|
|
How to Plan an Herb Garden
By Monica Resinger
An herb garden can bring a
person a lot of pleasure because there's so many things that can be
done with herbs such as herbal crafts, herbal teas and herbal seasonings.
On top of this, you get to care and tend for the plants which, if this is
all you do, is enough reason to grow an herb garden. Seeing how the herbs
mingle together and enjoying their fragrance are other benefits.
By planning your herb garden,
you will eliminate any frustration that may arise from planting an herb in
the wrong area. For example, if you plant Basil in a very shady area, it
will not grow as well as if it were planted in a warm, sunny area. Also,
your herb garden will bring you more satisfaction if you plan which herbs
you will use.
The first thing to think about
when planning your herb garden is location. Full sun is the best for
herbs, but it has been my experience that most herbs will grow in partial
shade. If your herbs are planted in partial shade, they may not grow as
fast as when planted in full sun, but they will do just fine. The place to
avoid is full shade, herbs simply will not do well in full shade.
|
When you have decided on a
location for your herb garden, it's time to figure out which herbs you'd
like to grow. To figure this out, ask yourself why you want to grow herbs.
Is it for cooking, teas, potpourri, fragrance, or a combination of all
these? Whatever reason you decide you're growing herbs for will help you
decide which herbs to grow. If it's for cooking, which herbs do you
currently use? You could grow these, plus others that have caught your
interest in the past. If it's for any of the other reasons, do some
research first to find out what herbs are good for that interest. Visit
the library and choose books on that subject, or search the Internet for
information. Ask your herb growing friends. My e-book 'Getting to Know
Mint' will help you learn about the the herb Mint with Description and
Varieties, Growing Mint, Mint Problems, Caring for Mint, Using Mint:
Culinary Uses (includes 17 recipes), Medicinal Uses, Garden and Household
uses, Harvesting Mint and Preserving Mint; for more information, click
here: Getting
to Know Mint
|
|
|
You will also need to find out
if the herbs you have chosen will grow in your zone and soil type. Again,
the library and Internet will be good sources of information.
Now that you have chosen the
herbs you want to grow, it's time to put them into a plan. First, make a
list of the herbs you will be using, leaving a space for its' description
of height, foliage and/or flower color, and spacing requirements. To find
these requirements, look these plants up in a gardening reference book.
Decide what shape of bed you'd like and what size. Keep in mind that to be
easily accessed, an island bed (a bed that can be accessed from all sides)
should be no wider than 5 ft, and a border bed (a bed that can only be
accessed from the front) should be no wider than 2 1/2 ft.
Now take a piece of paper and
a pencil and sketch in the shape of the bed. Look at your list of herbs
and place your herbs according to height, and which plants would
compliment each other. You can do this by sketching or writing in the
names of the plant. If you change your mind about something, simply erase
and change. As you are placing your plants, make notes of how far apart
the plants should be spaced. You may even want to go as far as using
colored pencils to do some color coding or to color in the color of the
plants. This sketch is your rough draft. You can use this as your planting
guide.
The planning process can be
just as enjoyable as planting and caring for the herbs. It also enables
you to get to know your plants before they are even planted. Finally, as
mentioned above, it will save you a great deal of frustration, so take the
time to plan your herb garden.
If you'd like more gardening
tips, check out The Gardening E-book Package that includes the following
e-books: The Outdoor Decor E-book, The Gardening Tips E-book, Garden Pests
and Solutions and Getting to Know Mint. Click here for details: E-Books
Get Monica's FREE e-zine
for homemakers! Each issue includes a home & garden article,
delicious recipes and more! To subscribe, just send a blank e-mail
to: HomemakersJournal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
|
|
|
