Using an Herb Drying Rack

If you are an herb gardener who dreads the end of the growing season, you should invest in an herb drying rack to extend the period of time during which you can enjoy your herb harvest. One of the best things about cooking with herbs that have been dried on an herb drying rack is that dried herbs are extremely concentrated compared to fresh herbs. If you are accustomed to cooking with fresh herbs, you will find that you need less than one-half the amount of the same herb when you use it in its dried form.

Dried Herbs Last Longer Than Fresh Herbs

Drying herbs on an herb drying rack is the most effective way to preserve them. While fresh herbs wilt after a few hours, dried herbs can be stored in the freezer or in glass jars in a dark cupboard. If dried herbs seem to have lost their essence, you can refresh them by rubbing them between your fingers before adding them to your favorite recipe. The fresh aroma will convince you that there is plenty of seasoning power remaining in the shriveled leaves that once were a part of your herb garden.

Hang Herbs Upside Down on the Herb Drying Rack

To dry herbs, use sharp shears or clippers to harvest herb stems early in the day. Remove the leaves that are within one inch of the cut end of the stem, and fasten ten to twenty stems of the herb together with a rubber band.

Hang the bundle of herbs upside down on the herb drying rack. Gravity will pull the essential oils in the stems of the herbs downward into the leaf tips. As the moisture evaporates and the stems of the herbs grow smaller, the rubber bands will tighten around the stem ends, keeping them securely bundled together.

Bundles of herbs and flowers hung upside down on an herb drying rack are actually quite attractive. If you do not have an herb drying rack, try screwing hooks around the frame of a door and hanging bundles of herbs upside down on the hooks. As you dry lavender, Echinacea, yarrow, and other herbs, the colorful bundles will add a beautiful and natural element to your interior décor.

An herb drying rack should be made of natural material that encourages air flow, like wood, twine, or fiber board. The flow of air around the herbs is essential to preserving their essential oils. Herbs need not be in the dark to dry, but they should be kept out of direct sunlight to prevent fading and leaching of the natural oils.

A Primer to Herb Farming at Home

Herb gardening can take place pretty much anywhere; from an indoor window sill, to outdoor pots and a garden bed. On the other hand, herb farming takes place on the land – lots and lots of land to ensure enough crops to turn a profit. Most experts in the field will recommend approximately 12 acres of land, with a minimum of six different crops planted. Natural means of fertilization and pest control are also necessary, since pesticides and herbicides are not allowed in the world of herb farming.

Most of us don't have a desire for large scale herb farming, but we do enjoy having fresh, home grown herbs at our disposal. For this reason, herb farming at home has become a popular hobby, particularly for those who have a yard that is large enough to host a good-sized garden area. However, even if you life in a high rise in the heart of the city, you can still enjoy fresh herbs grown on a sunny window sill, and you can grow this indoor garden year round.

Beginning Herb Farming at Home
Herb farming at home begins with selecting the best site for your plants and preparing the soil in that site. Your best success will be in a spot that receives at least five hours of sunlight every day, since the vast majority of herbs crave plenty of sun. Drainage is another important consideration, so plant your herbs on a mound when possible to allow for well drained soil. Add some organic material to the area, and check the pH of the soil to ensure that it is slightly alkaline. If it doesn't test out right, add some lime to the soil to cut down on the acidity.

The next step in herb farming at home is to collect or begin the plants that you would like to grow. Many herbs can be started from seed that is sown directly into the ground, and others can be started indoors for earlier harvest. However, herbs like rosemary and tarragon can be quite tricky to start from seed, so you will be better off starting these plants with cuttings or by purchasing small plants from your local nursery.

As your herb farming efforts yield success, you can expand your crops by root division or stem cuttings from your current plants. It can also be fun to add new crops each year to increase your variety of fresh herbs and experiment with the ease of growing different types of plants. Herbs can actually require less care than many vegetables, and often do not need to be watered as often. In addition to providing crops of culinary delights that you can enjoy year round, herbs will provide beauty and fragrance to any garden setting.

Herb Garden Kits are the Perfect Choice for the Novice Gardener

If you have wanted to stretch your green thumb into the wonderful world of herbs, perhaps an herb garden kit is the right choice for you. With the popularity of growing herbs at home on the increase, more and more companies are coming out with their own versions of herb garden kits that offer plenty of versatility and variety. Whether you are interested in growing a garden of culinary delights or a medicinal herb plot, you can find what you are looking for in an easy to use, all inclusive kit.

Themed Kits
The fun thing about the herb garden kits is that you can choose from a broad spectrum of themes that offer a variety of plants. For example, you can choose from Italian kits that will come equipped with all of the favorite Italian seasonings like oregano, basil and parsley. Or go for a butterfly herb garden kit that will help you to attract these gorgeous insects to your yard with just the right mix of colors and fragrances. Choose a medicinal herb garden with selections of plants designed to heal and protect the body. These themed kits can be a fun way to delve into the herb gardening experience.

