How to Maintain an Herb Garden

If your herb garden is thriving, you can ensure that it will stay that way by taking a few precautionary measures at the end of each growing season. Here are some pointers on maintaining your herb garden year-round.

Things You'll Need

• Pots Organic mulch, newspapers, branches, clippings Plastic spray bottle

Instructions

1. Remove sickly looking plants and stems from your herb garden. Cultivate around the plants, or use organic mulch to protect the soil over a larger area. Because lawn cuttings can be too absorbent, use gravel when mulching herbs, such as lavender, thyme or rosemary, that thrive in drier soils.

2. Water mint, chives or basil, and any herbs that are in small containers, but only minimally unless the weather is very dry. For herbs planted in the ground, use about half of the amount of water that you would use for other plants, as herbs are drought-resistant and are able to withstand drier conditions better than damp ones.

3. Create your own non-toxic pesticide for your herbs by picking leaves from plants that are unaffected by pests--mint plants are a good example--and boiling them in three parts water to one part herb. Allow the mixture to stand for 15 minutes, then let it cool, and strain it through a piece of cheesecloth. Pour the mix into a spray bottle and spray on affected plants. Store the spray for up to a week for reuse, then make a new batch, if needed.

4. Bring frost-vulnerable herbs, such as bay, lemon verbena, scented geraniums or rosemary, indoors during cold winters. If replanting them every year is an inconvenience, you can keep them potted for easy transport.

5. Cover frost-resistant or perennial herbs with a thick layer of mulch, including tree branches, leaves, straw or newspaper, when the ground freezes. Leave the covering on the herbs until the danger of frost has passed in your seasonal zone. To prevent rot, check on the herbs in mid-April, and uncover them on sunny days when new growth appears. Recover them on cold nights to prevent freezing.

Resources

• More on Herb Gardens
• More Helpful Hints on Herb Gardening