It Is All About Herbs! Cultivating A Passion For These Versatile Plants

Are you interested in growing your own herbs for cooking? How many times have you bought herbs at the grocery store only to think that you could grow the herbs at home? Beginning an indoor herbal garden brings the love of gardening indoors. Choosing the types of herbs to begin with may be difficult at first but a simple way to decide is to notice what herbs you like to cook with or those that you are purchasing frequently at the store.

If you enjoy the taste of fresh herbs and you would love to have them at your fingertips through out the year, an herb garden is the perfect project for you. Growing herbs is as easy as growing indoor houseplants. Primarily, herbs require four to six hours of daily sunlight and a soil mix that is not to rich and has a good draining system. If you are going to use a window box to grow your herbs, choose a south or west-facing window. As different types of plants require different types of light so does the different types of herbs, but most do well in a sunny location. You may also want to invest in a special light that you can use for the herbs during the winter months when the daylight hours diminish. Cultivating herbs is very enjoyable as they require little care and take up a minimal amount of space. They do not have many insect or disease problems and for the most part require only a moderate amount of fertilization.

For those of you who are just beginning to cultivate herbs indoors a few to begin with include:

Sweet basil

Dill

Mint

Sweet marjoram

Tarragon

Thyme

Chives

Parsley

Summer savory

An herbal garden does not have to be restricted to either indoors or outdoors. Of course, those of you love gardening can have both. You can cultivate herbs in your outdoor garden permanently or in pots to bring inside if you desire. If you have room in your vegetable garden you can add herbs to it or you can create a separate area specifically for your herbs.

Before you begin, you want to consider the size of your herb garden. Part of this decision will depend on the amount of variety of herbs you want. To add color to your herb garden you can plant parsley and purple basil and use them as a border around your herbal garden. It is important to remember to keep annual and perennial herbs separate. Annual herbs: anise, basil, chervil, coriander, dill, and summer savory. Perennial herbs: chives, fennel, marjoram, mint, tarragon, thyme, and winter savory. Biennial herbs: caraway and parsley. If you want to grow mint, make sure you have it contained or it will overtake your herb garden.

When choosing the site for your herb garden, consider drainage and the fertility of the soil. Probably the single most important factor to a successful herb garden is drainage. Herbs will not grow well in wet soils and require minimal fertilization. In general, the higher the fertile content of the soil the more excessive amounts of foliage you will produce with inadequate flavor.

Once you have grown your herbs, how do you cultivate them for use? As soon as the plant has enough foliage to maintain growth, you can pick the fresh leaves. To guarantee good oil content, pick leaves or seeds after dew has disappeared but prior to the sun becoming too hot. For dry, winter use; collect leaves before the flower buds open. Wash the leaves and seed heads in cold water; drain thoroughly before you start drying. Certain herbs, like parsley or fennel, you can enjoy straight from the plant.

An indoor herbal garden is a great way to have the herbs you love the most right at your fingertips as you prepare your favorite dishes. Another way of enjoying an herbal garden is that you can grow your favorite potpourri scents and create your own sachets to use in your linen drawers or give as gifts to family and friends. An herb garden will provide you with a relaxing hobby that you can enjoy indoors or outdoors and enjoyment all year long.