People who need an indoor herb garden include:  those who love to cook, those who love to garden, have green thumbs and live in apartments or condos, and those who want to live with healthy, oxygen producing plants within close proximity.

Some herbs that do well indoors include:  Basil, Bay, Chervil, Chives, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, and Thyme. 

Setting up an indoor herb garden can be quite easy and rewarding.  Herbs are easy to access when they’re right on your windowsill.  It is easier to control environmental factors such as temperature, lighting, and humidity than when growing outdoors. 

Adequate sunlight is important.  Ideally, southern exposure with 8 hours of sunlight per day.  If you do not get enough sunlight, you can use growlights, which provide the full spectrum light that plants require.  Alternatively, flourescent lights can be used which must be placed close to the plants.  There are kits available that provide everything you need.

It is important to keep temperature and humidity at appropriate levels for your herbs.  Often, air is too dry indoors for herbs, so plants must be misted or their pots placed on trays full of pebbles with water poured into them.  This will increase the humidity around the plants. 

If pests become a problem, you can prepare a spray bottle with soapy water and possibly Neem oil to spray the plants with until they’re dripping.  Be sure to get the undersides of leaves too because that’s where the eggs usually are located.

Once you find the best location for your herbs within your home,  you will have a very successful indoor herb garden, and a wonderful source of herbs for your herbal needs.

Growing a medicinal herb garden is essentially the same as growing any garden.  You do, however, need to figure out what herbs you want to grow.  Then, when the plants have matured, harvesting and using or storing the herbs for later use is the final step.  If your local gardening store does not have the medicinal herbs you want to grow, you can order seeds or plants from an online herb store. 

Herbs can be used fresh to make medicinal tea or dried for making tea later.  When using roots or woody parts of herb plants, a decoction is made by simmering the herb for some time, usually from 15-30 minutes, and then straining off the liquid from the herb or herbs.  Be sure to use a ceramic or glass pot.  Metal cookware should not be used for preparing decoctions.

There are many types of medicinal herbs you can grow for different uses.  A few examples include: 

• Valerian, Passion Flower, Skullcap, and Chamomile for relaxation and better sleep.
• Sweet Annie, Baikal Skullcap, Barberry, Meadowsweet, Marshmallow, Licorice, and Ginger for digestion.
• Saw Palmetto, Pygeum Bark, Horsetail, Pipsissewa, Echinacea, and Marshmallow for male prostate issues.
• St. John’s Wort for emotional issues.
• Reishi for boosting the immune system.
• Milk Thistle benefits the Liver.
• Dang Gui, Angelica, Ginger for women’s health.
• Hawthorn, Motherwort, Skullcap, and Cayenne are good for the cardiovascular system.

There are many other herbs to choose from when growing medicinal herbs, and this is just a small sample of some possibilities for your garden.  Ideally, you should choose herbs that will have the greatest potential for success in your particular climate and garden conditions.

Using fresh herbs in your cooking is one way to treat yourself to a world of flavor.  Only a little is needed to make an extraordinary impact.  What better way to accent your cooking than growing your own culinary herbs?

The first thing to consider regarding growing culinary herbs is the location of your garden.  You’ll want it within easy access to the kitchen so you can get to your precious herbs easily when cooking.  Second, full sun is important to attain optimum herb growth and flavor.  Third, put the garden in a place where you won’t hesitate to use it.  So, don’t grow your herbs where you won’t want to cut them down and eat them or so far from the kitchen where you won’t want to go grab some when you’re in the middle of making your favorite pasta sauce or dish.

There are various types of herb plants, and each requires its own pruning techniques to maximize your usage of the plant.  Herbaceous herbs can be pruned as you wish.  They will die back in the winter.  Some examples of Herbaceous herbs include:  Chives, Oregano, Sweet Fennel, Winter Savory, Tarragon, Bee Balm, and Mint.  Evergreen herbs such as Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage need to be pruned annually.  Long, woody parts of the plant should be pruned to give more energy to the smaller, younger branches.  Be careful not to prune too much in order to maintain the longevity of the plant.  The herbs mentioned above are perennials, which means they live more than two years.  Some herbs are annuals, including:  Basil, Chervil, Cilantro, and Dill.  They must produce seeds each year before they die.  Thus, you should plant new plants every four to six weeks to insure a continual supply of these herbs. 

When starting your culinary herb garden, you will want the basics in terms of plant choices.  Here is a list of plants to get you started:  Bay, Dill, Thyme, Fennel, Tarragon, Oregano, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Basil, and Winter Savory.  Once you’ve successfully grown these, you will be able to grow any herb successfully. 

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This is a basic overview for how to grow herbs.  For more details, consult one of the manuals below.

The first element for a successful outdoor herb garden is good soil.  Most home gardening soil can use some improvement, which most beginning gardeners quickly learn.  However, herbs can survive in a wide variety of soil types, so more than likely, you can get started with whatever you currently have to work with.  It is a good idea to get your soil tested to see what it needs to optimize your plants’ growth and production.  Improving your soil is key to the longevity of your outdoor herb garden.

Next, before you start planting your herbs, make a plan to make your garden as attractive as possible.  You may incorporate formal beds or geometric patterns, for example. 

Perennials that double as herbs can be planted in flower beds and as borders.  Some herbs that can be used for decorating, fragrance, or cuisine include:  Bee Balm, Yarrow, and Lady’s Mantle. 

Great herbs to grow for decorative foliage include:  Globe Basil, Bronze Leaf Basil, Perilla, ornamental Sages, Gray Santolina and Lavender.

When planning your garden, think about the overall color scheme.

Be sure to pinch back annual herbs such as Basil to prevent blooming.  If they are allowed to bloom, and channel energy into seed production, the foliage will become less.  Pinching off shoot tips inspires the plant to grow bushier.

Planting extra Parsley, Dill, and Fennel will attract butterflies while still giving you plenty of harvest.

Perennial herbs should be harvested as they develop flower buds.  In cold climates, hardy Perennials will need a break from heavy harvesting at least 45 days before the first frost to prepare for winter.

When planning your garden, make a list of herbs you’ll be using.  Then, jot down relevant information about these herbs, such as soil, light, water needs, as well as height and spread, and any other special notes. 

Next, sketch the gardening area to scale, and decide what goes where. 

When harvesting, remember that as a general rule of thumb, herbs have the highest level of flavor in their leaves just before blooming.  Many perennials need their growing shoots snipped in 4 to 6 inch lengths.  With annuals, collect a few leaves as you need them.

Most importantly, breathe deeply, and have fun gardening!!!