Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Fresh Herb Gardening Made Easy

By Yilmaz Cesur

The benefits of fresh herb gardening are numerous beginning with the fact you can enjoy homegrown herbs right from the garden, which inarguably, will have even more delicious aromas and tastes than any found at the local grocery stores. Speaking of which, you'll also be able to save money when it comes to cooking since you won't have to buy your herbs anymore. And, as if all of this weren't enough, fresh herb gardening also gives you a wonderful pastime to enjoy, taking you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life while getting exercise and getting in touch with nature.

Fresh Herb Container Gardening

However, you can grow herbs from containers, too. This way, you need not deprive yourself of the beauty of being closer to nature by being a gardener even if you live in a high-rise, cramped apartment.

There are many container types available in stores and sites today, from plastic and wood to ceramic and terracotta, that there is bound to be one container that answers your needs in terms of size, shape and style. Just remember that when choosing from among these container types, good drainage is one of the keys to successful herb gardening, the other two being sunlight and moisture.

As long as there's plenty of sunlight, you can place your herb garden just about anywhere. Besides sunny spots in the front or backyards, consider using containers on the patio, the deck, or on windowsills. Containers are easy to move in the case of cold or rain and can be quickly rearranged for aesthetic purposes.

Mixed Herbs

Another good thing about herb gardening is that you can plant many types of herbs in one space. Thus, you can get many colors, aromas, textures and uses out of single patch of land or a single pot. In essence, you can mix and match! (Just remember to never ever plant mint with other herbs as it is likely to overrun everything else).

If you want the best mixes, however, you can plant herbs according to their uses, of which there are many options. The most notable are the following, which you can purchase as starter kits from local nurseries:

* Aroma Mixture: Lavender, lemon balm and thyme, pineapple sage

* French cuisine - Chives, parsley, tarragon, chervil and sage

* For salads plant celery, garlic chives, parsley, rocket, and salad burnet

* Salad bowl - Parsley, celery, salad burnet, rocket and garlic chives

Start out with the best mixture for your needs and experiment as you like, or even better, grow one of each type so you'll have a variety to choose from.

Tips for Success

If you've never dabbled in gardening before, keep these quick tips in mind to help make your efforts a stunning success. First, be sure to keep excess foliage properly pruned to allow and encourage continued growth. Then, remember to transfer your plants to larger containers when needed or transfer a few to other containers if one pot is starting to look too crowded.

Also, try to extend their lives by feeding with liquid plant food albeit at half the strength for regular plants. Fourth, never over water the herbs since it can result in soggy roots. Instead, regularly check to make sure that the topmost soil is just damp, neither soggy nor bone dry. Fifth, just cut down the herbs when you see evidence of aphids and red spiders.

Keeping all of these helpful hints in mind you should be able to enjoy a bountiful crop along with delicious salads and other healthy foods thanks to your fresh herb gardening efforts. - 42532

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