One of the best parts about growing your own herb garden is being able to pick and use the fresh herbs as and when you need them. From the lemon balm leaf in a glass of tea to the sweet basil in a pot of marinara sauce, herbs can add the most wonderful flavors to your food.

A perfect example of why you would want to have your own herb garden is this. Imagine a hot summer day when the only thing that can cool you off is a frosty glass of ice cold tea. You can brew the tea, pour it over the ice, add a leaf off the stevia plant and one off the lemon balm plant, and you have a wonderful sweetened glass of lemon iced tea. The herbs are fresh and at your fingertips.

If you do make the decision to plant and grow your own herb garden then you must also understand something about collecting herbs. You need to do it often to allow the plant to keep growing well. Once an herb plant has started producing flowers, it will not produce any leaves. Thus, keeping the plant well pruned can keep it from going to flower.

There are three different kinds of herbs:

1. Herbaceous; these will die back come winter and grow back in the spring. These herbs do not need to be carefully cut back. You can just chop off what you need and they will continue to grow. It is advisable to at least let one pair of leaves remain. You will definitely want to do this in the spring to allow the new growth to form. These herbs are also great for container growing, with particular emphasis on the mint varieties.

2. Evergreen; these herbs require you prune them at least once a year. You can do it more often if you wish, and hopefully you are cutting for use in the kitchen. You must also allow some of the plant to keep growing. Remove any old growth so the new growth can benefit from the sunlight and not be crowded.

3. Annuals; Annual herbs, as the name suggests, need to be replanted every year. You will not be able to winter these herbs unless you take them indoors. Even when you do take the best care of them possible do not be surprised when they start to die off.

When you do harvest the herbs from your garden, you will want to gather some for fresh use. This allows the plants to keep producing during the growing season. You may also want to harvest for the winter later in the year.

When you harvest for the winter months make sure you gather all the herbs you think you will need. Then you should make sure that the herbs are dried completely before you store them.

It is almost impossible to beat the freshness of herbs grown in your own garden - plus you get the added satisfaction of saving both time and money from using your own stock.

Learn more about this author, Geejayz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Basic herb gardening?
We want to hear your view. Write now!