Herbs such as rosemary, thyme and mint give out a stunning fragrance all year round and they are hardy plants which require very little water and low maintenance, a perfect addition to your garden.

Getting Started

The most economical and fastest way to access information on starting your own herb garden is by using the Internet. Thousands of websites are dedicated to the ins and outs of cultivating herbs in your garden. They offer invaluable insights into the characteristics of each type of herb, how to avoid certain pitfalls, how to treat certain diseases, the optimum weather conditions and soil mixture to yield a good crop and how to fend off garden pests such as snails, slugs and insects that impact the health of these plants.

You can also invest in a create-your-own-herb-garden kit. They are widely available at garden centers, all ready to be used both indoors and outdoors. All the compost is mixed for you and all you need to do is follow the instructions, sow the seeds and watch the herb grow, simple and easy. Some herbs grow all year round while others thrive during certain months of the year and require constant sunshine and watering. When the herbs have hardened in the pot or container you can then transfer them into your garden.

It is worthwhile reading up on the different herbs on things such as their growth rate, their maximum height and spread and the type of soil that is needed to promote growth prior to creating your herb garden. Some mature herbs can grow into a large tall bush which means you will need to allocate enough space for it to grow in while others such as mint leaves spread like wild fire and would benefit from growing in a pot rather than letting it run free in the garden and overtaking patches that are reserved for other herbs. No longer are herbs home grown just to add extra flavor to cooking, they are also popular in alternative medicinal purposes. Many now swear by the benefits and healing powers of herbs to treat illnesses such as the cold, headaches and pains.

Do not rush it, take your time to research the plethora of herbs and find those that are suitable to grow in your garden and use the Internet to exchange tips with other fellow herb garden enthusiasts.

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Article published on November 15, 2007 at iSnare.com

Where Do You Start a Herb Garden and Vegetables garden?

The easiest place to start looking for relevant information on starting a herb garden is the world wide net. There are also numerous reference books and material that you can find pertaining to herb gardens and all that they offer. However, you can search for the information from the comforts of your own home. You just have to know where to look to find exactly what you need.

If you do not know where to start when it comes to creating an herb garden, you may want to invest in a kit. You can find all kinds of herb kits, including ones that can be used indoors. If you would like to cultivate your garden all year round, then you may want to start an indoor herb garden. This is a good idea for people who use these gardens for medicinal purposes.

These starter kits are easy to use and set-up, so in no time you will have your very own herb garden created. The hardest part in all of this will be deciding what kind of herbs you want to grow. Each one has its own purpose and benefits, so you will have to spend time finding one that suits your preferences.

Herb gardens have been gaining in popularity in modern times, thanks to alternative medicinal practices. Now, many people swear by the benefits of herbs to treat illnesses, so herb gardens have been sprucing up everywhere. There is a plethora of information available to you about the subject, so be sure to read up on it before you start your own garden. There are many websites devoted to providing you with the information you need to start your own herb garden.

Getting Involved In Vegetable Gardens

In today’s society, the emphasis is on eating organic foods or, at the very least, healthier than how we used to consume food. One way that people are doing this is by creating vegetable gardens. By creating one of these, you will be able to add more vegetables to your diet (and these will be free of many of the chemicals used on other farms) and you will eat healthier in the process.

There are many different kinds of vegetable gardens, and you have to decide what kind you want to have. This will obviously depend on what you want to grow and eat, or possibly even sell and ship to other people. One of the major joys of having one of these vegetable gardens is the fact that you have the freedom to choose want you want to sell, eat, etc.

As is the case with any garden, there are many things you must keep in mind other than just the fact that you want to start growing some vegetables. Plenty of websites have been created by people who have been growing vegetable gardens for years, so you will want to take their advice. It will be very useful to find tips by these people because it will make your garden that much better. Plus, you may end up finding new methods for growing the vegetables, along with tips to creating the perfect vegetable garden.

Vegetables are not hard to grow, and you will need to keep in mind that a healthy amount of water and sunshine are necessary to make your garden successful. Make sure you do your research ahead of time so you are fully prepared to start growing vegetables.

You will find that vegetable gardens are one of the most rewarding forms of home gardening. You will be able to harvest plants that will allow you to eat healthier and possibly make some money at the same time. If you are looking for a new way to garden, definitely keep a vegetable garden in mind.

It is mostly found in the Northern Plains and has been used by Native Americans for its healing power in herbal medicine. The Indians used the mashed roots on everything from wounds to snakebites. It was used as a mouthwash to help with painful teeth and gums. They brewed Echinacea herbs as teas for colds and other maladies, like measles and arthritis. The Indians prized this herb for its value in herbal medicine. They thought that the echinacea herb was a blood purifier.

