Buy Bulk Herbs or Grow Your Own

Is the phrase, “Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,” more than an ancient song lyric to you? Do you love to pour over the bundles of lavender and powders of ginseng root that are available from web sites specializing in bulk herbs? You are the perfect candidate to plant a herb garden of your own.

Herbs are valued for their taste, their aroma and their somewhat mystic healing properties. Herb gardens are known for their beauty and their variety. You can create herb gardens as small as a window box or as large as your entire yard. Imagine going to your garden to snip fresh herbs for cooking or drying herbs to use when the plants aren’t in season.

Herbs should be planted in well-drained soil. Herbs don’t grow well in wet soil. Most herbs require a lot of direct sun, but amazingly, herbs do not require richly fertile soil. In fact, soil that is too fertile will produce leafy plants that have poor flavor. Do not over water or over fertilize your herbs.

Many herbs are perennial plants meaning they will come back year after year. Spend your first year of herb gardening establishing a healthy stand of plants that will produce savory herbs season after season.

You Don’t Need a Lot of Space to Grow Herbs

Herbs lend themselves nicely to container gardens. Terracotta containers can be planted with just one type of herb or a mixture of several different plants. Herb container gardens can be kept on the patio or deck right outside your kitchen door. Walk just a few feet and you have fresh herbs for cooking. Speaking of snipping herbs, for the best flavor cut herbs early in the morning before the sun saps moisture from the plant.

Herbs can also be grown indoors in pots or hanging baskets. Place herbs near a west or south window. Make sure the pot or basket has good drainage. Mist the herb plants to keep them moist and be careful not to get the plants’ roots too wet.

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