Herb Gardening

By: Rachel Keith

herb - A plant whose stem does not become woody and permanent, but dies, at least down to the ground, after flowering.

When you go to the supermarket you can see fresh herbs for sale. These same herbs can be grown in your garden with a minimal amount of trouble. You can grow them from cuttings or seeds. You can divide the heavy growing herbs and plant new herb plants. Whatever format that you decide to use, herb gardening adds zest to your world.

Herbs are annuals, biennials and perennial plants. Herbs like Basil, Coriander and Dill are annuals that bloom for one season only and then die. Caraway and parsley are biennials that live for two seasons and bloom only in the second season. Perennials like chives, fennel, mint and tarragon ‘die’ over winter and then blossom each season once the plant has established itself.

Herbs need to be planted in a 20 by 4 foot garden space. In this garden, you can have separate plots for each type of herb. This mini plot is a 12 by 18 inch herb garden. With the many herbs that are being used, colorful and frequently used herbs can be planted around the borders of your plot. Parsley and Purple Basil are examples of colorful border herb gardening.

fennel - A perennial plant of the genus Fniculum (Fniculum vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds.

For your herb garden to thrive the soil should not be very wet. Herbs do not grow in wet soil. To make your herb plot well drained, remove about 15 to 18 inches depth of soil. To the bottom of the hole add some crushed stone or other material that is similar to the stones.

A compost and sand mixture added to the soil will lighten the soil’s texture making it easier for the water to seep through the soil and drain away. Hummus will enrich the nutrients within the soil and restore the soil’s Ph level. Then refill the hole higher than it was originally.

mint - The name of several aromatic labiate plants, mostly of the genus Mentha, yielding odoriferous essential oils by distillation. See Mentha.

The herbs can be planted in the ground late winter. Herb gardening requires that you first grow them indoors in shallow trays. The herb seeds must not be covered with a thick coating of soil. The soil needs to be light and well drained. This type of soil texture will ensure that your herb gardening gets off to good start.

Once your herbs are planted outdoors there are a few insects that can attack the plants. Aphids like anise, caraway, dill and fennel herbs. The red mite spider attacks low growing herbs. Rust can be a disease-like status for mint plants.

basil - The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family, but chiefly to the common or sweet basil (Ocymum basilicum), and the bush basil, or lesser basil (Ocymum minimum), the leaves of which are used in cookery. The name is also given to several kinds of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum).

But these minor troubles aside, herb gardening is a peaceful and intriguing activity that takes its place in history. Whether you use herbs for cooking, medicinal use or even aromatic usage, the art of herb gardening is making a comeback amongst gardeners. Join their ranks and enjoy the pleasures of using your own herbs.

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