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Growing herbs inside is easier than one would think.  Most of them grow really well in containers and in fact some, like the mints, are better in pots because they have a really rampant growing style that can take over a garden in no time at all if left to their own devices.

Having a set of pots on the windowsil is just lovely and I always think a kitchen looks so much more inviting with a group of herbal pots on the windowsil.

I was given some herbs and some pots so I painted them up and grew my basil, mint, chives, parsleys in those. Read the rest of this entry »

Herbs do like to have a lot of soil for their root system so to have successful ongoing herbs try using a trough-like container for your plants.  If you have a trough you can either plant it up with soil as in the picture or put medium sized individual pots in the trough and this way they will not steal each others nutrients and each plant will maintain good health.  Those that don’t grow well for some reason can be replaced without disturbing the other herbs.

Another reason for using a trough for growing herbs is that if you put wheels on it you can move it around for the best use of the sunlight.  In fact Read the rest of this entry »

Herbal teas can be made from your very own herb garden.  All you need to do is pick some stalks of mature leaves, hang them to dry in a cool dry place out of the sunlight, crush them and make you teas.

Some of the mint varieties are excellent for this:  peppermit, spearmint and chocolate.

Also of course there is the very popular camomille tea used as a relaxing tea.  Others are rose petal tea, lemon balm, cranberry and many more.

There really are a lot of different herbal teas so it would be a good idea to try some of the commercial ones and then you can decide which herb plants to grow to have the herb teas that you would like.

As you get more experienced you will probably find yourself blending different flavors as well.

Hanging baskets are not everybody’s cup of tea, but those that like or have the place to hang baskets can grow herbs that suit such a situation.

I just could not resist putting this picture in as it shows that you can use hanging baskets along a wall and if you have a small courtyard this could just be the answer to your ‘fresh herb’ problem.

Height of the hanging basket

If you are going to hang baskets fairly low down you could consider growing some upright herbs like basil, but if the baskets are going to be a little higher up under a roof  you need to consider growing some of the softer or leggy ones that will hang down over the basket, such as mint.  Read the rest of this entry »

Growing your own bay leaf herb is really not that difficult.  Buying bay leaves in the shop always makes me wonder why I am.  They look so dried and flavorless – actually they are not too bad, but you just can’t beat the real thing.

The Bay Tree, Laurus nobilus, is a very hardy tree.  It grows superbly well in a container and makes a lovely tree to have on the patio.  They are drought tolerant and are ideal for those who are very busy and often find that they cannot keep a herb garden going too well.

When repotting your bay tree do not disturb the roots and plant it in a container much larger than the pot you purchase it in.  In your container cover the whole with wire, then the bottom of the container with 3 in of Read the rest of this entry »

Designing of any sort takes some planning.  Planning and designing a herb garden is no different.  In fact this can be a lot of fun as you plan what you want to plant, what needs sun, what needs a deep garden and what can have a shallow garden, where you will put a trellis if you want one and where you will use stakes for growing things like tomatoes.

The Plan

1. measure out what area you have to work with
2. work out what you want to grow and what gardens you need for the particular plants Read the rest of this entry »

Once you have established that you want to grow an indoor herb garden, you then need to decide where it is going to go.

Are you going to have it on the windowsill, on the floor, in large pots or small pots.  It is important that indoor herbs get plenty of sunlight so look for a spot that will give the plants a couple of hours of sunlight each day, preferably in the morning.  A pot like this one in the pic could be just inside your glass slider.

Once you have answered these questions you can then decide how many plants Read the rest of this entry »

Growing your own herbs is a wonderful productive hobby and many people buy their herb seedlings from nurseries and take them home and either plant them in the garden or into pots for indoors or outdoors.

Basically herbs do not need a top range potting mix because they essentially are weeds and can thrive under most normal conditions without extra TLC.

There are a few steps to be sure of though when planting your herb seedlings. Read the rest of this entry »

In the marjority of cases herbs grow best in spring and summer and most herbs do not survive that well, if at all, in winter.  For this reason someone who grows a prolific amount of herbs in their home herb garden may want to freeze the excess for use during the other months of the year.

Essentially there are two ways to freeze herbs, both of them very easy.

Freezing the leaves

Spread the leaves out on trays and freeze them separately then when they are frozen tip them into a self-sealing bag and keep them frozen for use.   Do keep in mind that they will wilt when they are thawed as the juices are freed so don’t expect them to look like a fresh herb leaf as you would use in a salad but they are excellent for cooking. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many herbs growing all over the world.  Whether you call them weeds or herbs, the plants are everywhere.  These versatile wonders are used for everything from beautifying the landscape to accenting a meal.  You will find herbs on drugstore shelves, listed as herbal remedies.  There is no end to their use.

When you are in the garden, the anxiety and stress of the day seem to melt away.  There is no time for phone calls or car pools.  It is a time to relax and enjoy nature.  The smell of the natural herbs floating in the air is enough to make your mind wander to far off places.  You can create an entire paradise with the herbs you plant in the garden.

Read the rest of this entry »