are beautiful additions to any garden and often used as decoration.  Dark Opal has light pink flowers and dark red leaves.  Basil isn’t just used for its looks; it is used for extra flavor in tomato juices and pastes.

Chives are very petite looking and resemble a blade of grass.  They are much stronger than they look, however, and will grow well through a drought and a drought.  Their toughness and sturdiness makes Chives a perfect plant for herb gardening, especially if the gardener doesn’t want plants that require a lot of hassle.  Chives are good used in salads, egg dishes, and many different sauces.

Mint is also very simple to grow and is good to use in mint jelly, mint juleps, lemonade, and any other kind of fruity drink.  Mint is also good in herb gardening for its unique minty smell.  Two herbs that appear in nearly everyone’s herb garden are thyme and sage.  Both of these herb gardening favorites are used for flavoring soups, chicken, turkey, pork, and other sausages.  Sage is also grown sometimes for its beautiful blue spiked flowers.

Lavender is probably the best smelling herb in all of herb gardening and is often used in candles, as a perfume scent, and to improve the smell in linen chests.  The light purple flowers smell absolutely lovely.

Other types of herbs often grown in herb gardening include borage (used in salads), chervil (used in egg dishes), sweet marjoram (flavors lamb, fish, salad, and soup), sesame (flavors crackers, cookies, and bread), and dill (flavors meats and used in pickles).  Herb gardening allows gardeners to use herbs from their own garden for cooking, looks, and smell.  Herb gardening will produce much fresher herbs with more flavor than store-bought herbs, and are a lot cheaper.

Why would you want to have your own herb garden?

First, it is not only a brilliant addition to your existing garden or patio because it serves more than decorative purposes. Growing your own herbs is not that expensive either compared to buying herbs at the supermarket. Homegrown herbs are better tasting because they are fresher than the ones you buy outside. Herb gardening is not that hard, but still requires proper planning. If you’re just starting out in making your own herb garden, there are several things you have to consider to have a constant resource of fresh herbs all year long.

Things to Plan Out

1. Herbs

The first thing to think about is what sort of herbs you want to grow. Herbs should be selected according to your own preference. What herbs do you need? What will you use them for? Do you want to blend herbs into your own cooking recipes? Or are you more inclined with medicinal herbs? Here are several types of herbs you might want to look at.

Culinary Herbs. Most herb gardeners usually use their plants to use for their favorite recipes. Herbs have various types of uses in cooking – some have strong flavors used in small amounts to add flavor. A quick glimpse of basic herbs found in the supermarket will help you find out which herbs are usually used for cooking. Here is a short list of what culinary herbs you might want to consider using.
Winter savory, rosemary and sage are strong herbs

Sweet basil, dill, mint, sweet marjoram, tarragon, thyme are strong enough for accents

Chives, parsley, summer savory are used for blending.

Aromatic Herbs. You can also grow herbs used for aromatic oils although they may not be as popular to grow like other types of herbs. Oils from aromatic herbs can be used to make perfumes and oils. Mint, marjoram, lovage, rosemary, and basil are some of the most common aromatic herbs around.

Medicinal Herbs. Herbs are long believed to have curative and therapeutic powers. But, while present medical knowledge recognizes some herbs to possess these healing properties, you should use these types of herbs carefully.

2. Location

Herbs will need a lot of sunlight so it is best to allot a location that is suitable for their growth. If you are growing an indoor herb garden, then a fluorescent light containing the full spectrum of all will be adequate. You can also relocate your herbs during the winter.

3. Materials and Containers

Ceramic and clay pots with a good drainage system are usually used for herb gardening. If you want to plant them on the ground, be sure to use natural organic products to get rid of pets, insects, snails or slugs.

With these three things in mind, you should be able to start your own herbal garden!

Dr. Craig