Life would be pretty dull without herbs. Growing your own organic herb garden can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Once you grow your own herbs you will never go back to the store bought herbs again. It is kinda' like comparing a store bought tomato to a home grown tomato, there is no comparison.
Growing herbs is easier than growing a complete vegetable garden. Just in size and work alone there is a large difference. An organic herb garden is easy to maintain once it is in place and all you need to do is pick and prepare your herbs and enjoy tasty meals.
Herbs do not require a lot of fertility. In fact many herbs are more flavorful if grown in poorer soil. You will need to research the herbs you want to grow in your garden to properly provide the right growing conditions.
My top 5 recommended herbs
Basil is used in everything and is easy to grow. You can often find plants already started at your local nursery. Look for sturdy plants with good color. The soil for basil needs to be well fed with compost as it grows.
The soil should be well drained. When watering basil try not to get water on the leaves, but water around the base of the plant. Just keep the soil moist, but not damp.
Marjoram is grown in fertile soil in direct sunlight, but will tolerate a poorer soil. Sweet marjoram is used in a lot of meat dishes, but is also used in dressings. It is a pretty plant in the garden.
You can start marjoram from seed indoors about six weeks before the last frost date. Or, if you know someone who raises marjoram you can divide the plant for transplanting.
Chives are so easy it does not matter what color your thumb is you can grow chives. Many people keep a container of chives in the window sill for a constant supply.
Chives are an onion like plant that can be used in almost any dish. You just snip off the amount you want and it will grow back. If you want, you can grow it outside in the warm months and inside when it is to cold outside.
Oregano is an herb that I use a lot. It does not take much to add flavor. Oregano is not fussy about the soil, except you will want the location to be well drained. It can be started from seed indoors or directly in the soil, or it can be transplanted from another start.
Oregano is easy to grow and should be in your garden.
Sage is the old standby. Sage is used a lot with meats. It is an old fashion herb that has been in use for a long time. Sage likes a range of soil types as long as it gets lots of nitrogen. Sage will bush out and get up to 36 inches tall, so give it some elbow room. It, too, likes the sun.
That should get you started with your own organic herb garden. Most herbs really are easy to grow and maintain. I hope you will give them a try and good eating.
To learn more about growing herbs and vegetables organically just click here for a free newsletter. For a web site with more information go to http://solutionsfororganicgardening.com/
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