DIY: How to grow your own herbs from home. Learn how easy it is by following the steps below. We have also included some helpful hints so that even if you are a beginner gardener, you can enjoy fresh herbs from your own garden. Both the amateur and expert gardener would benefit from a gardening shed in which to store all of your tools and supplies. Find out how easy it is to own your own beautiful custom garden shed; contact Classic Buildings today.
DIY: How to Grow Your Own Herbs From Home
Head out to your garden shed and collect all of the tools and supplies you are going to use before you get started.
List of Things You Will Need
- Planting pots
- Potting soil
- Rocks or broken pottery
- Selection or your favorite herbs
- Gardening gloves (if you don’t like to get your hands dirty)
Best Herbs to Start Your Garden with
The following is a list of the most commonly used herbs. These are also the easiest ones to grow, so if you are a beginner gardener, you are in luck. Once they are planted, they need relatively little care and most of them are pretty forgiving if you forget to water them.
Thyme – English, French, and lemon varieties – Thyme is great in soups, sauces, and braises. It is also tasty in potatoes, rice dishes, vegetables, and even fresh bread.
Chives – Chives have a mild onion flavor and are great even for those people who don’t like onions. Use them in any dish that you would normally use onions.
Italian parsley – Italian parsley is perfect in most Italian style dishes, especially pasta and many Middle Eastern dishes like salad.
Sage – Sage adds a great flavor to savory dishes; you’ll be amazed at how much it can elevate the taste of even a simple pork chop.
Oregano – Greek and Italian varieties – these have a subtle flavor difference. Oregano is used in sauces, bread rolls, and in marinades for meat.
Rosemary – Tuscan Blue Rosemary pairs well with roasted lamb, garlic, and olive oil. It also adds great flavor to focaccia, tomato sauce, pizza, and pork.
Basil – Genovese or Sweet Basil – Basil has a special relationship with tomatoes and tomato-flavored dishes. It also makes a great pesto sauce.
Mint – Spearmint is the classic culinary mint. Mint goes well with lamb, vegetables, and, of course, mint juleps and mojitos.
Planting Steps
Step 1: If you are using old, previously used pots make sure you knock out all of the old dirt and rinse them so that you don’t get any mystery plants showing up in your garden
Step 2: Place some rocks or broken up pottery in the bottom of your pots for extra drainage – Most plants and especially herbs love lots of drainage.
Step 3: Fill your pot with potting soil to about 2 to 3 inches from the top. The amount you need to add will vary depending on the size of your plant as a larger plant will displace more soil and raise the level. This is a special type of soil designed to retain moisture and contains nutrients to help your plants grow.
Step 4: Set your plant in the center of your pot to get an idea of its size, take it away, and dig a hole with your hand large enough to accommodate your plant.
Step 5: Remove your plant from its container and gently separate the roots at the bottom. This will help the roots extend and grow down into the new pot. Add some extra soil so that the plant is covered up to the same level that it was in its previous container. Lightly press down the soil around the plant to secure it, but be careful not to use too much pressure as this will compress the soil too much.
Step 6: Give your plant a little bit of water.
The following video will show you how to grow your own herbs from home in containers.
Helpful Herb Gardening Tips
Tip #1: Crowding one pot with two parsley plants will produce a smaller plant with more leaves. After all, what you want is lots of leaves because it’s the leaves that you actually use.
Tip #2: When growing herbs you want to aggressively pinch back your plants. Remove the top two or three inches off of each of the stems of your basil plant and use it in your favorite dish. This action will also let your plant know that it is time to send up new growth. Even if you don’t have a dish that you want to use your herbs in, you should still pinch them back regularly. If you pinch off the top set of leaves on your herb plants, they will start growing outward.
Tip #3: You can plant each variety of herb in its own separate container or you can plant a variety of different herbs together in one larger planter.
Tip #4: If you have a hard time remembering which herb is which (especially if you have two varieties of the same herb such as Italian and Greek oregano or English and lemon thyme) then take the plastic labels that came with your plants and hide them near the corresponding one to help you remember.
Tip #5: Herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano work well planted in the same container as they all require a similar amount of watering. They usually only need watering about once a week or even less often.
Tip #6: Avoid fertilizing your herbs. Herbs actually enjoy lean growing conditions and do not require fertilization. In general, they require sunshine and a bit of water. Some people even believe that the flavor of most herbs is better is they become distressed. Other than basil which does like extra water, most herbs just need enough water to keep them alive.
Tip #7: When choosing a basil plant, try to pick out the largest, most established plant you can find.
Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors
If you would like to grow some herbs indoors, especially so that you can enjoy fresh ones during the winter months, take the following steps:
- Plant your herbs in pots as described above. You may want to choose smaller pots if your space indoors is limited.
- Place your herbs on a sunny windowsill. Herbs prefer 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. The more light that they receive, the tastier they will be.
- If you don’t have a large enough windowsill, try placing them on a small table pulled up to the window.
- Don’t place your herbs too close together; they need to have proper air circulation around them. You may want to swap their positions around from time to time.
Additional Information
If you love gardening, you may also enjoy our post “How to Keep Plants in a Garden Storage Shed Over Winter.”
Looking for a Garden Shed? Take a Look at these Great Choices
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Garden Sheds You Can Afford
Purchasing a garden shed doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, and you don’t need to wait until you have enough money saved to buy one. Contact Classic Buildings today and find out how easy it is to rent to own your own beautiful garden shed or visit the location nearest to you. We provide financing and most people can even qualify for $0 money down.
Remember, before buying a shed you should be aware of the shed permit requirements of your municipality. Sometimes permit requirements depend on the size of your shed.
Classic Buildings has locations throughout the Midwest, including various Missouri cities (St. Louis, Arnold, Columbia, St. Charles, Rolla, Linn, Springfield, Jefferson City, Kansas City, and Washington Missouri). We are located in Swansea, Illinois and Kansas and deliver throughout the Midwest, and, in some cases, nationwide!
If you would like to take a look at Classic Buildings’ storage sheds, check out our brochure, or visit one of our locations to see our sheds firsthand!
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