| If you're not the type of person that wants to | | | | of course). When it comes time to harvest the |
| spend their time managing an elaborate fruit or | | | | herbs you have labored so hard over, it can be |
| vegetable garden, you might consider planting and | | | | fatal to your plant to take off too much. If your |
| maintaining an herb garden. While the product | | | | plant isn't well established, it isn't healthy to take |
| might not seem as significant, you'll still enjoy the | | | | any leaves at all, even if it looks like its not using |
| constant availability of fresh, delicious herbs to | | | | them. You should wait until your plant has been |
| flavor your meals with. | | | | well established for at least several months |
| First you'll want to choose the herbs that you'll | | | | before taking off any leaves. This wait will |
| plant. You might have a hard time doing this | | | | definitely be worth it, because by growing |
| because of the huge scope of herbs available. But | | | | unabated your plant will produce healthily for |
| the best way to choose is to do what I did; just | | | | years to come. |
| look at what you have in your kitchen. By planting | | | | Once you've harvested your delicious home |
| your own collection of these herbs, you can save | | | | grown herbs, you'll want to use them in cooking. |
| money on buying them from the grocery store | | | | Why else would you have grown them? Well first |
| while having the added benefit of freshness. | | | | the process begins with drying them out. This is |
| Some of the herbs you might start with include | | | | easily achieved by placing them on a cookie sheet |
| rosemary, sage, basil, dill, mint, chives, and parsley | | | | and baking them 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to |
| among others. | | | | 4 hours. After they're sufficiently dried to be used |
| When choosing an area to put your herb garden, | | | | in cooking, you can consult the nearest cookbook |
| you should remember that the soil should have | | | | for instructions on using them to effectively |
| extremely good drainage. If the dirt gets watered | | | | flavor a dish. |
| and stays completely saturated, you have no | | | | If you want to store your herbs for later usage, |
| chance of ever growing a healthy plant. One of | | | | you should keep them in a plastic or glass |
| the best ways to fix the drainage problem is to | | | | container. Paper or cardboard will not work, |
| dig a foot deep in the soil, and put a layer of | | | | because it will absorb the taste of the herbs. |
| crushed rocks down before replacing all the soil. | | | | During the first few days of storage, you should |
| This will allow all that water to escape, thus saving | | | | regularly check the container and see if any |
| your plants. | | | | moisture has accumulated. If it has, you must |
| When you are ready to begin planting herbs, you | | | | remove all the herbs and re-dry them. If moisture |
| might be tempted to buy the more expensive | | | | is left from the first drying process, it will |
| plants from the store. However, with herbs it is | | | | encourage mildew while you store your herbs. |
| much easier to grow them from seed than it is | | | | Nobody likes mildew. |
| with other plants. Therefore you can save a | | | | So if you enjoy herbs or gardening, or both, then |
| bundle of money by sticking with seed packets. | | | | you should probably consider setting up an herb |
| Some herbs grow at a dangerously fast rate. For | | | | garden. It might require a little bit of work at first |
| example, if you plant a mint plant in an open | | | | to set it up for optimal drainage, and pick what |
| space then it will take over your entire garden in | | | | herbs you want to grow. But after the initial |
| a matter of days. The best way to prevent this | | | | hassle, it's just a matter of harvesting and drying |
| problem is to plant the more aggressive plants in | | | | all your favorite herbs. |
| pots (with holes in the bottom to allow drainage, | | | | |