Starting Your Own Kitchen Herb Garden
Many of us love cooking with fresh herbs, but the standard fare in the produce department of the local grocers just won’t do. You want that just picked off the vine flavor, and the best way to get it is by planting your very own kitchen herb garden at home that you can access whenever you need to. An herb garden can consist of a plot of ground just past the backdoor, or it can be a line of pots on your windowsill. It will be up to you, your preference and the amount of space you have as to where and how your kitchen herb garden will evolve.
Choosing the Best Site
If you decide to plant your kitchen herb garden outdoors, you will want to find a spot that gets at least five hours of sun each day, since most herb plants crave the light. Having your plants placed in good soil is a must with plenty of drainage and little alkaline. If you need more drainage, you can mound your plants a bit so water can run off easier. If your soil is too acidic, adding lime will balance the pH for your plants. Having an outdoor garden that is near to your kitchen will also be good, so you can just run outdoors and snip off a few leaves when you need them.
Choosing the Best Plants
Most kitchen herb gardens will consist of a variety of culinary herbs, like oregano, basil, lemon balm, parsley and dill. Some of these herbs will be perennials, meaning that you can plant once and enjoy them for many seasons. Some herbs grow as annuals in cold climates, so you can bring the plants indoors in winter or you can also replant your herb garden each spring. It is important to research for herb garden information as well as the growing habits of each individual herb that you include, to ensure that you give them the best environment and care possible.
While some herbs will grow well from seed, others will be much harder to begin this way. For instance, the rosemary may be a difficult crop to start from seed, but it can be quite successful if you start from cuttings. You can also purchase rosemary plants from the neighborhood nursery and plant them directly into your kitchen herb garden. If you are starting your herbs indoors, they are generally started with seeds and require plenty of light and water to begin the growing process.
Your own kitchen herb garden will be a fun hobby that you can enjoy for the summer, and provide you with many delectable seasonings all year long. It is really easy to grow herbs, it is also fun to harvest and delicious to eat!