There are a huge variety of herb garden plants to choose from, and each one is unique in its own way. If you are interested in  specific types of herb garden plants, you should research them to understand the care  needed for each plant.  This article will get you started in understanding general different types of herbs and what they are used for.

From a growing perspective, there are of course 3 main categories of plant – Annuals, Biennial and Perennial.

Annual Herbs – such as basil, cilantro, and summer savory – will not survive the winter frost.  Each year they must be planted from seed, or from a small plant you have kept indoors from the summer growth. .

Biennial Herbs form leaves in their first growing season, and flowers and seed in the second season; then they die.  Biennial herbs – such as parsley, angelica, or caraway – should be sown in late spring, directly into the garden.  Prepare the soil first by working it to a fine texture and dampen the soil slightly.  Plant the seeds in shallow rows, then firm the soil on top of them. Fine seeds can be planted in a mixture of sand, which will allow them to spread more evenly. You can also cover the herb bed with wet burlap or paper in order to keep the soil moist during germination.

Perennial Herbs – such as sage and winter savory – can and do survive cold temperatures, and  with tending, will grow year after year.

Herbs are often grouped into the categories for which they are used.

Culinary Herbs are probably the most useful to herb gardeners.  They have a huge range of different uses in cooking.  Because of their strong flavors, herbs like chives, thyme, basil, sage, savory, and marjoram are generally used in small quantities to add flavor to different types of food.  Parsley is an extremely popular herb that is used mostly as a garnish.  Some herbs can act as natural sweeteners – stevia, licorice, and the exotically named aztec sweet herb.

Aromatic Herbs have pleasant smelling flowers or foliage.  Oils from aromatic herbs like loyage, mint, and rosemary can be used to make different types of perfumes, toilet water, or other various scents.  Parts of aromatic herb plants used intact can also be used in the home to scent linens or clothing.  They can also be dried and made into potpourri which will enable them to be able to retain their aroma for a long period of time.  Lavender and lemon verbena are great herbs to use for potpourri.

Some herbs are also used for medicinal purposes.  For centuries herbs have been thought to have the ability to cure the body.  Present medical knowledge recognizes that some herbs are beneficial to one’s health, others are overrated.  Herbs used for medicinal purposes should be used carefully.  Some herbs are harmless but others can be dangerous if eaten. Herbs are used to alleviate stress, pain, or to boosting the immune system and cure insomnia – herb Robert, and lemon balm I have found that Aloe vera is great to have around the house (usually potted) for any accidental burns and cuts (more healing than anything you will find over the counter.

A final category are herbs that are used mainly as decoration, because they grow beautiful brightly colored flowers and foliage.  Many have whitish flowering, some have various light colored flowers – like valerian – which has crimson blossoms, and borage and chicory, which grow gorgeous blue flowers.

Not all herbs fit neatly into one of the above categories, and indeed serve many purposes. For example, mint may be used for cooking, tea, and pest control – but make sure you border its growth, or it will become a pest itself growing wild across your garden!

Whatever the interest that you may have in herbs, by understanding the facets of herb garden plants you are able to pick the herbs that will be most useful to you.

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You have followed all of the advice, and successfully grown a rich harvest (well a harvest anyway!) of homegrown herbs. You sewed the seed, nourished the plants and watched them grow. Now is the time to use them in the best way you can – and as you will know now herbs are useful in so many ways.

Using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit or work and effort. First you need to harvest them. Timing is a big factor here.  The wind and the heat can disperse the essential oils of the herbs.  You should choose a calm and dry morning during midsummer to harvest your herbs.  Be aware that fewer oils are produced by most herbs on very wet days.  Harvest the herbs just after the dew has dried from the leaves, right before the flowers open.  What does harvesting the herb does mean? It doesn’t mean removing the entire plant.  At this point, you want to just take a certain amount of the fresh herb for use.  You do not need to use the herbs that you are harvesting straight away, you can preserve them to use later.  Be careful not to take more then one third of the plant’s foliage at one time.  The plant will need a good amount of foliage to re-grow well. You should also inspect the plant for insects and damaged leaves before you harvest it.

