5 Common Mistakes with Herb Gardening

Herb gardening is a fun hobby and wonderful way to spend your summer days. Not only that, but it has the added bonus of providing you with a usable product that you can eat, use for medicinal purposes, use to make tea, or even sell for a profit.

However, there are some common mistakes that people make when starting an herb garden that can make gardening a chore and spell disaster for the plants. Here are 5 common mistakes with herb gardening that you should avoid so you can have a healthy, happy herb garden this year.

1. Failing to Plan Your Garden Before you Plant

One of the biggest mistakes people make with herb gardens is failing to plan. Many people just head off to the nursery, buy the plants they think are pretty, stick them in the ground and hope they will thrive. The problem with this is that it can make your garden overcrowded, not very useful and difficult to care for since the plants all may have different needs.

Planning your garden in advance can save you lots of headaches in the long run. Try choosing a theme for your garden and then plan the herbs you will plant according to the theme. Some popular themes for herb gardens are herbal tea gardens, culinary gardens, medicinal herb gardens, fragrance gardens and gardens planted simply for their beauty.

Avoid the temptation to plant every herb known to man in your garden. Instead, try to limit yourself to about 5-10 different varieties. This will make your garden easier to care for and give it a lovely, cohesive look.

2. Planting in the Wrong Area

The herbs that you plant need a certain amount of sunlight or shade. Herbs that do well in the shade will fry in a sunny area, and sun loving herbs won't thrive in the shade. Plan your plants according to how much sun your garden area gets.

Also, keep in mind that soil has a dramatic affect on the success of your plants. Add organic matter or compost to improve poor soil, or dig it out and replace it all together. If all else fails plant your herb garden in containers where you can better control the soil.

3. Buying Poor Quality Plants

Avoid buying plants that are wilted, sparse or sickly looking. Inspect every plant you buy carefully, looking for insects or insect eggs. The last thing you want is to bring an infestation home to your garden. Choose plants that are full and have bright, healthy looking foliage. Try shopping for herbs at your local nursery rather than at chain stores or home improvement stores. Generally you will find better quality plants at the nursery.

4. Not Harvesting Often Enough

Harvesting your herbs frequently encourages new growth and helps to keep your plants bushy and full. Not only that, but regular harvesting helps to extend the life of your plants and keeps them growing longer. The best part is that frequent harvesting gives you and excuse to use your home grown herbs in a variety of different ways.

5. Using Chemical on an Herb Garden

Herbs are grown to be eaten or used internally for the most part. That means that any chemicals you use on your herb garden can be ingested by you, your family, or anyone who uses your herbs. There are plenty of safe ways to repel insects and get rid of weeds so avoid using chemicals in your herb garden completely.

Avoiding these common mistakes will help you to have a beautiful, healthy herb garden this year that gives you all the wonderful herbs you can use.