Growing Herbs

Mint is a wise choice for beginning herb gardeners.

Growing herbs is an inexpensive alternative to buying them in the grocery store. Herbs add flavor and color to your culinary creations. They can be grown indoors or outside in your garden area. Winter or summer savory, sweet basil, mint, coriander, rosemary, dill, parsley, thyme, tarragon and chives are among the excellent choices for a beginning gardener to grow. Once the herbs are ready to harvest, you can use them fresh in your cooking or preserve them by freezing or drying.

Things You'll Need

• Shallow boxes
• Mulch
• Well-drained, sterilized potting soil
• Perlite or coarse sand

Instructions

1. Sow the seeds of herbs indoors in the late winter months if possible. Use a light, well-drained soil in shallow boxes. Cover them lightly with the soil. Fine seeds require a shallower sowing than larger seeds. Transplant the herb seedlings outdoors in the spring. Fennel, coriander, dill and anise do not transplant well, sow them directly into the garden when the weather warms.

2. Pick a sunny site in your garden area to transplant the herbs. Choose an area with soil that drains well. Herbs do not grow well in soggy soils. Few herbs require full shade, but many thrive in afternoon shade conditions. If the soil is dense or compacted, add organic matter to loosen it.

3. Water the herbs according to the directions on the seed packets. Most herbs require minimal watering once they are established.

4. Harvest the herb leaves as soon as a plant has enough foliage to continue growing. The oil content and flavor is highest if you pick them after the dew is dry, but before the sun gets too hot. Wash the leaves with cold water before using in foods.

5. Cover the perennial herbs with 4 inches of mulch, such as evergreen boughs, oak leaves or straw, during the winter. Do this after the ground has frozen. Remove the mulch once the danger of frost is gone and the herbs show signs of growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Grow indoor herbs year-round using two parts sterilized potting soil and one part perlite or sand. Place the herbs in a south- or west-facing window. Water plants according to the variety, but avoid over watering. Misting them periodically helps keep the plants moist.

• Fertilizer is not necessary for herbs, unless you require frequent or heavy harvests, according to the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service website.

• Pests or fungus rarely affects herb plants.

References

• West Virginia University Extension Service: Growing Herbs in the Home Garden
• Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service; Growing Herbs; Kate Copsey, et al.; January 2002