Start a Herb Garden | Herb Garden Design
“Who Else Is Ready To Start a Herb Garden?”
To start a herb garden, one of the first decisions you need to make is where to put your herb garden and have a herb garden design in mind. Herbs can also be grown indoors in pots or containers. You can also windowsill herb garden or a hanging baskets herb garden. Growing herbs in pots is not anymore difficult then growing herbs in an outdoor garden. Indoor herb gardens need the same growing requirements that garden herbs need.
All herb plants need three main things in order to grow successfully
Sunlight, soil and water are three things all plants need . Herbs are no exception. Sunlight is key to growing any type of plant including herbs whether they are grown indoors or in a garden. You should place your potted herb garden in a place that faces south or west to get the best kind of sunlight. A kitchen herb garden needs to be on a windowsill that gets plenty of sunlight. While a window herb garden is fairly low maintenance, you should check the plants at least once a week to see if they need to be watered. Don’t just pour in the water automatically, since one of the most common problems with indoor plants is over-watering. Make sure you test the soil with your finger to see if it feels dry to the touch. Also, you should plan to fertilize your herbs with special plant food spikes during the growing season. After all, since the plants are in containers, they can’t pull any more nutrients from the soil once they’ve used what is there.
If you do not have the sunlight, you can use artificial light, but that seems to take away from the naturalness of the process for many gardeners. When you start a herb garden you will need to water weekly or twice weekly, but do not over water. Fertilizer should be used and should be a slow timed release type such as pellets or sticks and are available at any garden store.
Different types of herb garden designs have different light requirements but, for the most part, all need a sunny location. Some home herb growers supplement the light source with “grow lamps” or fluorescent lamps. Herbs also need a well drained, not too rich soil to grow in. Add two parts of sterilized potting soil with one part coarse sand or perlite for herbs that are grown in containers. You will also need about an inch of gravel at the bottom of each pot to ensure that the plant has good drainage.
Herb grown in pots indoors can also be supplemented with one teaspoon of lime per 5-inch pot to ensure that the soil is sweet enough for the herbs. Herbs grown in pots also need water. Misting the plants and moistening the pebbles will help to keep the herbs within humid conditions. Since they are being grown in containers they do need to have more water then herbs that are grown in a garden but, you should avoid getting the roots of the herbs drenched or soggy.
An advantage to growing herbs in a container is that you have the freedom to move them about as you please. Annual herbs can spend all of their time indoors but, perennial herbs do better if they were to be placed outside during the summer. Although all herbs should be brought inside before the first frost in order to avoid the loss of foliage. This rule is over looked when it comes to mint, chives, and tarragon. These types of herbs will go into a rest period then form firmer and fresher growth after it is introduced to a light frost.
All herbs can be grown in containers but some herbs do better then others. Mint is an herb that needs to be contained or it will take over the garden. Over all it is fairly easy to maintain an indoor herb garden. It keeps the herbs handy and within reach anytime you need them for cooking.
With these tips listed above, you will be able to care for your herbs and ensure a healthy plant. You should also include periodic light feeding and yearly repotting for optimum health of the herbs. You will also have to remember to replant annuals each year and move perennials outdoors when needed.
Also remember that if your indoor herb garden is a permanent addition to your home, be sure that you feed your herbs plant food during the spring and summer months. All potted plants use up the nutrients in the soil and need to have them replaced occasionally to stay healthy and happy. Plus, use your herbs as much as you want as well as harvest them occasionally. It is no secret that pruning plants encourages new growth. This rule also applies to herbs.
So when you are ready to start a herb garden and you need herb garden desigh ideas goto the link below and get your copy of Secrets of Successful Herb Gardening for only $17.00.
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