Tips For Making A Potted Herb Garden

by: LeeDobbins

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There are several advantages to making a potted herb garden versus outdoor gardening. You can bring plants inside when winter comes around, or even grow them indoors all year long. You are able to control soil better since the only thing in the pot is what you provide. You can place herb pots in the shade. You can also put them by a window, or even under a lamp if necessary.

Raising herbs indoors takes close attention, but plants like basil, dill, sage, mint and lavender are more-easily cared for than others. Unfortunately, we're not given the skills of mother nature, but make the effort and controlling nutrients and water will almost become intuitive.

Choose your seeds carefully as they can actually go bad. So, the first step is to start with seeds that are of good quality. There are many organic compounds that react to oxygen, and air contains many spores that are both able to invade and are airborne. It's easy to get them fresh and to keep them that way, as long as the dates are observed and any wet seed packets are thrown away.

When making a potted herb garden you do not have to keep them indoors. It is possible to grow your herbs inside or outside. Either way you choose, you need to know the amount of sun that each plant should have. There are herbs that like full sun, while others grow well when placed in partially shaded areas.

Soil quality is very important for maintaining a healthy environment for potted herbs. Moisture content must be balanced. For example, lavender thrives in a sunny area that has dry, alkaline soil. A way to have dry soil in pots is to add clay chips to the soil. Clay absorbs water and keeps the roots of your lavender dry. Also, mix sandy and clay soil for best results.

Root rot stems from an excess in moisture. This is the most common problem that plants grown in containers will experience. Although some plants prefer to be wet all the time, herbs like a dryer soil. Remember that moist doesn't mean soaked. When you press your thumb on the surface of the soil it should be springy if it's moist. If it is dry, on the other hand, it will be hard. You can insert a toothpick or moisture gauge into the soil also. When you remove the toothpick you will be able to tell whether the soil underneath the surface is dry or moist. The gauges are able to give more useful and precise reading.

There are many great reasons for making a potted herb garden. On thing you can use your herb garden in pots for is keeping culinary herbs on hand all year long. Keep the pots outside near the kitchen door in summer and bring them in and sit them on the windowsill in winter.

About the Author

You can learn more about all types of herbs as well as learn about growing herbs in pots at http://basicherbgardeningtips.com/ where you will get basic tips for growing herbs both indoors and out.

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