Herbs
Herbs can be grown in any vegetable garden, as a border, in their own raised bed, in a flower garden and in containers. Growing herbs in a fifteen square foot area will accommodate a dozen or so plants, which would be adequate for most families’ culinary needs. Herbs can be grown indoor in containers for easy access. Medicinal herbs can be grown separately or interspersed with the culinary varieties.
Site Selection
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The site for growing herbs in your herb garden must receive at least six hours of sun during the growing season. Locate your garden as close to the house as possible without shading the garden, because if it is “in sight” and “within easy reach”, you will use it more often. You will also want to see the beautiful flowers that some plants produce.
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Preparing the Garden
| Growing herbs in a new garden will require preparation. Mark the garden outline, remove the sod and till or dig up the area to a depth of about 8 inches. Remove debris - stones, roots, etc. It is a good idea to improve the soil’s drainage, nutrient content and pH by adding organic matter, such as compost or sphagnum peat moss, sand for drainage, ground limestone for pH adjustment and aged manure for nutrients. Preparing the garden for growing herbs is not a major project, since most herbs are actually weeds and will grow in any reasonably balanced soil. The important items are full sun and drainage. Any other amendments to condition the soil will yield a more bountiful crop. Growing herbs in clay soils deserves special attention. To promote drainage, construct raised beds using an edging consisting of boards, timbers, bricks, etc., and mix in sand and/or sphagnum peat moss to loosen the soil. |
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AccugrowT Soil Test Kit 
After planting the herbs, add a clean mulch, such as cocoa or rice hulls, small pine bark chips or coarse sand. Until you become intimately acquainted with growing herbs, always use labels to mark each plant so that you are absolutely sure of each plant’s identity.
Beginner Plants
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Since only one or two plants of each variety will satisfy the requirements of most families, buying starter plants, rather than trying to start plants from seed, is the most resourceful way to go. The easiest plants to begin growing herbs happen to be some of the most popular. They are basil, parsley, dill, coneflower, oregano, thyme, yarrow, bee balm, chives, sage and mints. The mints should be confined since they spread rapidly and can take over a garden. |
In Conclusion
Growing herbs is relatively easy, since they will grow and produce under less than optimal conditions. Growing herbs for culinary, medicinal and other uses can be a challenging and fun pastime. And finally, growing herbs can enhance your dining experience and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
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