Plant Gardens 101

If your apartment leaves little room for growing things, you can use planter boxes to host an herb garden. An herb garden also requires a more minimal commitment of your time for maintenance. There’s no need to fertilize herbs regularly, and they can withstand dry spells if you forget to water them occasionally. Before you begin, make sure that your planter boxes receive plenty of sunlight. If they are located in a shady area, you should use plants that respond well to a shady environment. Provide your herbs with well-draining soil. Prune and harvest appropriately, and you should enjoy a bountiful supply of fresh herbs for your cooking.

Herbs do require full sunlight. They like direct sunlight, and lots of it. If your planter boxes will be in a shady area, you should pick different plants that like shade. (more…)

There are various types of lavender however the three main types of lavender that are most popular are the English, French and Italian varieties. There are many varieties of lavender that have been hybridized which makes them quite easy to grow hardy. The only downside is that if you grow the seeds they will revert back to the original plant. Hybrid varieties of lavender have larger flowers so if you are after a lavender plant that looks good then a hybrid version is what you are looking to find.

If you are adding lavender to your herb garden for the purpose of harvesting the oil or doing other craft work then you need to plant English lavender is the perfect choice as it has a very strong scent. English lavender is without a doubt the most popular variety of lavender. English lavender is recognizable by its small compact bushy appearance, which normally reaches about three feet tall. It has very striking sliver leaves and small mauve flowers that appear at the end of the long stems. The flowers that appear on English lavender plants also come in shades of blue, white and pink as well as mauve. Gardeners will find the highest concentration of oil located in the flowers of the lavender plant. (more…)

If you are like me, I absolutely love the smell of fresh herbs. However, buying fresh herbs at the grocery store would often make my wallet cry, so I would pass them up. Often times I didn’t buy enough or they would spoil before I used them all. So like me, Container Herb Gardening can give you an abundant, readily available supply of fresh herbs. It doesn’t matter if your living quarters are small because you can put the containers inside in the kitchen within reach. Even next to the coffee pot.Growing herbs in containers is the perfect gift for gardening friends, as well as for cooking. Take into account these 3 tips for the successful container herb garden, for some flavorful and or smelly results.

Tip #1. Select the herbs you want to grow. Choose from basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, mints and dill. All are easy to grow in containers, require very little maintenance, and are adaptable for a wide variety of dishes. Plants such as lavender and yarrow spread quickly and can take up all your space, so these are ideal for container herb gardening in small batches. (more…)

Some of the most famous and tastiest herbs in the world come from Italy. Some of the best cuisines come from Italy and are well known in part for their herbs. Growing your own herbs in an Italian herb garden provides a massive quantity of potential.

Basil is a well know Italian herb and useful in many Italian recipes. Basil will not only add flavor to many Italian cuisines, it is useful in the garden to other plants. Planting basil next to your peppers and tomatoes will actually improve their flavor. Plus, basil will also keep at bay those pesky flies and mosquitoes.

Parsley is a relatively hard herb plant to grow. It is useful not only in Italian dishes but many other types of cuisines. Many generations ago before their were breath mints it was found that eating fresh, raw parsley after a meal eliminated the bad breath left over from enjoying a savory cuisine. The tradition arose to serve parsley on a small dish after the meal. The custom lives today by using parsley as a garnish on an assortment of meals. (more…)