- 11 Best Long Planter Boxes to Enhance Your Garden With - January 5, 2024
- Best Bulb Planters That You Should Consider for Your Garden - January 5, 2024
- Best Fiberglass Planters That Will Look Marvelous In Your Home - December 31, 2023
How to Start an Herb Garden
Different people like different plants in their gardens. If you have extra space in your backyard, or you want the idea of not having to buy another herb from the supermarket, then you should consider starting an herb garden.
You can start an herb garden just about anywhere. From growing them outdoors in your yard or in containers on your window sill, you can make them thrive with a bit of care. This way, you have a constant supply of herbs year in and year out.
But how do you start an herb garden? And what are the things that you should remember when you grow them? Make yourself comfortable, or perhaps brew yourself a cup of coffee, and learn more about starting a herb garden and keeping your plants alive!
What’s an Herb, Anyway?
An herb is a plant that has seeds, flowers, or leaves that are aromatic or savory. Or those with parts that are used to treat or cure certain illnesses and conditions.
Herbs are often used to flavor dishes, garnish food, and make perfumes or medicines. Technically speaking; however, herbs are any plant that doesn’t have a woody stem but bears seeds. These plants promptly die down after it flowers.
Herb Gardens
Having a herb garden means that you will have a part of your backyard or an entire garden used to grow only herbs. It can also be a window box on a window sill.
A herb garden, therefore, serves several purposes:
- To beautify your outdoors space
- To help you relax
- To grow your own food
- To provide space for medicinal herbs grown for your use
An herb garden typically has several types of herbs growing together.
Types of Herb Gardens
The thing with herbs is that there are a lot of themes that you can play with because of the variety of plants that you can use. On top of incorporating an herb garden with your vegetable garden or even using it for landscaping, you can also have the following types of herb gardens:
Kitchen herb gardens are those where you exclusively grow those herbs that you use for flavoring your food. Some of the plants you can put in a kitchen type herb garden include:
- Parsley
- Chives
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Rosemary
On the other hand, fragrant herb gardens have plants that are known for their sweet smell and may be used for potpourris and aromatherapy. These herbs are ideal for a fragrant herb garden:
- Scented geraniums
- Lemon balm
- Lavender
You can also create a medicinal herb garden where you can find feverfew, aloe vera, and oregano, among others. If you are going to grow medicinal herbs, be sure to research how you can use them and if they are harmful when ingested.
Herbal tea gardens are great for those who like to brew their own cup of tsai. You can find several kinds of mint, as well as anise, chamomile, and hyssop, in this type of garden.
Lastly, there’s the ornamental herb garden that brings together the herbs that bloom. You can plant sage, germander, or southernwood in these gardens. You can also choose different herbs to get the range of colors you want.
Regardless of what type of herb garden you want to start, this guide should help you do the right things and learn how to care for every kind of herb that you might want to use.
Planting Herbs in Your Garden
If you are planting herbs in your garden, be sure to consider its size when it’s already fully grown so that you can space it correctly. To give you an idea, here are the recommended spacing for some of the most popular herbs:
- Rosemary, Marjoram, Oregano, Mint, and Sage: 36 to 48 inches (91 to 122 centimeters)
- Savory, Thyme, Tarragon, and Basil: 24 inches (61 centimeters)
- Cilantro, Parsley, Chives, and Dill: 12 inches (30 centimeters)
This spacing will ensure that your herbs are not crowding each other, and each one has enough nutrients to thrive.
Prep the Soil
Herbs like loose and well-draining soil. Make sure that you dig into the ground first using a big garden fork so that hard and compact soil can get loose. Loosening the soil like this allows water to drain better and makes it easier for your herbs’ roots to grow into the ground.
You should also add compost into the soil to ensure proper drainage and give your herbs more nutrients.
Choosing the Perfect Location
By factoring in the number of herbs you want to plant and the space required between two plants, you now have an idea of how wide an area you’d need for your herb garden. However, you should ensure that the conditions are right for growing your herbs more than the site.
Most herbs like full sun in areas that don’t have scorching summers. If your summers can go beyond 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), then you should plant your herbs in areas that get full morning sun and shade during the afternoon.
You can also plant your herbs in places that get filtered light. Plant them under a tree with leaves that are not so thick to allow some light to reach your herbs. After you’ve identified the perfect spot for your herbs, you can now plant them directly into the ground.
