Growing An Herb Garden Tips And Tricks

Herb gardening is gaining popularity. It is a perfect way to spice up your foods naturally or make potpourri. Herbs smell good, some look pretty, and some herbs can also help detract pests. There are different ways to grow an herb garden. You can have an herb garden inside or outside. Here are some tips for growing an herb garden.

Indoor and outdoor herb gardens have many advantages. Or you can do both if you like. Plant some herbs in a pot and carry them inside in the winter. Herbs can be easy to take care of and have many extra advantages. Not only do they look nice but you can also use them as borders or companion plant them to help rid pests in your gardens.

Growing Herbs Inside

For growing an herb garden inside you will need some type of container. This can be a window box, clay pots, or plastic pots. Choose what type of pots you like for a nice view. You will need an area that gets at least 4 hours of sun a day with no drafts.

If you do not have enough sunshine then you can use fluorescent lights but your plants should still be kept out of drafts. Avoid putting your herbs in the kitchen. Herbs don’t like cooking fumes. Buy your herbs at a specialty store. You will get more of a selection and the employees will be more knowledgeable. Generally bushier herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano are great for indoor herb gardens.

Once you get home begin planting your herbs in potting soil and the pots you purchased. The herbs should be planted about 8 inches deep and 6-8 inches apart if you have one big pot. The potting soil should be of high quality and contains some sort of compost. Mushroom compost is great and can be bought at the herb store.

Good Drainage is Important

To get good drainage from your pots set them on a tray of gravel. Good soil drainage will help prevent root rot. When you have your herbs planted lightly water and put them in your specified location. The herbs will need to be watered once or twice a week.

Stand each pot in water until the soil is moist but not saturated. Fertilize the plants regularly when they are in full growth. For harvesting, your indoor herbs make sure to leave plenty of growth and to cut from the outer leaves. With care and research, you should have a flourishing indoor herb garden.

Outdoor Herb Gardens

For outdoor herb gardens, you’ll need a place that is sunny for at least half the day. You can plant the herbs outside just like you planted them inside but in the ground. You can also put pots of herbs outside to grow and bring them inside in the winter for year-round herbs.

You can plant your choice of herbs in an area of your garden all alone or you can spread the herbs around with your flowers and other plants. Keep your herbs mixed together and not in big patches. This will make pests easier to control. Fertilize the plants when you first plant them. Then fertilize about once a month during vigorous growth to keep the plants in good health and able to fight off disease or pests.

When you have an outside herb garden you will need to mulch and prevent weeds. If you want your herbs to spread you need to keep the mulch away from the roots. This encourages more growth. You should cut back your herbs regularly for cooking or rooting. This helps keep the plant healthy and it will look better.

Be Sure to Watch for Pests or Disease

Walkthrough your herb gardens or areas regularly to spot problems like pests or disease. This ensures you get rid of the problem quickly before the problem ruins a whole garden. A yellow sticky bar available at garden nurseries will help you watch insect populations in your herb gardens. Once your herbs are established then you’ll want to keep them on the dry side for flavor. Pick your herbs on a sunny mid-morning to keep the herbs natural oils.

Sometimes, it can be helpful to reach out to a pest control service to get help from professionals. Going through all the work of planting a garden to have it destroyed by unwanted and damaging bugs is disheartening. Contact https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/nevada/ for support in and around your garden to prevent any future (or further) damage to your garden.

There are many other tips for herb gardening and as you become more experienced you may have your own tips for gardening herbs.