Indoor Herb Gardens
Herb garden kits are an especially easy way to try your hand at indoor herb gardening, and some will even come equipped with artificial light to keep your plants happy and growing without the need for a sunny windowsill. If you prefer, go for the window herb garden kit that will provide the pots, dirt and seeds for your herb garden, while you supply the sunshine and water. There is nothing more inviting in a kitchen than a windowsill lined with fragrant herbs.

Herb garden kits come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and some do not even require that you place the seeds into the dirt. There are kits that include seed filled mats that you simply lay on top of the soil and water. Others come with pre-planted seed pods that you add water to and watch them grow. Other herb garden kits will supply the pots, soil and seeds so that you can get in on the planting action yourself. Some kits are fairly basic in appearance, making them a good choice for the outdoor garden. Others come with decorative pots and planters that make them an attractive choice for indoor gardening or outdoor patios.

Herbs can be a fun and easy crop to grow, even if you don't consider yourself to have a green thumb. Herb garden kits can make the entire process even easier. Happy gardening!

Planning Your Herb Garden Layout

When you set about planning your herb garden layout, your clipboard, pen and paper are as important as your hoe and shovel. Choose a patch of land that gets at least six hours of sun every day. Very few herbs will grow in the shade, and they are mostly undesirable perennial herbs like invasive mints. Sketch the area on paper.

Decide which herbs you want to grow in you garden. Some people plant herbs because they are low maintenance and drought tolerant. Others love the full, spreading habits of herbs like lavender and oregano or the creepers like wooly thyme.

Your herb garden layout should follow the same rules as any garden layout. They are also the basic rule that any school photographer follows when he photographs a class of young school children: Place the tall plants at the back, the midsize ones in the middle, and the short ones in the front.

Tall Herb Plants

In any garden layout, herbs that are the tallest should be placed at the back of the border. This will prevent them from shading shorter plants and hogging all the sun. Examples of plants for the back of the border are: Anise hyssop (agastache "Tutti Frutti") – grows up to six feet tall; add fragrant flowers to salads and sandwiches. Sweet cicely (myrrhis odorata) – grows up to four feet tall; one of the few herbs to grow in full or partial shade.
Cardoon (cynara cardunculus) – grows up to five feet tall; cousin of the artichoke, with edible leaves, stalks, and unopened flower heads similar to those of the artichoke.

Midsize Herb Plants

Plan to place midsize herb plants into the middle of your herb garden layout. Most herbs are of this size – 18 inches to 36 inches tall. Examples of plants for the middle of the border are: Sage (salvia officinalis) – grows up to two feet tall; sage embodies the smell of Thanksgiving stuffing in the U.S. and is often used with roasted meats. Silver thyme (thymus vulgaris) – grows up to one foot tall; desirable for its silver leaves and small purple flowers; can be harvested year-round. Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) – grows up to two feet tall; prized for its strong flavor and fragrance, rosemary is often added to soups and stews that must be simmered for long period of time.

Short Herb Plants

Along the front of the border are the creepers: herb plants that grow close to the ground. Your herb garden layout is complete once you plant these ground covers. They are often not harvested but are grown for their ornamental appeal and ability to soften the edge of a hardscape. Wooly thyme, Corsican mint, and roman chamomile are all specimens of this low-growing type of herb.

Vegetable, Fruit, and Herb Garden Plans Let You Maximize Your Garden Space

Having a garden is a goal for many people who enjoy the taste of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. There is nothing quite like the taste of food you've grown yourself, and gardening can be fulfilling and healthy.

If you are planting a garden for the first time, you'll first need to plot out an area for your new plants. This can be as small or as large as you like, depending on your available space and the types of plants you plan to grow.

Growing Vegetables Efficiently

Vegetable garden plans often start out as small patches containing a few essential vegetables. Peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers are some of the most popular vegetables to grow at home, although potatoes, onions, carrots are often grown as well. Vegetable garden plans should be laid out to allow for the best possible use of your space and compatibility of the plants.

Planting Fruits for Summer Eating

Fruit can also be grown easily in a home garden. Strawberries, melons, and tomatoes are simple to care for and can produce large yields all through the growing season. Fruit garden plans should take into account the climbing tendency of many fruit plants.

Herb Garden Plans Encourage Creativity

Herb garden plans allow you to have a little more fun and be creative with the placement of your plants. Herb garden plans make use of the functionality as well as the beauty of herb plants. If you are planning to grow herbs, you can arrange them to be both beautiful and useful.