Usually there are three ways people like to preserve their herbs for later use; drying, freezing, or using medium like salt or vinegar. In order to dry herbs you need to bundle six to twelve stems together, and remove any foliage near the base of the stems.  You can secure the bundle with string which helps.  Hang the bundle in a cool location away from sunlight.  (If you are looking to dry individual leaves you can place them on a screen or a rack.  Remember to turn them often in order for them to dry properly.  Some people have turned to using appliances like dehydrators, ovens or microwaves to dry herbs but we do not recommend these ways here.) Freezing is a fairly simple way to preserve herbs.  Cut the herbs into ¼ inch pieces, and place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in a bag and store them in the freezer until ready to use.  The third way to preserve herbs is through a medium.  You can cover herbs, like chopped mint, basil or tarragon, with vinegar – and they will be preserved for several months.  Or you can make a flavored salt to preserve herbs by alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt.  When completely dry separate the brown herb from the flavored salt and store it in an airtight container.

Of course, the best time to use herbs is fresh right out of the garden.  Take care cleaning the herbs before they are placed fresh in recipes.  In order to clean fresh herbs place them in a bowl filled with cool water.  If there is a large quantity of herbs you can use the sink.  Place about two tablespoons of salt in the water.  The salt in the water will drive away insects without damaging the plant.  Remove the herbs from the water and dry them in a salad spinner.

Different types of herbs are used for many different uses.  Each different type of herb has their own list of instructions on how to use, harvest, and chop them.  It is a good idea to research the specific type of herb you are using if you are doing a lot of preserving.

To learn more visit my herb growing site.

Easy Potted Plants

Go down to the local garden centre today and get those herbs you love to taste..Bring home the pot and start enjoying the thrill of adding healthy fresh ingredients to your own cooking.

First Steps:

1. If the herb is packed in a protective sleeve, first carefully remove from the sleeve, and then place the pot in a suitable container, or on a suitable tray/saucer,  in a light, warm and draft free position
2. If the plant needs water now the pot will feel light when lifted.
3. Place 2cm of water in the container (so watering from soakage), and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
4. Drain any remaining water that has not soaked into the soil. Be careful not to over water plants, and of course, never refrigerate.

Simple Food Ideas:

Basil – add Mozzarella and basil to a embellish a lovely tomato salad

Thyme – add a sprig of thyme before cooking chicken or fish for that Mediterranean flavour

Parsley – pretty as a garnish, also use in marinades for chicken or lamb

Mint – best known served with lamb, mint is also perfect for making your own mint tea!

Coriander – very versatile, add a few leaves for a real thai taste, or to spice up an Indian curry; a natural partner to coconut, lime and chilli.

Chives – liven up a smoked salmon and cream cheese with a sprinkling of chopped chives. Great in  salads, in omelettes or added to scrambled eggs.

One way to get started growing herbs at home, especially if you are new to gardening, is by using herb garden kits. All herb kits are different but they contain similar items in which will help you to get started. The kit may contain culinary herbs, italian herbs, herbal tea herbs, decorative herbs or others.  There will probably be a mixture of seeds and soil or pellets, with instructions and a variety of containers or pots.

Some herb kits contain a ‘dome’ that will provide consistent temperature and humidity for the herb plants to thrive and to grow a healthy root system.  A guide will give the herb grower easy-to-follow instructions on how to nurture their herb seeds.  Some kits will offer recipes for using the herbs that you are growing.  Websites that sell herb garden kits will offer a newsletter you can sign up for which will provide recipes and additional useful information.

