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A home herb garden is a great source of fresh herbs any time of the year and has many benefits. Herb gardens can be specialized by the types of herbs grown: cooking, medicinal, ornamental to name a few. With a little bit of information, starting a home herb garden is fun and easy.

A home herb garden is a great source of fresh herbs any time of the year. Herbs have a rich history and have been referenced in many ancient documents, showing that herbs have been used by most household throughout history. Herbs are easily grown inside in containers or in an outdoor garden. Growing herbs has many benefits: as an addition to dishes to enhance flavor, to make tea, potpourri, or for medical purposes, and also to keep pests in check in outside gardens.  There are a variety of herb gardens: for cooking, for medicine, ornamentals, or for multiple purposes.

Types of herb plants include, interestingly, shrubs and trees, as well as annual and perennial plants. A short explanation of these types: annual plants live for one year: they sprout, flower, and die in the same year. Perennial plants live for two years, meaning that after growing and blooming during spring and summer, they die back during fall and winter and return again in the spring.

A key to herb gardens is using soil with good drainage. For compacted or heavy soil types, adding some organic material is recommended. Fertilizers are typically not necessary.  While a few herbs grow well in full shade, a sunny location is preferable, and a lot of herbs do just fine with afternoon shade.  Interestingly enough, herbs are not often affected by insects or diseases, with a few exceptions: in hot and dry environments, red spider mites can be a pest for low-growing herbs. Anise, caraway, dill, and fennel may be attacked by aphids and mint can be affected by rust.

To grow an herb garden, use a small area in your garden, about 6 feet by 4 feet, which would produce enough for the needs of a small family. Using indoor planters for a home herb garden is also an option. Culinary herbs are a popular herb garden use, mainly to add enhanced flavor to a dish, while other herbs are used as great colorful garnish to plates or salads. Other herbs are grown for their beautiful flowers or the aroma of their foliage.

There are two ways to start an herb garden: from seeds or from seedlings. Growing a plant from seed is a great joy, seeing the process from the beginning to the end. The majority of herbs can be started from seed. Herbs are very useful and growing an herb plant from seed is a rewarding experience. Well-drained, light soil should be used to grow seeds in. Plant seeds in a shallow box or pot toward the end of winter. The seeds should not be covered with too much soil since they do not have a deep root base. A rule to follow is: sow fine seeds in shallow soil. In the springtime, the seedlings can be transplanted to the outdoor garden. Some herbs will not thrive if transplanted, such as fennel, coriander, dill and anise and should be planted directly in the garden.

A home herb garden is particularly worthwhile and it is easy to grow. Having a good understanding of herbs and a lot of plant growing information available is important. This article is a good start and now it’s a good time to complete the journey with more information. You can find all of the knowledge you need at www.HerbGardenDIY.com – enjoy!

So, the agony has passed. You’ve nurtured the herbs in your home herb garden and now you are seeing results. But what do you do now?  Don’t despair, using herbs from a home herb garden is the good part. This is the ecstasy.

Always remember that the harvesting of any produce is a two step process: gathering and storing. Storage needs planning, whilst gathering is usually arbitrary and depends on when you feel your plants to be ready.

One of the great benefits of herbs has always been their excellent storage capability without any great loss of their primary virtue. Using herbs from a home herb garden depends both on the type of herb and your intended usage; you need to prepare for one of several storage methods.  For aeons past herbs have been dried or pickled in salt or vinegar. Today we may add freezing to our storage arsenal. For instance, you can freeze culinary herbs in ice blocks for later use in stews and soups.

Using herbs from a home herb garden – rules of engagement – gathering.

There are some simple rules to follow when gathering or storing. The process is really not complicated. To gather effectively whilst preserving their virtues follow these rules:

1. In the week before gathering is to take place, avoid spraying any insecticide near plants.

2. A dry, balmy, moderate spell in June is your best option in Northern climes. (For Southern hemisphere gardeners this means around December)

3. Harvest in mid-morning to avoid excessive heat whilst harvesting.

4. Ensure target plants are insect-free.

5. Don’t be greedy. Remove 25% or less of any bushy plant to enable strong regrowth for later use. Discard damaged leaves or stems.

6. If possible, shelter the target plants with shade cloth the night before harvesting takes place. This should be placed over a frame to avoid contact with your plants.

Using herbs from a home herb garden – rules of engagement – storage and preservation.

We have already covered the choices here. (Drying, pickling or freezing) Let’s cover the how in broad terms. The most important thing when using herbs from a home herb garden is common sense; think about what you are about to do. If all went well with the harvesting, we now have a healthy batch of produce.

