Starting Your Own Herb Garden
Herbs make amazing additions to many dishes, and many herbs can be used medicinally, helping you feel your best all year long. However, if you purchase your herbs fresh at a store, you will find that the cost can skyrocket. To keep herbs affordable and to keep them at your fingertips all year long, consider how having your own herb garden could help you meet your goals.
The Benefits of Starting Your Own Herb Garden
An herb garden is surprisingly simple to grow. The benefits of starting your own garden are huge and include the following:
- Easy growth
- Physical and emotional health benefits
- Fresh herbs at your fingertips
- Improved herb taste
- Fresh home decor
- Money savings
A closer look at these benefits will quickly cement in your mind just how much growing your own herbs will improve your life. For example, many herbs have been tied to certain health benefits whether they are used to make tea or topical salves for the skin. In addition, the simple act of digging outside in the dirt as you grow your own herbs can increase your activity levels, get you out in the sunshine and fresh air, and help decrease your stress.
Indoor Versus Outdoor Herb Gardening
Many herbs can be grown just as effectively indoors as outdoors. Consider the following pros and cons to each location as you make your choice.
An indoor herb garden is a good choice if you do not have a large outdoor area or if you live in an apartment. Keeping your herbs indoors near a sunny window will give you quick access to them as you cook. You will also not have to worry about caring for them in the winter if you live in an area of the country with cold winter temperatures. A hydroponic herb garden can improve your results indoors because each plant’s water and nutrients are better controlled.
On the other hand, outdoor herb gardening is ideal if you love working outdoors and want your herbs to enjoy abundant sunshine and rain. You will have plenty of space for making a bigger garden, and you may even find that the natural outdoor conditions improve each herb’s flavour. However, you will have to take plenty of time to weed your garden and protect your plants from freezing weather.
Herb Gardening Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
While most herbs are easy to grow, certain rookie mistakes could lead to diseased or dead plants. To avoid overcrowding, be sure to plant your herbs according to the instructions on the seed packages or plant tags. You may also need to divide your herbs occasionally. To ensure consistently healthy growth, trim each plant regularly. This will also keep your herbs from going to seed. Finally, to keep the soil moist, add mulch.
