Herb Gardening

My interest in herb gardening has stemmed from my love of cooking and is an extension of my life as a home chef. As a mother of three young children I was always striving to provide healthy and delicious meals for my family. I very often found myself running out of fresh herbs before I had expected to take my weekly trip to the grocery store. It was out of necessity that my herb garden and love for this hobby has grown.

I have been a 4H club leader in New Jersey for many years and when I became interested in herb gardening I naturally turned to my county agricultural office for advice. The advice I received was to start slowly and to read, study and learn all that I could about this form of horticulture. I am an avid reader and while I was ready to jump into this new venture full steam ahead, I took their good advice and I am still herb gardening eight years later.

My visits to the local gardening center while enjoyable provided far too many choices. In an effort to keep it simple I decided on my five most frequently used herbs: parsley, basil, mint, thyme and rosemary. My first herb garden truly had a humble beginning. I purchased five medium sized terra cotta pots, potting soil, seeds and plant food. I was ready to get started.

I filled each terra cotta pot with my good quality potting soul. I had at first been tempted to use soil from my own yard but at the garden center's suggestion I opted for the purchased soil. I moistened the soil just slightly and according to the package directions set my seeds into place and tucked them below the surface. I made signs for my pots by writing the names of the plants on simple craft sticks. My planting was completed by inserting a plant food spike into each pot down into the soil.

My final step was to cover the pots with a plastic wrap to create a little greenhouse effect.

I have limited space in my home and seeking a warm place to set my garden I placed them on top of my refrigerator. The seeds began to sprout within seven to ten days.

I was very pleased with my first attempts at herb gardening. The sprouts were coming up through the soil and I removed the plastic wrap after two weeks had passed. I had made room on my kitchen windowsills in anticipation of my indoor herb garden. I moved them to their new sunny location and they continued to grow into week three. At the end of one month I had five types of herbs growing and I took great satisfaction in my efforts.

I immediately began to plan to cultivate a small patch of land in my yard which I would transform into an herb garden. This plan would need to wait as it was late fall and frost was already appearing on the ground. I began to plan my outdoor garden during the winter months while reading gardening books, magazines and browsing through seed catalogs; all the while enjoying my fresh herbs. I snipped them for use in my cooking and the herbs continued to grow. I soon added lemon balm and chamomile to the collection.

This herb gardening hobby has lead to a greater interest in cooking, crafting with herbs and the use of their individual medicinal qualities. Teaching this skill to the children in my 4H club has also been a joy. A simple thought of growing herbs for my home use has developed into a passion and love for herb gardening and for encouraging this interest in others.