Watering
Most herbs hate dry soil, so be sure to water your plants as soon as the topsoil gets dry to the touch. Check regularly to make sure that you don’t miss a watering.
On the other hand, you should avoid giving your herbs too much water because overly moist soil can invite diseases and pests for your herbs. What’s more, overwatering can give your herbs less than ideal growing conditions in that they will not have as many leaves or flowers as they normally produce.
Harvesting
When it’s time to harvest your herbs, be sure to cut off around a third of the branches. You know it’s okay to harvest if your plant grows up to six to eight feet (1.8 to 2.5 meters) tall.
When you cut, cut close to the stem’s intersection so that your herbs will regrow faster. But if the herb is the kind that grows new leaves at the center, you should get rid of the oldest branches on the outside first and leave the new growths alone.
Growing Herbs in Containers
People living in houses with small yards, in apartment buildings, and in other areas where they don’t have enough space in their backyard can do some container gardening. However, caring for herbs in a pot can differ slightly from those that are planted outdoors.
What’s more, container gardening requires more work because you will need constant water and fertilize it. But here’s how you can do this to add more green to your kitchen or windows.
Choose the Right Herbs
Some herbs prefer to be planted directly to the ground, making it more challenging to grow indoors in little containers. Other herbs can grow quite big, which can take up a lot of space in the room you put it.
Choose the herbs that will be easier to grow indoors. If you choose an herb that grows big, then you should make sure that you have enough space on your countertop or window sill for it.
Get Everything You Need
If you are planting herbs in a container, you need to have the things you need, such as:
- Large pots
- Potting soil
- Fertilizer
- Watering can
Get a pot that is at least eight to 18 inches (46 centimeters) in diameter. When planting, you may want to consider putting together the different herbs with the same light and water requirements to make it easier for you to care for them.
Drainage Holes for Your Herbs’ Pots
If you decide to go for container herb gardening, you should make sure that the pots you choose have drainage holes. If your herbs stand in water, they will most likely drown and die.
If you want something nice to look at, invest in a window box like this one, which allows you to add some rustic touch to your kitchen windows. Or get an herb growing kit that already includes the seeds and the pots you need for your herbs, like this Planter’s Choice Nine-Herb Window Garden.
Sturdy yet lightweight wooden construction comes fully assembled with removable interior liner. High build quality making it suitable for indoor and outdoor usage without worry. Simple design that makes a great addition to any patio, deck, garden, counter top, desk, or windowsill.
You get everything you need to start and sustain your herb garden. From seeds to full bloom, our kit ensures a seamless, hassle-free gardening experience. Grow Dill, Basil, Chives, Thyme, Parsley, Oregano, Cilantro, Sage, and Mustard.
But if you are trying to keep your window sills clear, you can still get self-watering pots that will allow you to grow herbs without too much hassle. Check out the Saratoga Home Herb Pots with Tray Set for great-looking pots that you can keep on your kitchen counter.
Suitable as pots for succulents or as flower pots for indoor plants for any small to medium size plants such as herbs, cactus, african violets on the windowsill or elsewhere in your home.
You can also set up this VegTrug Eight Pocket Herb Garden in your garden. You can just place this on any open area of your garden, put in enough soil, and then plant your herbs.
An ideal planter box for a small garden, patio, kitchen, or balcony, this herb garden is perfectly suited for outdoor use. With a soil capacity of 40-50 liters, our planters for outdoor plants let you grow varieties of herbs in your garden. 
If you want to save, you can grow your herbs in a grow bag, which are more affordable than pots and serves the purpose.
Begin Planting Your Herbs in Containers
After getting all the materials, you can now start to plant your herbs. Fill the pot with enough potting mix and then add fertilizers to the soil.
Make a hole at the center of the pot, and then put in your herbs. Water your herbs, and be sure to give them full sun for at least four hours every day.
Once these plants start growing, it’s going to be easier to care for your herbs. Just make sure to repot an herb that has grown too big for its container.
Other Considerations When Growing Your Herbs in Containers
What else should you consider when you’re growing herbs in containers?
- Potting soil is always a good idea because regular garden soil can keep too much water and kill your herbs. The trick is to pay attention when watering herbs with broad leaves. Rosemary and other Mediterranean herbs can survive even if you don’t water as much.
- Growing your herbs in containers will give you flowering plants that can flower all year round. But you should bring them inside when autumn comes to keep them safe from the colder winter months.
- Having them in containers will help you keep herbs alive if you have poorly draining soil. It also helps when you don’t have too much space and soil.
