Tips for Your Herb Garden

My personal five simple tips for growing an herb garden.

1. Choose your herbs carefully.

Start off with cultivars that are easy to grow. I personally started off with basil and mint. These two types were very easy to start from seed and I still have the same mint garden that I started 10 years ago. Always follow the seed package instructions and research the internet or other literature for proper cultivar care.

2. Choose a good place to plant them.

Build yourself a raised bed type garden if possible. These type garden systems help mitigate soil diseases and erosion and can be designed with overhead cover for extended growing seasons or for some shade when the sun is very hot. Pests and weeds will be pests and weeds so develop a program early to be able to deal with them.

3. Good soil, good herbs.

If you're using a raised bed system you can have the option of building your soil from scratch by filling it with a combination of products to get yourself a nice loamy texture. If you're using your existing yard soil, and you're in Tennessee, soil amendments such as peat moss, sand, compost are your friend. Whichever method you decide on, get a soil test done to ensure you have the right npk and Ph levels for your cultivars.

4. Water them, don't let them get thirsty.

Just like you, your herbs get thirsty. Ensure you regularly water the herbs if you want them to succeed. Always making sure you don't over water the herbs, water them at least a couple of times a week and a good rule of thumb is to water them when their soil is dry to touch. Once soil loses its water and becomes dry, it will lead to disease and even death for your herbs.

5. Sunlight makes your herbs smile.

Sunshine makes your herbs happy. You want the seeds to get as much sunshine as possible to flourish well during the initial root growth and seedling period. Ensure that your herbs get at least four-six hours of sunlight in order to grow well.