The are many advantages to growing your own herbs. It is a pleasurable hobby to engage in. It is also a frugal way to add delicious fresh herbs to your summer recipes. There are numerous benefits to growing your herb garden in containers.
Benefits include:
- You can grow a lot of herbs in a small space.
- By growing herbs in containers you can avoid the unpleasant task of weeding.
- Growing herbs in pots allows you to control herbs such as mint and lemon balm that are considered invasive plants.
- If you have your herbs in containers, you can move them around to find the best lighting for maximum growth.
- As winter approaches, you can bring the herbs indoors. If you have a sunny location, they will continue to thrive throughout the winter.
There are some basic guidelines for planting herbs in containers.
- Herbs need to be planted in containers that have good drainage.
- You need to plant your herbs in a medium density soil.
- Plants in containers need to be watered more often than herbs planted in the ground.
- You will need to fertilize your container grown herbs at least once during the summer months.
- Herbs need to be pruned throughout their growing season.
There are numerous types of containers you can use for your herb garden. You can choose to grow your herbs in a collection of small individual containers. This option allows you to rearrange the herbs on you deck, patio, or in your yard so that each herb receives the proper amount of shade or sunlight that is best for it. You can arrange small pots of herbs in decorative basket for an attractive outdoor display. You can grow numerous herbs in a large container. Strawberry pots are also a popular choice of container for herbs.
Most herbs are easy to grow. However, if herb gardening is a new adventure for you, there are some basic, very hardy, easy to grow herbs that can help make your first adventure successful. Planting herbs according to a basic theme is a popular method of container garden design.
A kitchen herb garden or an Italian herb theme include some of the easiest herbs to grow. To create this type of garden you could include basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, and chives. All of these grow well when placed in the same container.
A fragrance garden is a wonderful way to add delightful aromas to your patio or deck. Aromatic herbs such as rosemary, basil, lavender, and mint can make the time you spend relaxing in your outdoor sitting area much more pleasant. Scented geraniums also make a great addition to a fragrant herb garden.
Savory, dill, chamomile, and marjoram are also good herbs to grow in containers. One way to decide which herbs to plant together is to look at the herbs seeds included in prepackaged kits. If you have the time and the proper set up, starting herbs from seeds can be your first step in your container growing process. However, if your time is limited and you don’t have the ideal conditions for starting plants from seeds, buying small herb plants is the best way to get an early and easy start to enjoying fresh herbs during the summer.
Growing herbs in containers is a rewarding hobby. You can find some excellent ideas for planting, growing, and displaying herbs in containers at Martha Stewart. For detailed advice on how to grow specific herbs you might want to visit Garden Know How. Herb gardening is easy, fun, and the rewards are delicious and delightful.
