Growing an Herb Garden

By growing your own herbs at home, you can save money and time and bring a little touch of nature into your home.    Tips to grow fresh Herb Gardens...

Cultivating a herb garden is a great way to liven up your kitchen and make sure you always have fresh seasoning to hand when cooking. Mini herb gardens don’t take up much space so are ideal for city living, too. If you have a windowsill free, you are good to go.

Pick some nice window boxes or a planter (with countless styles available online or from any home ware store you will easily find something to fit your home). Some great plants for beginners include thyme, chives, sage and rosemary, as these are all perennial (meaning they are always in season and roots continue to live, even when soil looks empty).

When planting herbs, keep them separate to give each one enough space to grow. Most indoor planters have separate sections, or you might prefer to use individual pots. Always place your herbs where there is plenty of sunlight. Occasionally dryness can be a problem for indoor plants, especially in winter. To solve this, place your planter or window boxes into a tray of pebbles and cover the pebbles with water. This tray will make sure your plants have enough moisture. You won’t need to worry too much about pruning, as you'll be cutting them to use in food anyway, which encourages their growth.

Thyme and rosemary grow well together, as both are Mediterranean plants suited to light, well-drained soils (so keep soil moist, but don’t over-water). Both are very hardy, and will grow well as long as they have adequate sunlight. Sage is a very hardy plant and will grow in most soils as long as it has light. However, because of its broad leaves, it might be best planted on its own for aesthetics. Chives are one of the easiest plants to keep alive. They are quick to seed and very easy to maintain, requiring only occasional watering. If you want to grow your own fresh mint, it is important to separate it from other plants – mint needs a deep pot and a fair amount of soil as it will spread.

Now Get Planting! 

 Article from www.athomemagazine.co.uk

Herb bags from Crate and Barrel  

Chalkboard pots below by Arizona Pottery

You may also like my Pasta Seasoning Blend and Herbs de Provence Recipes