You Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 2

Setting it all upIf you have chosen an outdoorcontainers, as long as they retain moisture while
garden, keep it small at first. 4' x 4' is a good size forallowing excess water to drain away. Terra cotta
a novice herb gardener, and will enable you to growpots are probably not a good idea because they
about 8-9 different herbs. Select a sunny spot whichtend to absorb water instead of allowing it to stay in
is easily accessible with a hose or sprinkler. Mostthe soil. Fill containers with a topsoil and peat mix,
herbs need lots of sunlight to thrive. Those whichjust like the outdoor garden.You might even try an
may require less light can be strategically placed sooutdoor container garden. This is an excellent option
that shade from taller plants or nearby trees falls onespecially if you live in an apartment, have limited
them, or you can set up a separate garden for themoutdoor space or want to start very small. Herbs can
in a shady area.Work the soil in your chosen area. Digbe grown individually or you can get a very large pot
up and discard any large rocks, break up solid chunksand combine herbs. If you want to combine herbs
of dirt, take patches of grass to other parts of youryou can try themed pots. How about a Kitchen
yard that are bare and can use the help.You can, inGarden with basil, dill, savory, mint and chives? Have
some cases, plant directly in your soil but enriched soilfun making your own combinations based on your
really is best for gardening. I prefer to make a raisedown preferences and needs.The PlantingSeeds or
bed, then fill with a mixture of approximately 60%established plants - which should you choose? In the
topsoil and 40% peat.To make a raised bed,case of the novice herb gardener, I suggest plants.
construct a box in the spot where it is to stand. OneYou can find these at reliable nurseries in your area
way to do this uses landscaping timbers along withand sometimes in catalogs. Seeds can be unreliable,
large screws and is very easy. Make the box at leastoften not sprouting at all and therefore frustrating to
two timbers high. Screw landscape timbers togetherthe gardener who is excited about seeing life spring
with 3" coarse-thread deck screws. Put the timbersinto being. When using seeds, be aware that
together by first drilling a 3/8" hole halfway throughseedlings often need to be thinned -- this means
the timbers themselves. Otherwise, the screw willremoving those that are too close together and
not go through the landscape timber.CAVEAT: Ineither replanting them or throwing them out.
some areas of the United States, the availableSeedlings are very delicate and don't always live
landscape timbers may be infested with Formosanwhen replanted, another frustration for the budding
termites. DO NOT use these. Alternatives includeherb gardener.Later on, after your herb garden has
left-over deck material or 2x4s.Fill in the box with thebecome established and you are more confident, you
topsoil and peat. You can figure out how many bagscan use seeds. By that time, you will have become
of topsoil you need either by judging with your eyesaccustomed to working with the plants and will have
or figuring out how many cubic feet are in the areaa "feel" for how to treat them.Some herbs come in
for your garden and then buying the correspondingpeat pots which can be directly transferred to the
cubic feet of soil. Peat generally comes inground; however, I have never had much luck with
compressed blocks; you will probably needthese and recommend taking the plant out of these
approximately 1.65 cubic ft. per 4' x 4' area.For antypes of containers.
indoor garden, you can use all kinds of pots and