Grow Your Own Herbs
As any chef or cook can tell you, having your own herb garden is the best way to ensure a constant supply of fresh herbs for your favourite recipes. Growing your own herbs is not only easy, but it is also an asset in your kitchen. When you need a sprig of parsley or a few basil leaves, for example, you pick just what you need rather than having to buy a whole bunch with most of it ending up in the trash.
The list of herbs is vast and unless you have lots of land and plenty of gardening helpers, you are best choosing a selection of herbs you would use the most. These could be anything, but the most popular herbs are, parsley (curly and continental), sweet basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, coriander and sweet marjoram. Choosing a selection of herbs to grow is entirely dependant upon your needs.
This article will show you:
How to grow a selection of six herbs,
Explain a little about each one
Show you how to use minimal space and effort to grow them
First of all let us begin by getting our tools and resources together. You will need:
2 window/planter boxes each measuring between 2 to 3ft., (if you are using a garden bed, that is fine. Just follow the same spacing details).
2 bags of premium quality potting mix.
1 packet or bottle of liquid fertilizer
A selection of 6 to 8 of your favorite herbs.
Select six to eight pots of of your favorite herbs from your local nursery. Make sure they are healthy and not just out of a greenhouse. The way to tell this is by the strength and uprightness of the stem. If it has been outdoors and acclimatised sufficiently, the plant will have calcified enough and benefitted from direct sunlight. Greenhouse grown plants tend to be soft and weak, even if they do look picture perfect. The sudden shock of life outdoors can cause shock.
Remember to check the eventual growing height and size of the herbs you select, as some herbs can outgrow others. Rosemary for example is more of a shrub sized plant and can outgrow and smother other herbs. Rosemary is best planted alone in its own pot or in the garden. Herbs like, basil, dill, coriander, parsley, chives, oregano and sweet marjoram, complement each other nicely. They can be planted side by side.
Water all herbs in their original pots 30 minutes prior to transplanting. In the meantime, take a planter box and fill 2 thirds of this with potting mix. Choose a herb and remove it from its pot taking care not to damage the roots. Plant a selection of 3 to 4 herbs in one planter and then repeat by planting the other 3 to 4 in the second planter.
Water these well and set aside in a sheltered area, protected from the afternoon sun for about 1 week, long enough for plants to recover from transplant shock. These only need to be watered once during this time. After one week they can be moved into full sun where watering 2 to 3 times per week is required, along with a dose of fertilizer fortnightly.
There you have it. Your own herb garden! Happy Gardening!
Author: James Koutlis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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