H is for Growing Herbs at Home

Here are the steps I outlined in this episode. Growing your own herbs is a great way to start growing your own food. It's easy and herbs add depth and flavor to all your recipes.

I recommend not mixing companion plants--one type of herb per pot. If you have a little piece of earth to play with you will need to rake up the soil. Clean it up by removing any debris--large rocks, trash, dead roots, etc.

How to Grow an Herb Garden

1. Select your site.
If you are growing herbs in a pot you must use potting soil and if you are growing them indoors make sure that they're close to a window.

2. Ask your local nursery for a good organic soil rich in compost.
Add this to your garden and spread it out about 2 to 3 inches deep. Use a shovel or spade to stab the ground about six inches deep, this will further spread and integrate the fresh soil into the ground.

3. Water it well to let the moisture soak into the ground.
I'd probably wait a half a day before moving on to planting, but if you don't mind getting a bit messy, dive on in.

4. Dig a hole about as big as the root ball.
Gently pry your herbs out of their original containers and massage the roots breaking up loose soil and moving things around. Push it into the hole, add soil to fill it in and tamp the earth down. Spacing your herbs is important too, a common mistake is having them too close to one another. Give at least several inches to a foot of space between plantings.

5. Add a layer of mulch.
Don't be seduced by mulch that looks artificially red, instead, choose natural chips that have not been dyed or stained. You'll need about 2 to 3 inches deep of mulch. Water the garden once more. It's important to water your herbs pretty regularly, depending on your environment. I do mine twice a week usually.

8. Once your herbs are established and growing fertilize them.
An all-purpose, organic fertilizer will feed the plants and boost yields and flavor. Organic fertilizers contain natural nitrogen sources and so you don't have to worry about burning your plants. Best to ask your local nursery for a recommendation on both your watering schedule and a good fertilizer to use.

9. The final step is to pick and eat your herbs all the time.
Picking stimulates more growth and gives you the opportunity to eat and enjoy them. So get growing and get eating.

Watch the video:

Organic A to Z: H is for Herbs

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Ingredient Notes: Herbs
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