What Container to Use for Your Container herb Garden
If you don't have enough space for even a small outside herb garden, a container herb garden is a good alternative. You can create one with ice cream or yogurt cartons or wooden containers. But, I advise getting hold of terracotta pots. They are not pricey and will last much longer.
Picking and Preparing your Chosen Container
When you create your container herb garden choose a container that's adequate to hold four to five medium-size herb plants with plenty of space between each one. Fill it to within a few centimeters of the top with an appropriate soil mix that has the right consistency to stimulate root growth and allow drainage of water. Soil from the garden can be okay to use, but it's much safer to make your own mixture by bringing together good quality compost with a granular/sandy substance (such as Perlite). Use one part of Perlite and two portions of compost and mix them together thoroughly.
Planting out Your Container Herb Garden
Before you put the compost mixture into your container, ensure that it's got a hole in the bottom for drainage and put some small stones or stony gravel on top of the hole to encourage drainage and prevent soil loss.
For your initial container herb garden I recommend that you acquire your herb plants from a local plant sales outlet. When you start planting herbs in your container leave enough distance in between each plant to permit growth. The recommended planting distances differ from herb to herb because some herbs can become very large and smother smaller less vigorous herbs as they develop.
Looking After Your Container Herb Garden
In general herbs like plenty of sunlight and water, so you should water your container at least once each day; but try and avoid watering too much. Watering steadily leeches out nutrient material from the soil, and consequently it will be necessary to compensate for this with extra fertilizer applied periodically all through the growing season.
At the end of the season a lot of your container garden herbs will have grown into large plants. I advise throwing these plants away in the autumn after you have harvested the seeds and leaves, and start again in the new growing season. But, as you become increasingly knowledgeable you may like to try making root and stem cuttings and storing herb seeds ready to sow at the commencement of the next year when you start your container herb garden all over again.
Broaden Your Knowledge of Container Herb Gardening
All the way through the season you can begin making use of home-grown fresh herbs in your cooking, in addition to appreciating the smell of them around your garden.
I hope this article has been helpful, but please bear in mind that there's much more to discover about herbs, and finding out will increase the satisfaction you get growing them. I suggest that over the winter you carry out some research to learn more about varieties and applications of herbs - and of course make plans for next seasons container herb garden!
If you don't have enough space for even a small outside herb garden, a container herb garden is a good alternative. You can create one with ice cream or yogurt cartons or wooden containers. But, I advise getting hold of terracotta pots. They are not pricey and will last much longer.
Picking and Preparing your Chosen Container
When you create your container herb garden choose a container that's adequate to hold four to five medium-size herb plants with plenty of space between each one. Fill it to within a few centimeters of the top with an appropriate soil mix that has the right consistency to stimulate root growth and allow drainage of water. Soil from the garden can be okay to use, but it's much safer to make your own mixture by bringing together good quality compost with a granular/sandy substance (such as Perlite). Use one part of Perlite and two portions of compost and mix them together thoroughly.
Planting out Your Container Herb Garden
Before you put the compost mixture into your container, ensure that it's got a hole in the bottom for drainage and put some small stones or stony gravel on top of the hole to encourage drainage and prevent soil loss.
For your initial container herb garden I recommend that you acquire your herb plants from a local plant sales outlet. When you start planting herbs in your container leave enough distance in between each plant to permit growth. The recommended planting distances differ from herb to herb because some herbs can become very large and smother smaller less vigorous herbs as they develop.
Looking After Your Container Herb Garden
In general herbs like plenty of sunlight and water, so you should water your container at least once each day; but try and avoid watering too much. Watering steadily leeches out nutrient material from the soil, and consequently it will be necessary to compensate for this with extra fertilizer applied periodically all through the growing season.
At the end of the season a lot of your container garden herbs will have grown into large plants. I advise throwing these plants away in the autumn after you have harvested the seeds and leaves, and start again in the new growing season. But, as you become increasingly knowledgeable you may like to try making root and stem cuttings and storing herb seeds ready to sow at the commencement of the next year when you start your container herb garden all over again.
Broaden Your Knowledge of Container Herb Gardening
All the way through the season you can begin making use of home-grown fresh herbs in your cooking, in addition to appreciating the smell of them around your garden.
I hope this article has been helpful, but please bear in mind that there's much more to discover about herbs, and finding out will increase the satisfaction you get growing them. I suggest that over the winter you carry out some research to learn more about varieties and applications of herbs - and of course make plans for next seasons container herb garden!
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