Plant Care Tips: How to Start an Herb Garden
An herb garden makes a wonderful addition to any home or office, offering you the chance to grow plants that can be useful for your cooking and food preparation in the future. If you want to grow your herbs, you’ll want to treat this garden differently from your typical garden.
Today we will share our guide on starting an outdoor herb garden and incorporating this into your future rooftop garden or greenscape design.
We will cover the following:
Find a Location With Plenty of Sunlight
Once you’ve found the location for your herb garden, think about the plant care needs of each group of herbs. Try to clump the herbs together to make your watering and urban landscaping care needs easier.
By reading up about each type of herb you plan to plant, you can put them close by to save you time watering and tending to them in the future. Of course, this doesn’t have to limit your creativity around having a fancy exterior landscape design using this method, which will also add an attractive display to your home or office.
Annual vs. Perennial Herbs
Like plants, herbs fall into two categories: annual or perennial. Perennial herbs typically last many years and include popular plants such as oregano, sage, thyme, lavender, mint, and tarragon. Annual herbs usually last just one year before they need replanting or replacing, but they offer a fresh addition to your meals.
Cilantro, dill, and basil are a few of the most popular annual herbs and will make fantastic additions to salads and other dishes. Parsley is another great herb to grow and will typically last for two years before it needs to be replaced or replanted.
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Be Careful Where You Buy Your Seeds
We recommend that you take your time to think about the sources of your plants and herbs. While buying your herbs from a hardware store near your home might seem quick and easy, you might find that this plan backfires in the long run.
Many large stores sell plants that have been on quite the journey to get to the store. That means they have been treated with specific fertilizers to protect them on the way. If you don’t use the same products that they were treated with when you take them home, you’ll find they stop growing or die off very quickly.
Nurse Your Plants From Seed to Stem
We recommend that some herbs start as seeds in your urban landscaping plans for the best results. Cilantro, dill, parsley, and basil can all start growing this way, whereas other herbs can be purchased from your local grower or nursery. If you purchase from a store, try to ask about the fertilizers they use and their top tips for taking these plants home.
The more you can learn about how they were grown and cared for in the past, the easier it will be to keep them alive. Remember, if you’re buying many plants, make your plant care easier by choosing plants in groups. This method will simplify your outdoor or rooftop garden.
Group Your Plants Together By Care Needs
Once you’ve found the location for your herb garden, you need to think about the plant care needs of each group. Try to clump the herbs together to make your watering and urban landscaping care needs easier.
By reading up about each type of herb you plan to plant, you can put them close by to save you time watering and tending to them in the future. Of course, this doesn’t have to limit your creativity around having a fancy exterior landscape design using this method, which will also add an attractive display to your home or office.
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Harvesting Your Herbs
While we often focus on growing in urban landscaping, you must also consider how often you harvest your herbs. Don’t pick your leafy herbs until they are at least six inches tall. Only cut off less than a third of the plant at any time.
Try to evenly pick the leaves off, leaving you with an aesthetically-pleasing plant. You’ll find that the plant then grows back evenly as well, helping to make your herb garden look more attractive. As a result, you’ll continue to produce great results month after month.
Freeze Your Leaves
One handy tip for the end of the growing season is to dry or freeze your leaves. If you live where frost might impact your outdoor or rooftop garden, you can protect your exterior landscape design by freezing and drying seeds and leaves to enjoy them throughout the year.
Another fun way to preserve basil is to blend it with olive oil or water and freeze it in an ice cube tray. This will ensure your plants and hard work don’t go to waste. That way, you can enjoy delicious herbs all year round.
Key Takeaways
An herb garden is a fantastic option for anyone looking to add more life to their home. It also has a handy addition to your plant collection for cooking and garnishing meals. Take your time to research the best herbs to grow in your available space. Lastly, make your life easier by choosing ones that need the same type of plant care.
Many herbs can last for years, making them one of the best options for any urban garden or home. It’s the perfect addition to your property if you enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. You’ll love the fresh flavors you can add to any dish with just a few herbs you grow at home.
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View Our Other Plant Care Tips
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- Tropical Plants
- Ferns
- Philodendrons
- Fiddle Leaf Figs
- Why Are My House Plants Dying?
- How to Find the Best Garden Decor
- Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants
- What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?
Boston Fabrication and Design Specialists
Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design firm in Boston’s historic South End. For over 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning urban landscaping services in the Boston Metro area.
We customize and plan our exterior landscape designs to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and rooftop gardens.
In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.
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