Herb Gardens

You may not be the type of person that wants to spend their time managing an elaborate fruit or vegetable plot, but with the cost of herbs in supermarkets, you might consider planting and maintaining a herb garden. The produce might not seem as significant as growing potatoes and beans but you'll still enjoy the constant availability of fresh, delicious herbs to flavor your meals.

First, choose the herbs to plant. You might have a hard time doing this because of the huge scope of herbs available; just look at what you have in your kitchen. Plant your own collection of these herbs and you can save money on buying them from the grocery store and have the added benefit of freshness. You might start with rosemary, sage, basil, dill, mint, chives, and parsley among others as these are easy to grow.

Now choose an area to put your herb garden: you must bear in mind that the soil needs extremely good drainage. If the soil gets waterlogged and stays completely saturated, you have no chance of ever growing a healthy herb plant. One of the best ways to ensure good drainage is to dig a foot deep into the soil and add a layer of crushed rocks down before replacing all the top soil. This will allow excess water to run away, thus saving your plants.

When you are ready to begin planting herbs, you can of course buy the more expensive plants from a garden centre. However, with herbs it is much easier to grow them from seed than it is with other plants. You can save money by sticking with packets of seed. Some herbs grow at an amazingly fast rate. For example, mint planted in an open space will take over your entire garden in a matter of weeks. The best way to prevent this problem is to plant the more aggressive plants in pots (with holes in the bottom to allow drainage, of course) although mint will grow in almost any conditions.

When harvesting the herbs you have grown, it can be fatal to your plant to pick too much at once. Until your plant is well established, it is best not to take any leaves at all, even if it looks like its not using them. Wait until your plants have been established for at least a few months before taking off any leaves. This wait will be worth it, because by growing undisturbed for a little while, your plant will yield healthy leaves for years to come.

After you have harvested your herbs, you will want to use them in cooking; why else would you have grown them? Of course, most herbs will be used immediately after picking, but this will only keep you going during the growing months. For the rest of the year you can still enjoy herbs that have been stored either frozen or dried.

To freeze herbs, simply place them in a freezer bag and freeze! When they are taken out they can be crushed while still frozen or used whole in soups and casseroles.

Drying herbs is easily achieved by placing them on a baking sheet in a warm oven for 2 to 4 hours. Store the herbs for later usage in a plastic or glass containers; paper or cardboard absorbs the taste of the herbs. During the first few days of storage check the container to see if any moisture has accumulated. If it has, you must remove all the herbs and re-dry them in the oven to prevent mildew growing on your stored herbs.