Herb Garden Plants - Tips On Deciding What To Grow


by John Schepper - Date: 2010-05-26 - Word Count: 383 Share This!

Starting an herb garden from scratch can be a daunting task. To help get it right the first time, this article covers a proven-to-work starter list of herb garden plants for beginners.

To select herbs, look in the kitchen cabinet where you keep all those store-bought herbs. If these are the ones you use all the time, make them part of your starter list. Also, consider the length of the growing season in your area as a general guide in your decision process.

In addition to your starter list, there are hundreds more you can choose from to plant. An easy way to sort it out is to consider them in four categories -- culinary, medicinal, ornamental, and aromatic.

Three culinary herbs that should be on your list are basil, chives and thyme because they are the most delicious and versatile. And, they are easy to take care of.

Three medicinal herbs most herbalists agree should be in any garden are chamomile, which is great as a tea, and has a calming effect on the body - Echinacea, a powerful booster for the immune system - and lavender which can relieve pain and anxiety, and works as a cure for insomnia.

There is a wide range of aromatic herbs to choose from, but take a good sniff before you buy. Everybody's sense of smell is different and you want to make sure that what you end up putting in your herb garden is an aroma you like.

Some herbs are considered ornamental but have medicinal and culinary value as well. Herbs that double as ornamentals are Echinacea, lavender, fennel, bee balm, blue cohosh, confrey, yarrow, and chicory. Of course, this is just a sampling of herbs that can be used as ornamentals but do consider them for your starter list.

Before you put on your overalls and grab your garden tools, we suggest you plan before you plant and keep it small the first year. A twenty-five to thirty square foot area will be enough space to allow a good first harvest and test your skill.

Look at your first year adventure in herb gardening as a live classroom where the learning process is what you take away from the experience. You will find out what herbs you like to grow and what works best in your part of the world.

Related Tags: culinary, herb garden, medicinal, ornamental, herb garden plants, tips on what herbs to grow

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