- Fertilize your herbs using liquid fertilizer during the growing season; just follow the product’s instructions. During the colder months, reduce the frequency of feeding to about once or twice a month.
Some General Tips on How to Grow Herbs
Whether you’re growing your herbs in a pot in your kitchen, in a window box, or planted directly into the ground in your garden, you can easily make them thrive with the right amount of attention and care.
Here are some tricks on how to grow herbs in general.
Keep It Simple
Some people are discouraged when they start herbs from seeds because it takes too long to grow or their plants die too soon. Others might plant seeds, but they are disappointed when these do not germinate.
Growing herbs from seeds is not that challenging if you know what you’re doing. But it does take a few trial and errors to get it right.
To avoid frustration, you can just buy pre-potted herbs available in some supermarkets and garden centers. For most, doing this will help save time and energy, not to mention lets you avoid disappointment.
But if you want to give growing herbs from seeds a try, you will need to time your planting during April or May when soft herbs are safe from frost.
Caring for Herbs
You will need to water herbs daily. They need moist soil to grow. When summer comes, you should water your herbs at night when the earth has time to soak it all in. Watering your herbs during the day when the heat is at its peak will not help your herbs.
If you have herbs in a container with a drainage hole, you can put a saucer underneath the pot. Pour water onto the saucer and allows the soil to soak up the water when it’s needed.
Placing your herbs outdoors or near a window sill will help the plant get all the light it needs to grow healthy and thrive.
You should also ensure that there is enough space between your herbs to not overcrowd them. Putting your herbs close together can kill your plants.
Then prune your herbs to prevent them from bolting. When herbs bolt, they are using the nutrients to produce flowers or fruits, affecting leaf production.
Soft Herbs and Woody Herbs
Chives, coriander, basil, and marjoram are some soft herbs. These are very delicate and can be used for salads or added last to whatever you’re cooking so that they retain their flavor.
If you’re growing soft herbs, you will need to be very attentive to them because they can quickly wilt or die if you’re not careful. On the other hand, herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary are hardier and will want a warmer and dry location than the conditions that soft herbs like.
Woody herbs need to be watered because the lower branches can quickly dry out and become hard.
You can propagate herbs in several ways, which means that you can have an unlimited supply of your favorite herbs forever.
Propagating Your Herbs
There are different ways to propagate herbs. For starters, you can start herbs from seeds. Some of the easiest to grow include:
- Sage
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Basil
- Calendula
Read the sellers’ instructions on the seed packet to be sure that you’re doing the right thing. You can use seed starting trays such as the EZ Seed Starter Tray for Planting Seeds. Alternatively, you can plant them directly in the ground.
The EZ-GRO Plant Tray simplifies the process of starting seeds or cuttings. Simply place the seed starter plugs in the tray, add your seeds or cuttings, and provide them with the appropriate care and conditions for healthy growth.
Propagating from Division
There are herbs that you can divide easily, such as those that are classified as perennials. You can take a fully grown plant and cut the roots so you can plant each part individually.
You can get the plant out of the soil and then pull the roots apart using your hands. Or you can use a super sharp knife to chop up the root mass.
You can propagate these herbs by division:
- Monrada
- Chives
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Garlic chives
- Marjoram
This video from the Singapore National Parks Board shows you how to propagate herbs by division:
Using Cuttings
You can propagate these herbs from cuttings:
- Mint
- Sage
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Lavender
You will need to choose stem segments that are green and tender about three inches (8 centimeters) or longer. You should cut the stem at an angle.
Once you have the candidate stem cut off, you should remove the lower leaves and then put rooting hormone powder like the Garden Safe Rooting Hormone and then plant the cuttings about two inches into a pot with potting or rooting soil. If you have perlite or vermiculture, you can use them as rooting media too.
Garden Safe brand take root rooting hormone grows new plants from cuttings. Use this powder to grow cuttings from your favorite plants, including African violets, roses, poinsettias, philodendrons, geraniums, Coleus, woody ornamental & most other popular home, Garden & greenhouse varieties.
Once planted, get a plastic bag and use that to cover the cuttings. This setup will give your cutting the moist environment it needs to survive. Water the plants when needed and keep the cuttings away from direct sunlight.
If you see that there is too much moisture, remove the plastic bag. Once your cuttings are a few weeks old, check for new leaves on it, signifying that the cuttings are rooting correctly.
