By Suzana Mikolova Useful Herb Gardening Information
Herbs may be a very tolerant kind of plant but they need care nevertheless and here are a few areas that you should remember when you start an herb garden.
Before you start an herb garden clean up the area where the plants are going to be planted. This includes digging the soil to remove all weeds that may already be present, their roots and other organic matter. Dig up the soil thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps which will block the easy passage of water and disturb the growth of your herbs. Well rotted organic matter should also be included in the soil to increase its ability to retain water and keep the roots moist.
Most herbs can up by themselves and do not need any external assistance to extend themselves. But staking is an important thing to do in several varieties which need a support to grow up on. Use good quality stakes, available in many shapes and sizes for you choose from at your garden supply store. It is better to use a nice stake right from the beginning of the plant’s growth so that it grows to cover the stake which is no longer visible and the plant is growing healthy around it.
Weeding is also a very important thing you should regularly do when you start an herb garden. This is so as the weeds use up space and nutrition that is meant for the herbs and do not allow them to grow well. Also herbs being small plants are usually the same size as the weeds, so eliminating the weeds is necessary. Never allow the weeds to flower and remove them before they reach that stage as it become quite difficult after that with new weeds growing all over again and again.
Herbs do not need too much in terms of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Try to incorporate as much nutrition as possible using organic matter and mulch. You don’t want to be taking a dish full of chemicals when you sit down to eat your home-grown herbs. That in a way defeats the purpose that you had in mind when you decided to start an herb garden.
Muhammad Aqib