Herb garden plans are similar to flower garden plans. Planting incompatible plants together can give you less than optimum results, so gardeners generally choose to read up on placement and compatibility in order to create stunning herb garden plans.

Gardening with a Plan

No matter what type of garden you choose to grow, planning it out ahead of time can save you a lot of heartache and failed plants. Having a plan for your garden means that you have looked into which plants grow well together and complement the appearance of their surroundings.

Some plants can act as natural pest control for other plants, which can be a huge benefit to your garden. However, some food and herb plants can harm other plants around them, which is why it is essential to have a plan for your garden and understand the function of each plant.

When you plan out your vegetable, fruit, and herb garden plans before planting, you'll give your garden a greater chance of success. You will also increase the benefits and output of your own little patch of earth.

Collecting and Saving Herb Garden Seed

One of the best ways for gardeners to spend an autumn day is strolling through an herb garden that's setting seed. The plants send up a fragrant aroma as your legs brush against their branches, and flower petals cling to their last bit of summer color. By collecting seed from your garden herbs, you can replant your herb garden next year, using materials you may already have on hand.

How Seeds Form

Before you start saving seed from your herb garden, it's a good idea to make sure you understand the basics of plant reproduction. Plants grow from seed. A newly sprouted seed has two leaves. Those leaves sprout new leaves, and they and their progeny keep sprouting more leaves until a plant is formed. Underground, the seed also sprouts downward into the soil, spreading under the surface of the earth to nourish and support the leaves above ground.

Like everything else in nature, the plant's strongest desire is to reproduce itself. Plants reproduce from seed; a plant's mission in life is to produce seed to guarantee the survival of its species. Plants produce seed by growing flowers, which are pollinated either by the wind or by bees. As the flower petals shrivel and dry up, the seed matures, and the wind shakes the seed off the plant and onto the ground where it germinates and sprouts two new leaves, and the process repeats itself.

How to Collect Herb Garden Seed

Presumably, you will be harvesting your herbs throughout the growing season and using their leaves and flowers for medicinal or culinary purposes. Midway through the season, designate several healthy, sturdy stems of a single plant as specimens for collecting herb garden seed. Tie a colored ribbon around the branches to mark them, and stop harvesting leaves from those stems.

When the flowers are almost fully ripened, cut the stems at the base of the plant. Bind several stem ends together with a rubber band and hang the bundle upside down from a clothesline hung in a warm, dry room. Place the hanging end of the bundle inside a paper lunch sack, and secure the bag around the bundle with string or a twist tie. After a few days, shake the stems, and fully ripe seeds will drop into the bag.

How to Save Herb Garden Seed

Once you have collected seeds for an herb garden, the seeds will remain viable for several years if they are stored in paper envelopes in a cool, dry place. Be sure to write the name of the herb on the outside of the envelope so you'll know what you are planting next spring.

Expand your Gardening Efforts with Herb Garden Seeds Delivered to Your Door

Growing an herb garden is a great way to develop your gardening skills while producing a useful crop for your home. Most herbs can be grown in small spaces and in conditions that other plants would not survive.

Herb gardens can benefit your home in many ways. Adding green, growing things to your environment can make your home more beautiful and more comfortable to live in. Herbs can help reduce odors from the air in your home and even add fresh and enticing scents to your living space.

Best of all, growing herbs lets you season your food in a natural and healthy way. Fresh herbs are full of flavor and can help you cut down on other seasonings like sale and butter. By growing your own rather than relying on dried herbs from the supermarket, you stay in control of what your family eats and where it comes from.

Why Purchase Herb Garden Seeds Online?

To start your herb garden, you will most likely need to purchase plants or seeds. Herb garden seeds are quickly becoming the more popular choice because of their portability and availability, as opposed to starter plants which you must buy in your immediate vicinity.

Herb garden seeds can be ordered online and delivered to you through the mail, eliminating the need to spend an afternoon poking through vast amounts of plants in a nursery. This method also allows you to grow plants that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to find in your area, resulting in a more well-rounded and exotic herb garden.

Shopping online for your herb garden seeds also lets you do research on the plants that you are interested in as you're shopping. If you see herb garden seeds online for a plant you aren't familiar with, you can simply look up the growing information for that plant in another browser window. Armed with this knowledge of the herb garden seeds you're perusing, you can plan out your entire garden ahead of time and buy only the seeds that you need.

Buying herb garden seeds online is also less expensive than buying plants. When you buy a packet of herb garden seeds, you get many seeds. They may not all germinate or survive, but you get so many for such a small price that it is still very cost effective. When you buy an already-started plant, you get only one – if that plant dies, you are forced to buy another.

Starting your herb garden with seeds instead of seedlings can be a wise investment in your future gardening plans. You'll get the rewards of raising plants from tiny seeds while enjoying the many benefits that come from growing your own herbs.