Once there are a couple of leaves growing, you can transplant the rooted cuttings into bigger containers with regular potting soil or garden soil in them and then gradually reintroduce the new herbs to sunlight.
Here is a video that shows you the different ways to propagate herbs from cuttings:
Watering Requirements for Herbs
How do you know when to water your plants? Touch the soil, and if it feels dry to touch, then it’s time. You should know which ones are more tolerant of overwatering and underwatering. Basil tends to like more water than lavender, for instance.
When you water your herbs, pour directly over the soil and not over the leaves. Having moist leaves can lead to diseases and mildew.
If you want to make sure that the soil is moist, you can put mulch over it. However, you should avoid placing mulch next to the stems to prevent insects and pests from infesting that particular stem.
Another trick when watering your herb garden is to do so in the early morning. Doing so, you will avoid evaporation that can happen quickly when the sun is in full gear. Evaporation makes the water dry out soon before they can get deeper into the soil.
How to Care for the Most Common and Useful Herbs
There are definite benefits when you start a herb garden using some of the most common herbs. First, they are some of the easiest plants to grow or buy, and many gardener friends can advise on how to grow them healthy.
Some of the most common herbs that you can grow are also some of the most useful. We are sharing how you can quickly grow them so that you don’t have to look all over the Internet on how to care for them. Of course, if you are thinking of growing anything other than these, you can read up on caring for these plants. As you can see, different herbs have different timetables for planting, hardiness zones, and care requirements.
Basil
Basil is mostly described as fragrant and sweet. You can mostly find basil in Thai, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisines. There are several varieties of basil, and each one has a different flavor and scent profile.
- Best time to plant indoors: Six to eight weeks before the last frost of spring
- Best time to plant outdoors: Anytime after the last spring frost
- Plant type: Annual
- Hardiness zone: 10 and above
- Soil: Moist and rich soil
- Light: Full sun
- Maximum height and spread: 24 inches (61 centimeters) and 12 inches (30 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 70 days
Cilantro
Cilantro is a mainstay in Middle Eastern and Mexican food. With bright green leaves, cilantro can tolerate partial shade to full sun. Cilantro shouldn’t be allowed to bolt because the taste of the leaves will change.
- Best time to plant indoors: Not recommended as an indoor plant
- Best time to plant outdoors: After the spring frost
- Plant type: Annual
- Hardiness zone: 3 to 11
- Soil: Loamy, sandy, or light soil
- Light: Partial shade to full sun
- Maximum height and spread: 36 and 12 inches (91 and 30 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: around 21 to 28 days
Rosemary
Rosemary is one popular herb, and you can find them used in lotion, soaps, and soup, as well as pasta and vegetable dishes.
- Best time to plant indoors: Six to 10 weeks before you get the last spring frost
- Best time to plant outdoors: Right before the last spring frost
- Plant type: Perennial
- Hardiness zone: 6 to 9
- Soil: Loamy, sandy, and alkaline
- Light: Full sun
- Maximum height and spread: 72 and 48 inches (182 and 122 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 40 days
Oregano
Known for its strong scent and flavor, oregano is relatively easy to grow. It has white and small flowers that bloom in the dying days of summer.
- Best time to plant indoors: Six to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Best time to plant outdoors: After the last spring frost
- Plant type: Perennial
- Hardiness zone: Zone 5 to 10
- Soil: Poorly draining
- Light: Full sun
- Maximum height and spread: 24 and 18 inches (61 and 46 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 60 days
Mint
Mint is probably one of the best tasting herbs out there, with varieties giving you that minty taste with a sweet to savory undertones. Mint can be very aggressive, so it’s best to plant it in containers.
- Best time to plant indoors: Six to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Best time to plant outdoors: After the last spring frost
- Plant type: Perennial
- Hardiness zone: 4 to 9
- Soil: Sandy or loamy soil
- Light: Full sun
- Maximum height and spread: 24 and 18 inches (61 and 47 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 90 days
Sage
Sage is probably one of those herbs that you add to your herb garden to give a subtle touch of color. This herb has grayish-green leaves and blooms that are blue, white, pink, or purple in color. Sage can be added when you’re flavoring soup and meat.
- Best time to plant indoors: Six to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Best time to plant outdoors: Around two weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant type: Perennial
- Hardiness zone: 5-9
- Soil: Sandy or loamy soil
- Light: Full sun
- Maximum height and spread: Around 49 and 30 inches (124 and 76 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 75 days
Thyme
This herb has small green leaves that can tolerate hot and dry conditions. Thyme is a very versatile herb and can infuse flavor into a lot of your cooking.
