All the basics you need to grow your very own herb garden!
Are you someone that cooks a lot and finds yourself buying prepackaged herbs a lot? If so, you might want to think about growing your own herb garden! Even if you don’t find yourself in the kitchen a lot, herbs are a great thing to have around. You can use them to make tea, mixed drinks, or even body care products. I’ve been growing my own herbs for about 5 months now and I love it! I know you’re probably thinking, “Oh, 5 months makes you an expert at gardening now”. HA! Let me tell you guys, I do not have any type of green thumb. I had to do an extensive amount of research on how not to kill my plants. While I’m still far from an expert, my herbs are thriving, so far. There is a feeling of satisfaction that comes along with growing your own herbs and I highly suggest it.
Where to Plant Your Herbs?
Since I currently live in an apartment, I have my herbs growing in terracotta pots. You can plant herbs in a pot or in the ground and they will do just fine. Obviously, your plants are going to be much happier in the ground, so if you have the room for it, go ahead! You just want to make sure your plant has enough room to spread its roots. If you decide to plant them in a pot make sure it has a draining system for the water. Most herbs prefer full sunlight, so find a nice sunny spot to plant them. If you live somewhere where the average summers get over 90 degrees though, you might want to find a little bit of shade. I encourage you guys to do some research on different pots to plant your herbs. I have seen the cutest herb boxes that you can buy or even DIY. The main take away from this section is to find a place your plants have enough room to grow, sunlight, and soil that drains well.
Materials You’ll Need
- Herbs – I personally think its way easier to buy pre-planted herbs instead of buying seeds. Especially if you’re new to gardening.
- Pots- Make sure it’s a pot that has enough room for the plants roots to spread.
- Fertilized Soil
Planting Your Herbs
Making sure your plants have enough room to grow is essential to them living a long healthy life. Every herb has a different amount of room it needs to grow and I’m going to share that with you below!
- Rosemary, Sage, Mints, Oregano: 3-4 feet
- Basil, Thyme, Tarragon: 2 feet
- Cilantro, Dill, Chives, Parsley: 1 foot
If you’re going to plant the herbs in the ground, you’re going to want to start with preparing the soil. Preparing the soil includes loosening it by digging it with a gardening fork or shovel. This loosens up the dirt that has been compacted over the years and helps with drainage. After, you prepare the soil, add some new fertilized soil to the top. Then, dig holes big enough to fit your plants and transplant them into the holes. Make sure you give them a little water and watch them grow! Your plants will constantly want water, but make sure not to over water them. Look at the soil to see if it looks damp or dry.
If you’re transplanting to a pot, all you will need to do is transfer the plant to the pot with a little bit of fertilized soil. Add a little soil to the bottom of the pot and then place your plant on top. Fill in the rest of the pot with soil and pack it in, all done!
Caring For Your Herbs
After about a month of growing my herbs I found out that I wasn’t the only one that liked them. I had insects that were eating up all my herbs. Thankfully, I have a friend that has a major green thumb and actually has a Masters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She told me that the best way to keep those bugs away is by using Neem Oil. It works perfectly and is organic!
Harvesting Your Herbs
When your plants get to be about 6″-8″ tall it’s time to harvest them. You’re going to want to cut about 1/3 of the branches right before a leaf intersection. A leaf intersection is when two small leaves are growing out parallel to each other from the main stem. Once you cut the large stem off in between those two leaves, the leaves will grow into two separate stems.
Happy Growing Everyone!
Check out more of my content such as, 3 Tips To Find Your Healthy Lifestyle! Also, don’t forget to check out instagram, simplybgrace2!
Some of the research I found helpful came from The Tasteful Garden. If you want to check out their page a little more, feel free!