Storage method 1 – drying.

Preparation: Obtain a packet of rubber bands, a ball of string and some “s” shaped wire hooks.

Method: Take lengths of string and make ‘clotheslines’ in a shaded dry spot. Separate herbs to be dried into bunches comprising 5 to 10 stems. (Depending on type of herb – you will soon get a feel for quantities) Secure these together by twisting the rubber band around the base of the stems. Use the “s” wire hooks to hang the bunches on the ‘clotheslines’.

Storage method 2 – preserving.

Definitely my favourite way of using herbs from a home herb garden.

Preparation 1: Obtain several types of bottles with corks capable of a reasonably tight seal. (The following paragraphs will indicate what containers you will need) Steep clean fresh herbs in oil or vinegar. Rosemary, thyme, tarragon, mint, basil and sage all work well. Serve as a herb vinegar or use as a flavoured oil for cooking or salads. Create many similar ways of using herbs from a home herb garden by using your imagination.

Preparation 2: Obtain several types of containers with lids capable of a reasonably tight fit and a bag of coarse salt. Place herbs and salt in alternating layers in a container. (Old ice cream containers work for me) When all moisture is leeched out, remove herbs and use aromatic salt in table grinders.

Storage method 3 – freezing. A modern but effective way of using herbs from a home herb garden.

Preparation: Obtain a roll of wax paper and a wide flat container capable of use in a freezer.

Method: Tear or slice herbs into convenient sizes and place on layers of waxed paper in the wide, flat container. Place in freezer overnight. Remove container, discard wax paper and repack frozen herbs into more convenient freezer storage containers.

There are many variations to the above methods of using herbs from a home herb garden, but the first 2 have been used successfully for centuries (sans rubber bands, of course) and the freezing method is a simple one. Try these before you buy dehydrators or ruin your oven or microwave.

Once you have put together your home herb garden, whether it is in your backyard or in pots, you need to figure out what to do with your herbs.  Making use of herbs from the garden is lots of fun and here we are going to focus on two essential ways: cooking and medicine.  Some plants that are primarily used in cooking can also have healthy side effects, while conversely some plants that you thought were just for home remedies can also taste great.  

The first step in using the herbs from your home herb garden is to know the best way to remove the part of the plants that you need out of the entire plant.  Many herbs, including the common varieties like basil and dill only yield edible leaves or shoots. Therefore just pinch off the amount of leaves you need with your fingers or, if you prefer use a pair of scissors – that way you will not crush the remaining part of the plant.  Other plants from the home herb garden like horseradish, ginger or turmeric have edible roots which you need to dig up and wash, then simply slice or grate them.

Most times we think of using plants from the home herb garden for our cooking since they add many levels of flavor to the dishes and you will be able to reduce the amount of salt because most herbs make the food more savory and you get a delicious taste.  Sage is a favorite of any home herb garden and it is a great rub for red meats like pot roast and mutton, while oregano is the quintessential ingredient in Italian cooking, giving it a slightly pungent and fragrant taste.  

Herbs have also been used throughout the ages for their medicinal properties, but with the dawn of modern medicine, herbal remedies have taken a backseat to conventional medicine, although they are still a great option for maintaining your health.  Many herbs from the home herb garden can be brewed in boiling water to create soothing and healthy teas, two of the most popular being mint and chamomile. While chamomile is great to seep in the evening as a relaxant, mint is more stimulant and is an excellent tea to have in the morning.

The home herb garden can be a wonderful source of medicinal herbs: St. John’s Wort is recognized to help relieve tension, both mental and physical, while wormwood has long been known to aid many digestive ailments.   Woad was primarily used for its indigo-colored dye in the West, but has long been known to Chinese physicians as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral treatment and it is said that taken orally it can help prevent the flu. I grow several plants of anise in my home herb garden and I love drinking the aromatic tea obtained from the seeds. Anise syrup is well known for relieving coughs.

In addition to the common culinary and medicinal uses, some herbs can also protect your home herb garden and your house from unwanted pests.  Dill is known to keep the white butterfly from laying eggs on cabbages, while fennel is a fantastic deterrent for fleas and that is why it is best grown just outside the dog kennel.  Bay leaves keep weevils away; just put a leaf or two in the rice container or spread a few leaves on the pantry shelves where you store your grains and flour.

Because herbs come in a wide array of sizes and textures, they can create visual interest in the home herb garden while still being useful in several ways for cooking, in medicine and as pest deterrent, therefore using herbs from a home herb garden is a wonderful hobby that also offers practical advantages.