- Best time to plant indoors: Six to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Best time to plant outdoors: Two to three weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant type: Perennial
- Hardiness zone: 5 to 9
- Soil: Well-draining and fertile
- Light: Partial shade to full sun
- Maximum height and spread: 24 and 10 inches (61 and 25 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 14 to 28 days
Chives
Chives have the same flavor profile as garlic, shallots, leaks, and scallions. This plant is one of those herbs that can grow with less water. They also form clumps with hollow strands of foliage. They have an oniony flavor that makes it an ideal garnish.
- Best time to plant indoors: Eight to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Best time to plant outdoors: Three to four weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant type: Perennial
- Hardiness zone: 3 to 10
- Soil: Moist and rich soil
- Light: Full sun
- Maximum height and spread: Both 18 inches (46 centimeters)
- Time to harvest: Around 30 days
Common Mistakes People Make When Growing Herbs
When it comes to growing herbs, both beginner and seasoned herb growers can make many mistakes. Here are some of the most common mistakes that you should avoid for healthy and thriving herbs.
Choosing an Unhealthy Plant
Having healthy and thriving herbs start with choosing healthy plants when you buy them. Be sure to inspect the plant for diseases and pests.
Choose herbs that have a lot of leaves, and they should be green and brightly colored.
Putting Them in Places That Can Kill Them
Different herbs have different light and watering requirements. If you do so, then that’s a guaranteed death sentence for your herbs.
For instance, a rosemary plant likes dry and chalky soil. If you grow rosemary plants in humid areas, then expect them to be sick and dead in just about two weeks.
Most herbs like the sun, so if you have a patch in your garden with filtered sun or shade for most of the day, choose herbs that can tolerate less sun and still thrive.
You can solve this problem by potting your herbs in containers so that you can just move them when you notice that they are getting too much or too little sun.
Not Feeding or Protecting Your Herbs
Herbs can be very hardy and are resistant to diseases and bugs. However, don’t hesitate to use organic and chemical-free products to fight them.
You should also fertilize your plants using all-purpose fertilizer, compost tea, and other plant food. Be sure to add fertilizers directly to the soil instead of the leaves, so you do not contaminate the herbs you put into your food.
Not Considering the Size of a Fully Grown Herb Plant
We usually buy herbs when they are small, with a few stems here are there. They then grow and elbow each other for the small space on our window sills or kitchen counters.
When you buy herbs, you should be aware of how big they can get once they’re fully grown. This way, it won’t look too crowded when placed together.
If you are planting herbs directly into the soil, it’s better to plant fewer herbs to make sure that your space can accommodate them once they’re fully grown. They don’t get overcrowded, and they can grow healthier and more extensive roots this way.
Not Pruning Your Herbs
If you want healthy herbs, then be sure to prune them regularly. Pruning will keep your plants grow healthy, plus you are getting the delicious herbs that you can add to your cooking and your salads.
When you don’t cut back your herbs, some stems will grow long, and the leaves will mature and then dry out. Dried out leaves will then fall off, leaving your plants with tall stems without any leaves on them.
Not pruning your herbs can also result in slow-growing plants. Additionally, pruning herbs can make it look a lot better and healthier.
However, the biggest reason for pruning herbs is that it keeps them from bolting. Bolting usually happens when the herb thinks it’s close to dying and will flower and reproduce seeds.
For some herbs, bolting is the last thing they do, and they wilt away. Others may survive, but the taste is different. When you prune your herbs, they will continue to create new growth, which will effectively delay the bolting process.
If the herb has already flowered and you don’t want it to die back for that season, then snipped off the bud as soon as it forms.
Spraying Your Herbs with Chemicals
Because herbs are often used fresh in a salad or as a way to enhance flavors in food, you should avoid using chemicals that may be toxic for you to ingest. That includes insecticides and fertilizers.
Instead, be proactive and manually pull out weeds as soon as they come out, check for insects regularly, and use natural products such as compost tea or vermicast for fertilizers.
Not Grouping Herbs with Similar Care Requirements Together
If you are growing several kinds of herbs, remembering how to take care of each one will be a problem. Different types of herbs, like different conditions to be healthy. Some like full sun, while others prefer partial shade. Some plants like more water than others.
