Herb Tips

Tips for growing herbs include:

Many herbs come from the Mediterranean and North Africa regions.

For this reason they need 6 or more hours of sun each day and a well drained location. A raised bed is a good way to improve drainage. Herbs do not like "wet feet" and cannot tolerate overwatering.

For clay soils, add humus, which includes peat, well rotted animal manure, garden compost, and leaf mold. You may need to need to add up to 6" to each 12" of soil.

Herbs are affected by the soil pH, which measures acidity or alkalinity. Contact your local agricultural extension service for a kit to test your soil.

Herbs do not require as much fertilizer as fruit and vegetable gardens. Adding garden compost to the upper surface of the soil in the spring is generally all your herbs will need. Mushroom compost is also good.

Many herbs such as dill, coriander, and basil, can be seeded directly into the garden, or started in seed flats. Others have unpredictable germination (lavender), and some grow too slowly from seed (bay).

Choosing transplants gets your herb garden off to a fast start and may be the best idea for beginning herb gardeners. Choose healthily looking, compact herb plants that are not too "leggy" or too top heavy.

Mulch with a heavy layer of wood chips or shredded pine bark.

In late fall, before the ground freezes, you may want to divide your perennial herbs. There are a number of ways to divide your plants. Layering and division are two ways. See tips page for Starting New Plants.

Do not allow the herb to bloom if you want to harvest the leaves. Once the plant blooms, it receives a message to stop.

When harvesting herbs, pick them right before you intend to use them, and do not take more than 1/3 of the plant for harvest. This is also true when dividing a plant. You want to harvest your herbs early in the day to get the best flavor.

Do not harvest after late fall in order to preserve enough "food" for the plant to over winter.