Growing herbs can be an easy way to provide yourself and your family with many of the herbs you already use.
For the American pioneers, herbs were used as a major source of seasoning for foods. In addition, they were also used for their medicinal qualities, and for dying homespun fabrics and as fragrances.
Here, I give an overview of growing herbs, including which ones to choose, preparing the site, how to plant and harvest them, and a brief list of some of the more popular herbs.
Growing Herbs: Choosing Which Herbs To Grow
Before starting your garden, you’ll need to decide which herbs you are going to plant.
You'll probably want a mixture of annuals, which only bloom one season and then die; and perennials, which return year after year. There is also a third category, the biennials, which only live for two seasons and blooms during the second season.
Additionally, there are different broad types of herbs from which to choose according to use. The different categories include aromatic, medicinal and ornamental.
Aromatic herbs are herbs that have flowers that are known for their pleasant smell. Oils from these herbs can be used to produce perfumes and various scents.
When dried, many aromatic herbs retain their fragrance for a long time. Some aromatic herbs include basil, lovage, marjoram, mint and rosemary.
Culinary herbs are herbs that are used in cooking. These herbs are generally known for their strong flavors, and are used as seasonings for food. Some popular culinary herbs include basil, chives, marjoram, mint, parsley and thyme.
Ornamental herbs are herbs that have colorful flowers and foliage. Their flowers are often light in color. Examples of ornamental herbs include chives, lavender, mint and thyme.
Medicinal herbs are known for their healing properties. Be advised that some of these herbs can be effective for medical purposes, but others are highly overrated. In addition, they may interact with any medications you are currently using.
There are dozens of medicinal herbs including: black cohosh, catnip, dandelion, feverfew, ginkgo biloba, ginseng and goldenseal.
When you select a site for your herb garden, choose one that has good drainage. Soil that drains well is probably the most important factor for a successful herb garden. Growing herbs in wet soil can be problematic.
If the drainage of your soil is poor, you'll have to make modifications to the area to ensure proper drainage. To improve drainage, first remove 15 to 18 inches of soil from the area. Next, add a 3-inch layer of crushed rock on the bottom of your excavated area.
Before filling in the area with soil, mix either compost or sphagnum peat moss with some sand with it. This will lighten the texture of the soil, improving drainage. Or, you may add perlite from any garden supply store to help improve drainage of your soil.
Most herbs will grow in any good garden soil, but a pH reading between 6.5 and 7.0 will produce optimum results.
In addition to the amount of sun your garden will receive, the soil type needs to be considered before choosing which herbs to grow. Most medicinal herbs can be grown in average soil in an area that receives moderate amounts of sunlight.
Growing Herbs: Determining How Much Light Is Needed
Growing herbs properly requires eight hours of full sun for optimum growth. Only a few such as Angelica, Woodruff and Sweet Sicily grow well in partial shade.
When choosing your site, choose one with a southwestern orientation if possible to ensure that your herbs receive adequate sunlight. If your area has hot sun with dry soil, the following list of herbs will grow best under these conditions: lavender, rosemary, hyssop, sage and winter savories.
Growing Herbs: Preparing and Sowing the Seeds
Many herbs can be started from seeds.
If it is possible, start your seeds indoors in pots in late winter. They should be placed under a sunny window in a cool room. New seedlings grow best in a cool environment.
If you choose not to sow the seeds inside in late winter, nearly all herbs can be grown from seed in the ground.
Generally, the finer the seed, the shallower they should be sown. You should sow anise, coriander, dill and fennel directly in the soil, as they don't transplant well.
Be advised that some seeds start longer to start than others, so you should plant them first. You can later transplant these plants into the garden after the danger of frost is past.
Also, a few herbs do not transplant well.
These herbs should be sown directly into the garden in spring after any danger of frost has passed. Herbs that do not transplant well include anise, coriander, dill and fennel.
Although plant spacing will differ depending upon variety, a good rule of thumb is to place transplants 10 to 12 inches apart.
Be sure to leave plenty of space between the different varieties, to allow each one plenty of space to spread. A good recommendation is to fill in your spaces with annuals, until your perennials mature.
You should sow biennials in late spring directly in the soil. Wet the soil, and sow the seeds in shallow rows, firmly covering them with soil.
Growing Herbs: Water
When growing herbs, be advised that they can be easily overwatered. To determine how much water is needed, you should learn how to read your plants, to properly determine when they need to be watered.
The rule of thumb is to let the herbs dry out completely before watering them. This could take anywhere from a few days to over a week, before your plants need watering.
Insert your index finger into the dirt until you can feel the root system. Note how long it takes for drying to occur each time, and then establish a consistent watering system.
If the leaves are yellow, it is incorrect to assume that your plant needs more water. It probably indicates that it has too much.
When a plant is too wet, the roots start to rot, making them less capable of absorbing water. As a result, the plant begins to wilt, not from too little water, but too much.
