By Keeva Stratton
Indoors or out, from backyards, balconies to window-sills—growing your own herb garden is an easy way to get your thumbs to turn green, to tempt your taste-buds, and to improve your health. Simple to grow—herbs add a world of flavour without adding calories, and they are enzyme rich, fragrant and colourful—they enliven any meal with a fresh fragrant burst.
Below are five simple steps to creating your own herb garden that will leave your friends green with envy.
Step 1 – Where your herb garden will grow?
Given that few of us have large outdoor spaces, the great thing about herbs is that they can grow (and create a great feature) in any window-sill, balcony, nook or cranny that you have available. To house your herbs, you can buy specialist kits, or use any small planter boxes that you may have lying around. Just as long as you have good drainage (a couple of holes in the bottom), you can be as creative as you like, turning any unused or damaged vases, cups, pottery or containers you may already have into convenient homes for your herbs.
Step 2 – What types of herbs to plant
Depending on your preferred dishes, herbs can complement fresh Italian, Asian or even classic English cooking. Some good ‘beginners’ herbs include basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley and coriander. With a good soil and a little tenderness, these herbs will be fast-growing and low-maintenance, while working well with an endless range of salads, soups, roasts, risottos and stir-fries. Remember to give each herb the space it needs—for example, oregano tends to spread and rosemary is able to grow to tree-like proportions—they each need the right amount of room to grow.
Step 3 – Getting your green thumbs dirty
To keep your herbs as cost-efficient as they are healthy, look to buy young plants from the organic or fresh food markets, where good seedlings and bargains tend to go hand-in-hand. You may want to start from seed, but for the true novice a seedling is a much simpler method, and you can preview how healthy the plant is by its colour and complexion.
Fill your container to three-quarters with soil, add a little water and scoop a small hole big enough to bury the roots. Be delicate with these fragile strands—plant and add a little more water. That’s it! You’re now the proud owner of a herb garden, and, providing you give them at least a couple of weeks to settle, you should be well on your way to home-grown herbie goodness.
Step 4 – Maintenance and Care
The secret to long-lasting and lush growing herbs lies in sun, soil and water. While herbs do need a pot that allows for good drainage, moisture-rich mushroom compost will give them all the nutrients they need to flourish. And, to keep pesky pests naturally away, garlic spray (not just for vampires) will ward off any unwanted friends, without compromising your organic, chemical-free herbs.
Don’t allow your soil to get dry (that means watering, but not drowning them regularly), and talk to your local gardening centre about a good fertiliser (when and how much to use), which will be vary depending on the herbs being grown.
Step 5 — From the pot to the plate
When your herbs are ready for cooking, be sure to take care when harvesting them. Basil plants are best served by plucking the leaves from the top, which encourages more growth. The delicate leaves of oregano and sage should be carefully plucked, so as not to disturb their root structure, and rosemary and thyme can be removed by the stalk, with thyme leaves too small to remove individually. And in the case of rosemary, a stronger stalk can serve as a fragrant barbeque skewer.
Care for your herbs and they will reward you over and over again. If you don’t get it right the first time, try moving location, adjusting the soil, or a different combination of plants. It won’t take long before you have your own magical garden of flavour that adds even more kudos to your reputation as a culinary goddess.
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