Growing Fresh Herbs In Five Quick Steps

Friday, September 24th, 2010 at 6:16 am

: Image by inkognitoh via Flickr

This article approaches growing fresh herbs as taken in the context of growing all-natural and healthy herb gardens. Below are quick guides for growing the freshest herbs you would ever use.

Starting an all-natural garden may seem too expensive for most people. However, you could make your own organic herbs gardens with very simple tools and techniques.

Step 1: Cultivate your own plants.

You could start growing organic herbs by starting with seeds. Cheap organic seeds are available in the supermarket. Upon getting the seeds, you can then start growing them indoors. If this seems too effort-driven, you could also buy organically grown plants.

You should always use home-made compost. It will be healthy to mix vegetables, fruit peelings, straws, grass clippings and dry leaves with store-bought soil. Your plants will be able to get the nutrients it needs from these. The moisture that it has will also prevent the soil from drying.

In cultivating your seeds, you need 12” by 8” tray with at least 3” depth. Have the soil fill it. Make rows and holes for seeds. Water them gently. Use a plastic wrap to cover it. After two to three weeks, seedlings would sprout. Make sure that they have grown at least seven inches before you place them in separate pots. This is so the roots will get used to the soil and are strong enough.

Do not use fertilizers, pesticides or any synthetic plant grower. Animal manure can be used for fertilizers. Your soil will do better if you put two or three teaspoons of neem oil. Your herbs will be able to repel insects with this.

Step 2: Water your plants with alkaline water.

You do not have to buy bottled alkaline water just to have them at home. Boiling tap water will give you the alkaline water you need. To do this, boil your water scalding hot. Leave it to cool for at least an hour. Boil it again. You will have gotten enough ions during the last boil for your plants to get the nutrients they need. You won’t need too much gas money since your plants need to be watered only three days a week.

Step 3: Apply light mulch.

Light mulch is quite similar to the compost mix. It could be composed of straw, hay, pruned branches of evergreens and bark chips. Application of mulch is best during winter. Your plants will still be able to get the right amount of temperature with help from the covering. Apply mulch only once a month. Never drench the mulch because when they get soggy, the roots would be suffocated.

Step 4: Clip the tip.

If you want bushy growth for your herbs, you have to regularly trim the tips of your plants. More leaves will be able to come out since this will make more stems grow. Clip every month, or as needed as some herbs grow rapidly.

Step 5: Tame the rowdy.

In trimming plants, you could repot the trimmed parts. The trimmed parts should have developed roots so they can sustain new life.

Put stakes, rods or sticks to limit the stretch of some herbs’ stems. These would serve as their guides in growing an upright position.

You could also regularly harvest leaves, flowers and stems to avoid overgrowing.

If you consider following these steps, you could look forward to growing fresh herbs. And you can enjoy your all-natural herb garden plants.