Herb Gardening

It’s summer…it’s hot… it’s time for salads and fresh herbs.
Fresh herbs can be expensive in the supermarkets so why don’t you grow your own?
Herb gardening can be achieved in most gardens – you can grow herbs on the smallest windowsill, on a balcony, in containers or, if space allows, create a herb-garden section in your garden..

Growing herbs

Herbs are easy to grow as long as they have the right conditions: primarily sun and drainage.You can grow them from seeds or buy a small plant in the supermarket or garden center and plant it in a bigger pot. If you want to grow them from seeds it’s best to start them off indoors or in a greenhouse before planting them in your garden or bigger containers. Herb are ideal for container planting.

If you’re into Feng Shui the best place to plant herbs is in the East section of your garden (i.e. facing West).

Herbs to grow

The easiest herbs to grow are OREGANO, SAGE, TARRAGON and ROSEMARY. They are hardy perennials (rosemary is evergreen). They don’t need much space nor care. They’ll grow happily in a sunny spot, in a container, in rich or poor soil. They even tolerate droughts and dry soil conditions.

CHIVES and THYME are also quite easy to grow, they are hardy and annual (and great with fish!)

If you want to grow MINT or DILL make sure you either grow it in a container or in a secluded area of your garden as mint can be very pervasive – they spread all over the place. They both can be grown in shady areas.

BASIL can be tricky to grow. It doesn’t like being watered from the top, so you’d better grow it in a container and water it via a saucer placed underneath. It’s not hardy, so it won’t survive the winter – you could move it indoors.

PARSLEY is a hardy biennial, but it doesn’t seem to survive frost (in my garden, anyway). It grows well in shady areas and it tolerates poor soil and drainage.

FENNEL is also easy to grow in sunny areas and well drained soil.
CHAMOMILE and WATERCRESS are best to grow in full sun and rich & well drained soil.

Where to get herb plants

Many garden centers offer special deals on herbs (and on other plants). If you get your herbs now, you can plant them in your garden or containers and enjoy them for the next 3 months.

More gardening tips?

If you need Gardening tips  visit our DIY Tips section or join our Gardening Forum .