To help you keep your herbs alive without accidentally killing one of them because you forgot what they prefer, group the plants together according to their care requirements. For instance, put herbs that like a lot of water and sunlight in one group. Then put those that want shade and a lot of water in another.
Doing so will help you give them the care they need without having to put too much thought into it. You can also avoid accidentally overwatering or underwatering your plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions we often get when we talk about starting your own herb garden.
Answer: Different people will have various reasons for growing their own herbs. For those who like to cook, their gardens give them the freshest of herbs. You can wait until the last minute to cut the herbs when you’re cooking.
You will no longer have to use dry basil or parched parsley in your dishes. Plus, you always have a ready stock when you need them. You can just go to your garden and pick the herbs you need instead of driving to the grocery store.
Freshly harvested herbs also give you the best-tasting dishes. You might find that herbs such as oregano or rosemary don’t taste that different whether you’re using fresh leaves or their dried versions, but for other herbs, there is a noticeable difference when you use newly cut herbs.
You also save oodles of money when you grow your own herbs. For example, you can spend as much as $15 on four bottles of dried oregano, garlic, thyme, and rosemary, but for roughly the same price, you can buy 12 seed packets for the most popular herbs. An, unlike the dried herbs that get used up over time, your garden’s herbs will just continue to grow and give you all the flavor you need year in and year out.
Further, herbs are beautiful plants. You can plant them in smaller spaces and even in containers. The small greens will make your garden colorful and beautiful in no time.
Answer: In general, your herbs will grow better outside because they have a lot of room to grow. Being outdoors allows them to get all the sun they need as their roots grow deep in the soil. This condition means that you can harvest more for your cooking needs.
However, this can mean more work when winter comes, as you may need to bring them inside or do things to make sure that they make it through the colder months.
Growing herbs indoors also has its benefits. Apart from adding greens to your living space, you can also have freshly harvested herbs all year round.
Answer: There are two reasons why you should group your herbs. The first one is that it’s easier to care for them because you only have to remember which group likes more water, more sun, and which groups prefer dry conditions or more shade.
Another is that companion planting often helps our herbs grow more healthily. Some herbs will only survive when they have companion plants.
How do you do this? Find out the care requirements for each of your herbs and group them according to these care instructions. For instance, basil, cilantro, and tarragon all like full sun and more moisture, so keep them together when you plant them.
Thyme, marjoram, sage, oregano, lavender, and rosemary all prefer drier and sandy soil so that you can group them together. When you set up your herb garden like this, you can create different watering schedules for each group and then water them as necessary.
Companion planting
When it comes to companion planting, here is a quick and easy guide:
• Rosemary doesn’t like other herbs growing near it. You can plant rosemary together with your vegetables, or if you want a pure herb garden, you can pair rosemary and sage.
• Basil also likes being planted together with vegetables more than herbs. The only herbs that you can grow with basil are sage, chamomile, and oregano.
• You should plant dills in herb gardens because they repel harmful insects such as spider mites, aphids, and cabbage loopers while attracting butterflies, wasps, hoverflies, bees, and ladybugs. However, you should keep it away from lavender and vegetables such as carrots, eggplants, and peppers.
• Cilantro can be planted next to spinach, tomatoes, and other herbs. Keep it away from the fennel, which can compete with it for resources.
• Mint can repel aphids, flea beetles, and other insects. However, this herb can be pretty invasive so if you’re adding them to your herb garden, consider keeping them in containers to avoid having them spread to areas where they are not wanted.
• Tarragon is another one of those herbs that you should put in every herb garden you have. Tarragon can enhance the flavors of other herbs and can scare off pests and destructive insects.
• Garlic is an excellent addition to your herb garden as it drives away fungi, molds, deers, and rabbits. It goes really well with just about any plant, other than sage, parsley, beans, peas, and asparagus.
Starting Your Own Herb Garden Is Easy
If you’re thinking about creating a living space that’s both beautiful and useful, then consider creating an herb garden in your backyard. If that is not a solution for you, you can start an herb garden in containers and put these useful plants in your kitchen near a window sill.
These herbs are very easy to care for; just plant them write in the type of soil they like, give them water when the soil feels dry, and give them at least four sunlight every day. Of course, each herb has its own care requirements, and if you’re growing quite a few plants, you might want to keep those that require the same conditions together.
What makes herb gardens even more attractive is that you can propagate them quickly. You can have an endless supply of herbs to use with your cooking or make soaps, perfumes, and other products.