How To Grow Healthy Organic Herbs

Going green thanks to the effects of global warming? Trying to cut down on the meat intake too and become a vegetarian? If you love gardening and maintaining your green patch, you could try growing your own herbs in one corner to cut down on the frequent trips to the supermarket for culinary provisions!

Herbs and spices – two of the most revered items in the culinary world! Imagine homegrown cures for colds, natural anesthetics, and seasoning for food, all just a stone’s throw away in your garden! Herbs are the easiest to grow at home, since they require very little fertilizers and are not prone to insects or disease pests. In the botanical sense, herbs are plants without a woody stem and die back to the ground in winter to a perennial root system. Generally, herbaceous plants are either annuals, perennials, biennials, bulbs or grasses.

Do you have the requirements these herbaceous plants need to grow? Are you aware of the origin of these herbs? Herbs are local to the Mediterranean region hence the plants prefer hot and dry summers and wet winters. Hotter the summer, the more aromatic the oils within the herb become. The oils, which provide the flavor needs at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day. But care not to keep them in direct sunlight, since they can get burnt, which wouldn’t be very nice.

The soil should be of very good quality and very well drained, else your herbaceous friends won’t survive! Herbs don’t need highly fertile soils. It should be neither too alkaline nor too acidic. A well-balanced, almost neutral soil, having adequate organic content is perfect for herbs to flourish in; otherwise, you’ll have excessive foliage and no flavor content, which would be a shame! To maintain your garden soil, several bushels of peat moss or compost should be helpful in retaining the moisture.

Fertilizers are often used to grow herbs but are usually not necessary. Even pests don’t ‘bug’ your plants! Particular plants are prone to rust and herbs growing in hot, dry weather can be prone to spider mites, which can damage your crop. Aphids, grasshoppers, and caterpillars are common problems that recur but generally, prevention is not an option except when you notice a problem.

Take care of your plants as well by watering them well, cutting, dividing them by season, and layering them according to bulbs, grasses, perennials, or biennials. Can you grow herbs indoors? Of course, you can, although the flavor would not be as strong as its counterparts outside your kitchen door! During winter place them in the sunlight for as long as possible, and if there isn’t any sunlight, place them under a fluorescent lamp! Wilting in between two watering sessions isn’t good for the plant, but also don’t let water accumulate in the saucer since it could spell danger for your green friends! In the end, it will not only be a delightful activity, but also a great dinner experience! Happy gardening!