Healthy Living By Growing a Basic Herb Garden
The basic herb garden is a wonderful addition to your patio or garden and serves more than one purpose. It is not only financially viable, as homegrown herbs are less expensive to grow than buying herbs at the supermarket, but they are also bound to be fresher and better tasting than the so called fresh products in the commercial stores. With proper planning, you can receive a constant supply of fresh herbs all year long irrespective of seasons.
The choice of location for planting the herbs is important as most of the herbs are sensitive to temperature and moisture. The herbs need a lot of sunlight so the most preferred location would be anywhere that is exposed to plenty of southern or western natural light. But if natural light is unavailable or if you are growing herbs indoors, then fluorescent lights containing the full spectrum of colors would suffice. You can also plant in pots on your patio or purchase an already seeded herb garden kit, then once growing you can relocate indoors in a heated area in the winter should your climate not support year around outdoor gardening.
Choosing the materials and containers should be done carefully too. Herbs grow well in ceramic and clay pots with a favorable drainage system. If planting in the ground you may also want to use natural organic products to repel insects and slugs or snails.
The herbs should be chosen in accordance with your taste and priorities and obviously with the intentions to blend into your favorite recipes. Apparently, the choice of herb can vary from a combination of parsley, basil and cilantro to the likes of thyme, chives, rosemary and sage. There are also other possibilities depending on your taste, and green thumb.
To start with, try planting a few of your favorites. You can start with these basic herbs by planting from seeds or purchasing seedlings available at your local nursery. The nursery will not only provide you the needed seeds or seedlings; they will also guide you with instructions for better gardening.
The herbs should be looked after with utmost care. If your herb lack sunlight they may produce more stems than leaves. This is easy to remedy by moving your pots to a different location should you prefer container gardening.
Another benefit you will gain is the pleasure and relaxation that comes with gardening and growing a herb garden. You will also enjoy being surrounded by the fragrance and energetic benefits of the plants themselves. You just might find that maintaining a basic herb garden brings you a lot of joy and adds fresh new tastes to your cooking.