Growing herbs indoors from an indoor herb kit has many benefits.  First of all it is easier to enjoy the herbs because they are right beside you in the kitchen. You don’t have to head out to the garden to be able to add a little seasoning to the pot on the stove.   It is also just as easy to harvest herbs and freeze them for future use.  Secondly, with the constant growing conditions provided to plants in indoor conditions, you don’t have to worry about winter affecting herb plants or herbs that don’t survive the winter weather conditions.  Thirdly, most herb garden kits are small and compact.  They are great for small spaces or apartments.  Fourthly, when growing plants outdoors it can be hard to judge which area in the garden will get the right amount of light for each plant.  Rainfall will water plants but too much rain can be harmful too.  By growing herbs indoors with a complete instructional guide, you are able to take the guesswork out of this hobby.  Your herbs will be successful every time.

While there is probably a better feeling of accomplishment when you become an herb expert and can grow all types of herbs in your garden – it takes time and effort to succeed. Using a ready-made herb garden kit, or perhaps an herb windowbox kit, is a great way to learn all about herbs and to develop an understanding of how best to select and grow the herbs that you want. It is the perfect stepping stone where the difficulties are removed and you are left with the enjoyment of the herbs.  For instance, which herbs do better if they were grown from seeds?  What is the right kind of soil to grow herbs in?  By purchasing an herb garden kit you will receive the answers to these questions and much more. Once you get to know the herbs you are growing a little bit more, you can move them into your garden and you are on your way to becoming an herb expert.

You may not have a lot of garden to use, or you may just want to learn about growing herbs in pots indoors. Herbs can easily be grown in pots, window boxes or hanging baskets.  This is even easier to manage, and handy for tending the plants as the grow. You will follow the same steps to grow garden herbs in containers…

All plants, including herbs, need 3 things in order to grow successfully –  soil, sunlight, and water.  Sunlight is key to growing any type of plant including herbs whether they are grown indoors or in a garden. So how do we create our potted herb garden?

1. Herbs need a well drained, not too rich soil to grow in. Lay about an inch of gravel at the bottom of the pot to assist drainage. Add a small amount of sterilized potting soil, with one part coarse sand or perlite for herbs that are grown in containers.  Herbs grown in pots indoors can be supplemented with one teaspoon of lime per 5-inch pot to ensure that the soil is sweet enough for the herbs.
2. Different herb varieties have different light requirements but, for the most part, they all thrive in a sunny location.  Some home herb growers supplement the light source with “grow lamps” or fluorescent lamps, but this is only really necessary in very sheltered homes where there is little natural light   Since they are being grown in containers they do need to have more water then herbs growing in the garden but you should avoid getting the roots of the herbs drenched or soggy.
3. Herbs grown indoors also need regular feed of water.  Misting the plants and moistening the pebbles will help to keep the herbs in humid climates. You should place herbs grown in a kitchen or other room in a south- or west-facing window to get the best kind of the available sunlight.

One big advantage to growing herbs in a container is that they are easy to hand, and you have the freedom to move them about as you please.  Annual herbs can spend all of their time indoors but perennial herbs do better if they are placed outside during the summer.  All potted herbs should be brought inside before the first frost in order to avoid the loss of foliage.  This rule can be ignored when it comes to mint, chives, and tarragon.  These types of herbs go into a rest period during winter, then form firmer and fresher growth after being introduced to a light frost.

All herbs can in fact be grown in containers, but it is true that some herbs do better then others.  Mint is a herb that really needs to be contained, even when planted outdoors, or it will keep growing and can take over the garden.  Overall it is fairly easy to maintain an indoor herb garden.  It keeps the herbs handy and within reach anytime you need them for cooking.  With these tips listed above, you can care for your herbs and ensure a healthy plant.  You should also include periodic light feeding and yearly repotting for optimum health of the herbs. Even propagate the ones that grow best, and give cuttings to your best friends! You also must remember to replant annuals each year and move perennials outdoors when needed.  Plus, use your herbs regularly as this helps them to keep growing.

It is no secret to gardeners that pruning plants encourages new growth.  This rule also applies to herbs.  So use them in your cooking, store them and give them away to friends.