Practical Herb Garden Info

This article will let you in on some practical herb garden information.  Herbs were first used by the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Chinese.  There are also references in the Bible and medieval documents that show herbs were used by most households.

Gardeners find planting herbs in an herb garden beneficial for several different reasons.  Herbs are used for medical purposes, for potpourri, to flavor food, tea and to control pests in the garden.

Herb gardens can be specialized towards one of these specific areas or a mixture of a few different purposes.  They can also be grown with other species of plants in an outdoor garden or in containers indoors.  Herb gardens can be grown in different ways such as an indoor herb garden in the kitchen or a small plot in the garden.  A small plot of four feet by six feet is a large enough area to support a small family.

Aside from being popularly used for cooking, culinary herbs are also grown for their flavor and for the beauty of their flowers.  They can be used fresh or dried.  Some variety of herbs can be used to improve the flavor of a dish and some are used as decoration for plates or salads.

Herbs grow as annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees just like any other plants.  When planting herbs in an herb garden, you should use well-drained soil.  You can add organic matter to the soil if you find that it is heavy or compacted.  Fertilizers are not necessary either.  There are herbs that like a full shade but most of them prefer a sunny location.  Afternoon shade is perfect for many herbs to grow well.

It is incredible that herbs are attacked by very few insects or diseases.  Sometimes in dry, hot weather, red spider mites can be found on low-growing plants and aphids may attach dill, caraway, anise, or fennel.  Rust can also affect mint.

Herbs can be bought and planted into a home herb garden or they can be grown from seeds.  There is great pride and indescribable joy in seeing a plant grow from a single seed.  You will nurture every step of the process from sowing to harvesting.  It is extremely rewarding to grow an herb from a seed because herbs are very useful.

Almost all herbs can be grown from a seed.  Seeds should be placed in a shallow pot or box in the late winter.  Use a light, well-drained soil to grow your seeds in.

Make sure not to cover the seeds with too much soil because they do not have a deep root base.  You should plant the seeds in a shallow soil.  The rule is to plant the finer seeds in a shallow soil.

The seedlings can be transferred in an outdoor garden in the spring.  Some herbs do not transplant well even if most of them are grown  from seeds.  You should plant herbs like dill, fennel, anise and coriander directly into the herb garden.

Although growing herbs in a home herb garden is extremely easy and worthwhile, there is a lot of information you need to know and understand about herbs.  This article has given you a lift and now it is time to complete the journey with more information.  Everything you need to know can be found right here. Best of luck!