Like many of us I love cooking with fresh herbs, but let's face it! Buying fresh herbs can be costly. I know you can't put a price on freshness, but since the collapse of the economy I try to cut as many corners as possible. So what do you do for that just picks freshness? Easy! Just grow your own herb garden. You can plant an herb garden on just a small plot anywhere you see fit. I've seen people use herbs in there landscaping plans. Even if you live in an apartment you can still grow herbs indoor. It doesn't much space to grow herbs indoors. As long as you have a windowsill that receives plenty of sunlight. So you say...I have no windowsills with decent lighting! Well fear not! You can purchase herb garden kits at most of the major retailers or buy herbal garden kits online. I've seen price ranges from anywhere between forty dollars to as high as three hundred. It's up to you whether you choose to grow indoors or out, just make sure you have all you supplies.
Select your best area
If you decide to plant your herb garden outdoors, make sure you find an area that gets at least five hours of sunlight a day; most herbal plants desire a lot of sunlight. Make sure you plant your herbs in good soil that has plenty of drainage and is slightly alkaline. If your soil has too much acid in it, then add a little lime to balance the pH for your herbal plants. Try keeping your growing herbs in proximity of your kitchen for quick convenience, that way you'll always have herbs on hand.
Select your herbal plants
Your herb garden will consist of a variety of medicinal herbs and culinary herbs, cayenne, oregano, lemon balm, parsley, basil and dill. You have some herbs you plant just once and they come back yearly. These herbal plants are called perennials. Then you got some herbal plant that in colder climates they're considered as annuals, so you can either bring them in during the winter or just replant some new plants every spring. Make sure you do your homework on whatever herbs you decide on growing so you can give them proper care.
Next, you need to decide on growing herbs from cuttings or seeds. Depending on the herb plant that you're trying to grow can determine what's best. For instance, rosemary isn't easy to start from a seed, while starting from a cutting would be easier. You can go to your local nursery to obtain your plants or you can buy herbs online from other nurseries and have them ship directly to you. If you’re starting your own herb garden indoors, then they're normally started with seeds and need plenty of sunshine and H2O.
Growing your own herbs not only will cut down cost, but you can't get any fresher than fresh herbs within hands reach. It can also be a fun hobby growing different herbs and learning about their origins. Share with family and friends, most of all have fun growing and enjoy!
