Introduction to Herb Gardening & Growing Herbs At Home

Growing &gardening With Herbs... All you need to know

Herbs and herb gardens are fascinating and can change your basic garden into something special. Gardening with herbs is a well thought about topic and growing your own herb garden is not as difficult as it sounds. Herb gardens grow very quickly and most herb plant species are generally known to resist disease. Herbs are very beneficial to us as people, animals and herbs even benefit other plants. If  you garden herbs yourself, you will know what I talk about when I say having a herb garden creates so much scent and beauty compared to a garden with no herbs present. There are a lot of folk legends on the herb and the knowledge that is presented on them has been put together over many thousands of years. Herbs and the importance of growing them in herb gardens is vital in many cultures. Herbs have many uses and find important applications in the following areas:

Herbs... What are they?

Herbs can be categorised as follows ....

  • Annuals ... Annuals are sown during Spring and they produce seeds the same year and die in Autumn. Herbs like the Dill and Borage are examples of Annuals.

  • Biennials ... Biennials flower give fruit after they have been growing for 2 years, if only the leaves are needed you can harvest them in the first year after sowing. Herbs like the Caraway and Parsley are examples of Biennials.

  • Perennials ... Perennials are herbs that have parts above the ground that die off in Winter, while the root survives underneath in the soil. Herbs like Chives and Peppermint are examples of Perennials.

  • Shrubs ... Shrubs are Perennial woody plants, in this group of herbs there are a lot of species that carry effective substances. Examples are Rosemary and Elder.

  • Semi-shrubs ... Semi-shrubs are Perennial and the lower part of the herb is woody. Herbs like the Lavender is an example of a Semi-shrub.

Herbs... What is in them?

The effective substances of Herbs can be found in different quantities in the herb itself. The following is a list of effective substances that you can expect to find in your herbs grown in a  garden:

  • Tannins

  • Colourings

  • Mucilage

  • Etheric oils

  • Saponins

  • Glycosides

  • Alkaloids

  • Vitamins

  • Minerals

  • Trace elements

Herb Gardening

When starting a herb garden you will need to brainstorm what you are going to use the herb for or what kind of herbs do you want to grow. It is essential that when you are starting your herb garden you do not go over the top and plant too many herbs. You must always keep them in check.

Herbs like all conditions from sunny, to semi-shade to full shade. Just be careful to know what herb likes what when you are plotting out your herb garden in the sun or the shade. Soil is an important part for the herb gardener to take note of. There are 2 main groups regarding herbs and the soil they like.

  1. Loose humus rich soil ... Note: soil must not contain too many nutrients.

  2. Poor lime rich soils ... Favoured by Mediterranean herbs.

Another important point for the herb gardener is that herbs need shelter from the wind. They are very vulnerable to windy conditions. Make sure there is sufficient shelter to protect your herb garden from the wind.