Basic Herb Gardening Tips
by: LeeDobbins
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After making your choice of the herbs to grow, the next step is to ensure that you have the appropriate tools to properly care for your new plants. The two main tools you will need are a small shovel/spade and a spike or fork. If you are planting from cuttings, you can use the shovel to create a small hole. If you choose to start from seeds, you will only need to dig just below the surface. For seed planting, you will use a spike or fork for aeration of compact soil because herbs do better when they have good drainage.
Intermittent pruning is helpful in optimizing herb growth. A pair of quality pruning shears is a necessity, as ordinary scissors that work well for smaller, more flexible materials, will not work as swiftly or easily as a pair of pruning shears when it comes to woody stems and other jobs.
A fine watering can may prove indispensable to your herb garden depending on your arrangements. Some prefer to pour water out a one inch opening which is just right for some plants. But for herbs, which require less water, one of the most basic herb gardening tips is that you can avoid the most common mistake of over watering by using sprinklers, the type of watering can punched with a number of small holes designed to easily control the amount of water to be given.
Obviously, watering is essential for thriving gardens. A drip or soaker hose is simple and reasonably-priced as well as automatic and efficient if your time is often limited. Depending on your climate, you may need to replace them every few years. For smaller herb and container gardens, the old standby, the watering can, is still more than sufficient.
Soaker hoses are a convenient tool that can be spread across even larger areas (say 20' x 30') in under an hour; simply create an arrangement snug to the plants and anchor it to the ground with plastic or metal spikes. When winter arrives, be sure to store your hoses. Harsh cold weather elements will clog and rot hoses after just a few seasons.
Wheelbarrows are very helpful garden tools. They help you transport seedlings to your garden that need to be transplanted. Many people put the weeds that they pull into a wheel barrow because this is easier than picking up all those pulled weeds off of the ground and makes it easier to cart them away.
Mulch can be composed of bark, gravel, shredded newspaper, wood chips or a combination of these ingredients. Using mulch in your garden can help with soil composition and to reduce the amount of weeds you will have. You can spread a 3-4 inch layer over the ground. Be sure to leave approximately an inch in diameter around the base of your plant. Otherwise, you may create a build up of moisture and heat.
It is not hard to follow these basic herb gardening tips. All you need are a few quality tools, some seed packets, and a plot of ground with good soil to create an excellent herb garden.
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