Think you don’t have time to grow and maintain a garden, think again. Try herb gardening. It might not be as beautiful as a flower garden or offer up as big of a harvest as a vegetable garden, but an herb garden can add so much to your home. It’s much easier too when compared to the hassle of lawn care and lawn treatments.

First you have to decide what herbs you’ll plant in your garden. The choices are huge so it can sometimes seem difficult to choose. The best way to choose what’s right for you is to look at your current cooking herbs. By growing your own herbs, you save money on your grocery bill and you have the luxury of fresh herbs whenever you choose. Try growing some of my favorites, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Dill and Parsley. There are so many to choose from.

Herb gardening requires well draining soil for an optimum growing environment. If the soil doesn’t drain well, your plants will get to wet and won’t grow correctly. You can fix a drainage problem in an outdoor garden by digging a trench in the soil and filling it with crushed rock, and then simply shovel top soil over it. For container gardens, place some large rocks or crushed stone in the bottom of your containers.

Once you’ve decided what plants you want to grow you need to decide if you will buy seeds or seedlings. Herbs are relatively easy to grow from seeds and it’s a less expensive way to garden. Some herb species are fast growing. A good example of this is the Mint plant. It can grow dangerously fast if planted in an open area. It will soon take over all the land it can. You can avoid this by planting fast growing herbs such as Mint in containers.
Once your herbs have started growing it is tempting to pull some leaves, but it can be fatal to the plant if you take off too much or do it too soon. In fact it isn’t healthy for your plants at all if they are not yet well established. This can take several months of growing time. However, the wait is worth it, as your plant will be healthier and produce fragrant herbs for years.

Once the plants are well established and you have harvested the leaves you’ll want to cook with them right? After all isn’t that why you started an herb garden. You first must dry the leaves out by baking them for 2 to 4 hours at 170 degrees Fahrenheit. After the leaves are completely dried you are free to use them in your cooking. Try experimenting with the different flavors and recipes.

Dried herbs can be stored in non porous containers such as glass or plastic. Avoid using cardboard or any type of paper material as your herbs will lose their flavor into the absorbent container. You must check your herbs regularly especially during the first few days to be sure no moisture has gotten into the container. If it does, simply take them out and re-dry them in the oven. If moisture remains after the first drying process it can cause mildew to form. This can ruin your whole batch of herbs.

If you enjoy gardening and love to cook, then an herb garden is the perfect one for you. It requires a little work to be sure the soil is draining properly, but the harvest of fresh herbs is worth the work. It is so nice to have your favorite herbs fresh and ready for you at a portion of the cost that is required at the grocery store. Get more good info on gardening.