A beginners guide to herb gardening
There’s an indescribable pleasure in sauntering out to your garden to pick freshly grown herbs to throw into your homemade dish. Anyone with an herb gardens would agree herbs from your personal garden gives food that extra oomph even freshly bought herbs don’t bring. What’s better is growing herbs is easy! How to grow herbs will depend on the particular herb you’re growing but here are some general rules to consider:
Choose herbs you will use
Think about what herbs you use for daily cooking. Popular options that enhance many dishes include oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary.
Provide sunshine
Most herbs need at least 6 or more hours of sunlight a day. There are some shade-loving exceptions like mint but Mediterranean herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, lavender and oregano, are drought-hardy and thrive in full sun. However, don’t scorch herbs. Place in an undercover area which receives sunlight.
Invest in a good sized pot
Don’t crowd your seedlings into a small sized pot. Provide room for them to grow and ensure it is deep enough for the roots to grow.
Good drainage
Herbs do not enjoy consistently damp or wet soil. Place gravel or stones at bottom of the pot to ensure good drainage.
Quality soil
Without good soil herbs will not grow properly. Supplement the soil with compost to give seedlings a boost.
Water moderately
During the early stages of growing herbs, you should water well. Once they are grown though, water moderately making sure you don’t over-water or under-water.
Wait before harvesting
Allow your herbs to grow before you start harvesting them. Wait into they are well and truly established (around twice the size) before plucking.
Prune regularly
Once your herbs have grown though don’t skimp on the pruning. This is what makes them grow faster and means more herbs for you to use!
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