There is nothing more satisfying than stepping outside and snipping fresh herbs from your garden, to use in your favorite dish or toss into a salad.
Follow these four quick-start steps and you will be enjoying fresh herbs from your garden in no time at all.
1. Plant 3 or 4 herbs to start with. Yes, start small! It’s easy to get overwhelmed and give up if you plant too many herbs and you find you can’t take care of them.
2. Plant the herbs you use most often. What fresh herbs do you buy when you grocery shop? Better to snip fresh herbs from your garden, than settle for wilted herbs that turn slimy in the refrigerator after a couple of days.
3. Plant young herbs purchased from your garden center, or a reputable mail order herb supplier. They are much easier to start with, and you will have herbs for snipping much sooner. When shopping for herb plants, buy healthy looking plants that are bushy and look comfortable in the pot they’re in.
4. Plant your herbs soon after you get them home. An herb garden can be planted quickly and easily in a tiny plot of dirt or a few pots — 12 inch wide pots work well.
When I started my first herb garden, I grew Italian flat-leaf parsley, chives, and cilantro. The parsley grew nicely, the chive plants produced awesome chives for years, and the cilantro bolted to seed before I got much use of it.
I’d love to know what you planted in your first herb garden, and how it worked out for you. Take a moment and leave me a comment.
Warm wishes,
Barb