If you are seeking advice on how to start an herb garden, you have come to the right place.
Below, we will cover everything you need to know while preparing a garden of herbs for the first time.
Whether you just want a small garden with a few of your favorite plants, or a large one one with many types of plants, the following information will have you ready to plant asap!
Why You Should Start an Herb Garden
There are so many different reasons to start your herb garden and become self sustainable, and the recent events concerning the virus are a great example of this.
Here are all the ways starting an herb garden will benefit you.
Self-Sustainability
The first and most obvious reason to learn how to start an herb garden is the self-sufficiency that comes along with it.
When you have a garden, you won't have to rely on grocery stores, private farms, or anybody else you previously had trusted as your source of various produce products.
Being able to walk out to your backyard and select fresh produce, rather than making weekly trips to town, is a huge advantage and reason enough on it's own.
Prepare for the worst
We have seen what can happen when a crisis occurs with COVID-19. The trickle-down impacts of a crisis on things you used to not even think twice about, like grabbing fresh zucchini or cucumbers, can add up quickly during times of crisis.
However, if you have your own produce constantly growing in your yard, you can be ready for the worst, and won't have to stress about feeding yourself or your loved ones.
Save money on your favorite produce
Certain types of produce are either too expensive or not naturally prominent enough to be easily purchased.
These sorts of circumstances are often one of the best times to learn how to start an herb garden.
When you do so, you can start growing expensive and/or unavailable produce with ease! Just make sure that your local climate is suitable for the varieties you wish to grow.
More efficient, less waste
Do you enjoy eating things like cilantro, or other types of produce that are normally consumed in small portions?
If so, having your own herb garden can make your life much easier. Many times, people who buy fresh herbs like cilantro will never use it all before it spoils.
When you grow your own, though, you can simply head outside and pluck a few leaves for your tacos or your salad!
How to start an outdoor herb garden - step by step guide
Now that you are aware of all the reasons we recommend starting one, how do you actually start an herb garden?
We got you covered. Let’s go ahead and switch focus over to the precise steps that are necessary for starting your own garden.
For starters, look at your local laws to see if there are any residential gardening laws to be aware of.
These can vary depending on what state, and legal authority you fall into.
1. Plan Out Your Herb Garden Space
Once you have received the green light to begin your garden, the first thing you need to do is plan out your garden space.
More than likely, you will need to build your garden in your backyard. Outdoor growing is really easy and much cheaper than starting your garden indoors. However, if you want to start an herb garden indoors, check out our complete guide on indoor growing.
Start by figuring out which areas of your yard receive ample sunlight, and where you have space to put garden pots or build a raised garden bed.
Most often, you won't be planting directly in the ground. But if this is the route you want to take, you'll need to prepare the soil or dig up grass.
Then, plan how you will water the garden. If you are just starting with a few plants, watering by hand is the most efficient way to get started.
However, as your herb garden grows in plant count and varieties, you may consider setting up an automated water system, such as drippers that work on a timer so you don't have to manually feed or water daily.
2. Grab supplies and prepare the herb garden
To make things easy on yourself, we really do recommend planting in a raised garden bed or pots.
This way, you don't have to worry about digging up the soil or ripping out grass. It also decreases your chances of running into soil borne pests or diseases.
We highly recommend using Gorilla Pots, as these fabric pots are the best on the market for any time of growing.
From there, you'll need to find the best soil possible for the specific types of plants you are growing. This will come down to nutrient needs, aeration/drainage, and more.
3. Choose Your Herbs & Plant Them
Once you have your pots and soil, you are ready to get started.
Some people might prefer to buy a clone or pre-grown planter that has a nice starting base. Others might instead prefer to do things the old-fashioned way and start from seeds.
Seeds are almost always a much more affordable route. However, grabbing clones or cuttings that have already sprouted is a lot easier and cuts out the propagation phase, allowing you to get straight to growing.
Understanding the seed starting process
Starting your herb garden from seeds isn't difficult as long as you understand the three things seeds need: warmth, moisture, and light.
Many first time growers simply use the paper towel method, which works pretty well if you don't have seed starting supplies on hand. Simply take a moist paper towel, stick your seeds inside, and fold it up.
You don't want to drench the towel as this can drown your seeds, but it needs to be moist. You will likely have to lightly water the paper towel to keep it damp.
You also need to keep the paper towel warm. You can do this with a small computer lamp, or by placing the seeds in the window sill. Ideally, though, you would use a heat mat.
For the best results and to make your life as easy as possible, just grab one of our seed starting kits.
Seeds need warmth and humidity for the taproot to pop through the shell casing, and these kits include everything you need to do just that:
- T5 grow light
- Heat mat
- Propagation tray & humidity dome
- Seed starting plugs
For a complete guide to starting seeds, check out this article.
What are the easiest herbs to grow for beginners?
- Sage
- Parsley
- Basil
- Oregano
- Mint
- Coriander
- Chives
Consider Plant Compatibility
Before you put your plants into your garden, you will need to make sure that each of your plants are compatible.
Certain types of plants block out sunlight and precious root space from other plants. Therefore, spend some time in research so that you can find a set of plants that go well together.
When should you start planting herbs?
Springtime is the best time of year to plant your herbs.
You want to wait till the last frost of the year has likely passed, especially since your young plants will be really delicate.
4. Keep Watering Plants & Monitoring The Garden For Issues
Once your herbs are planted, a lot of the hard work is done. But how do you maintain a herb garden?
The only things you really need to do is monitor the garden for issues and keep it watered.
If you created nice channels and rows for your garden, this is a lot easier to do. Simply let the garden hose run down each channel. Then, be sure that you monitor the growth and progress of your plants.
Insects and diseases are really the only issue to be on the lookout for. If your garden becomes overrun with insects, they will eat your produce well before you do.
Consider organic preventative measures, and if you ever do run into an issue, simply grab an organic pest control product.
How To Start An Indoor Herb Garden
If you don't have an outdoor space for starting your garden, or you simply want to start the garden during winter, you can begin indoors.
With the use of a grow light, you can produce the same quality herbs indoors as out, perhaps even higher quality. And, it'll be way easier, because you don't have to worry about less than ideal conditions, pests, diseases, etc.
Use A Grow Tent Kit
If you are hoping to grow indoors, you definitely need a grow tent kit. These include everything you need to start producing your own herbs indoors.
They allow you to create a sealed environment and contain the mess of your garden, preventing any soil or moisture from damaging your home.
There are grow tent kits for any size garden, ranging from 2' x 2' which fits in a closet, all the way up to 10' x 20', which can fill a garage!
These tent packages include:
- Grow Tent
- Grow Light
- Ventilation System
- Timers/Controllers
- Hygrometer
You can also build your own grow tent package, and customize it to fit your specific needs.
Need Further Assistance With Your New Garden?
Now that you know how to start an herb garden, you can get to work and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Here at Hydrobuilder, we know how intricate the process of creating a garden can be.
If you need additional tips for how to start an herb garden, be sure to go through our blog and see if we already covered the issue you're dealing with!
If you still have questions or need any products that you haven't been able to find, reach out to our expert growers and we will help you get started!
