Herb Garden Information - A Simple Startup Guide

By: Eustache Davenport


In the Beginning:
At first, according to Genesis, all plants found on Earth other than the grass and trees were herb plants. Humans learned quickly to use them for daily household requirement and many references can be found in the Bible and medieval writings. The Chinese insist that they were the first to make use of herbs for medicinal use.



My Herb Garden
After the passing of Greek and Roman civilizations, herb growing became a regular activity in monastery gardens where the monks studied the healing powers associated to certain herbs. Herbs have been cultivated for centuries and are still very popular for culinary, medicinal and ornamental purposes.

Why should you choose to grow herbs :
There are many good reasons for growing herbs. They provide a constant supply of flavor enhancer for your meals, many flavorful teas, a variety of natural medicinal purposes, herbs are also added to oils and vinegars, delicately scented potpourris. Certain herbs grown in your garden will strongly contribute to controlling bugs and various pests. Herbs are also used in skin and hair cosmetics.

As a rule of thumb, herbs are very easy to grow even for a beginner. Once your garden is established, they are simple to maintain and demand little effort. Herbs can be grown by themselves, in a reserved square of your garden or they can be grown among other plants, flowers or vegetables. There is a necessity, however, to learn which herb grown well along which plant or vegetable. These combinations can be beneficial as it can be harmful.

You can grow a herb garden both inside or outside of your home. Therefore you can cultivate and enjoy fresh flavorful herbs during the entire year. They can be grown in a garden either by themselves or spread among other plants and vegetables. They can also be grown in pots, on a window sill or on your patio.

Most herbs enjoy the full sun but certain variety will prefer a more shaded area. The soil can be dry or wet as long as there is proper drainage. Even though most herbs are quite invulnerable to diseases or prone to be attacked by insects, however certain atmospheric conditions can develop into a health hazard and it would be wise for the gardener to be observant of these eventuality.

Your first steps :
When starting out with this wonderful hobby, it can be cumbersome to decide which herbs you wish to grow and you definitively want to avoid buying more than you actually need either directly at the store or through a catalog. It would be wise to decide how you will be using the herbs once harvested. What are the goals... culinary, medicinal, making vinegars and oils etc..., also take into consideration how many persons there are in your family and any other factor to determine the choice of herbs and quantities you will be growing.

To maximize your gardening pleasure, start your garden with new clean soil prepared to receive either the seed or the plant. New soil will be free or weeds and other parasites and you can follow the recommended blend of soil as stated on the back of the seeds envelope.

As for the herbs you choose to grow, it is easier to begin with plants bought at the store but there is a definitive pleasure starting of with seeds and experience the complete process from birth of the baby plants onward. Whatever your choice, it is more practical to start your seedlings indoors where you can also gain growing time by jump-starting the season early on.

You can assure your success by taking the following points into consideration :
- Be aware of germination requirements for all individual plant you plan on growing.
- The soil mixture should be light and kept moist making sure that it drains easily.
- Always use a shallow container to plant the seeds.
- Plan your seedling for eventual transplant when the season arrives.

There is definitively something particular in growing herbs that differs from growing plants or vegetables. The beauty, the scent that flows in your home or garden, the beauty of the flowers of certain plants not to mention the various usages that results in growing them. Once you have started this hobby, you will find additional pleasure in experimenting with growing other herbs that you may be less familiar with. This article on herb garden information is an entrance in this wonderful hobby to help you get started.

As you go along, you will discover additional methods to make your experience grow even richer. The fresh air, the healthy exercise of working in your garden will result in a relaxing hobby that provides you with fresh herbs for many years to come. I publish regular articles on the subject to help you start and maintain a herb garden that will be the envy of your neighbors. More information can be found on my website where I suggest that you sign up for my free mini-course. For the address, please use the link provided underneath.

Good Luck and happy gardening!

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Eustache Davenport is a gardening enthusiast and author. He lives in Montreal and enjoy teaching his gardening secrets to work groups on how to setup, optimize and maintain an amazing herb garden. For more great tips and herb garden information, visit http://www.herbgardeningonlineguide.com.