As herbal medicine, the echinacea herb is useful in all its parts. It is a daisy like flower with a rich purple hue. This herb will outshine any other flowers in your herb garden. Monarch Butterflies will flock to your herb garden when you have included the Echinacea herb. The best time to dig up the plant is in the fall but be aware that it takes three years for the herb to be useful in herbal medicine.

In the later part of the 1990’s there were scads of studies that showed the usefulness of the echinacea herb for colds and flu. But there have also been studies that claim it as worthless. You will have to try it to see how it affects you.

The echinacea herb is a stimulant for the immune system. The herb boosts the ability of macrophages (infection fighting white blood cells) to fight off invading germs.

When taking the echinacea herb as part of your herbal medicine regime, infections cased by viruses, bacteria and fungus will heal much faster than without it.

Typically the root is used in herbal medicine. If you eat the fresh root, you should get a numbing or tingling of the tongue. It will also increase the flow of saliva in your mouth. This is entirely normal and should cease in about 15 minutes. The echinacea herb is best used in its fresh state. So you see echinacea is important to add to your herb garden. When you plant echinacea in your herb garden you will be adding one more natural plant to use in your arsenal of herbal medicine.

With the echinacea herb the most commonly used in herbal medicine is the E. augustifolia. However, E. purpurea and E; pallida can be just as useful in herbal medicine if prepared correctly.

Another way to get the benefits from the echinacea herb is to make a tincture, (look for my article on How To Make Tinctures). In a glass of fruit juice add up to 30 drops in the juice and take it three times a day. Adjust the dosage if you become nauseas. And, as in all things in life, you can get “to much of a good thing”. If you take the echinacea herb over too long a period of time, you will over stimulate your immune system. So, take a break when your symptoms start to dissipate.

There are some people that should not use echinacea in their herbal medicine routine. No one with auto-immune disease should take the herb since it could potentially aggravate that disease. And people with HIV should not take echinacea because by stimulating the immune system you may also stimulate the virus. It is most important to always check with your doctor before starting any herbal medicine regime.

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

About the Author:

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.GardeningHerb.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com
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Article published on August 02, 2006 at iSnare.com

Go to your Garden Center and see what herbs are available and suitable for your area. This is important if you are planning an outside herb garden. If you are planning an inside herb garden, since you control the atmosphere, you can choose whatever you like.

My suggestion here would be to select a theme for your herb garden. You can plant them for cooking herbs, cosmetic herbs, medicinal herbs or fragrance herbs use.

Be realistic about your plants. Check your whole property to find the right spot. Look for sun or shade, type of soil, and how well the spot drains. These are all very import for picking the best place for your herb garden.

Once you have accomplished the above, pick your sunniest spot because herbs need a lot of sun (a good four top six hours daily). Be sure that the herb garden site is level and sheltered from wind. If your soil is a bit heavy ad lots of compost when preparing your site which will make the soil looser and help with drainage and texture.

Try to keep the herb garden close to the house to facilitate in picking the harvest and checking for troubles. If you can’t find a suitable sunny spot plant them in a garden container that you can move around to follow the sun. (This movement is a bit time consuming but it pay off in the end).

Look at the rest of your gardens. Are they formal or informal? You will want your herb garden to complement your house and garden. Look in books or magazine to get some inspiration. If you are creating a formal herb garden you will need to plant in straight lines and geometric shapes framing them with low hedges and paths. A fountain, bench or topiary shrubs are almost always used as the main focal point. Arrange the layout around a central axis. Then plant one kind of herb in each block, go for bold color and texture. Be warned a formal garden is labor intensive and will be expensive.

In an informal herb garden you can plant more flowing, curved beds and walkways. Add flowers and shrubs for a really exciting look. This type of herb garden requires less initial work and will be easier and cheaper to maintain.

Now it’s time to decide on which herbs to plant. The easy way is to make a list of the ones that follow your theme. Make up your wish list in three columns. Column one is the absolutely must have plants, Column two will be the ones that would be nice to have and Column three is oh well, not necessary. If you’re just starting out do between 5-10 herbs, (depending on your space). This makes the herb gardening more manageable.

Know which herb plants or annual or perennial, and make a note of them so you won’t forget. A small spiral notebook is a good place to make comments on the care of each of your herbs. Situate each plant according to height for maximum enjoyment of your herb garden.

Lastly keep them well fed and give them lots of love and you will a beautiful herb garden that is multi-purpose. You get to plant the herb garden, watch it flourish, and then you get to harvest it for whatever your purpose was: Culinary, Medicinal, Fragrance or Cosmetic.

Happy Planting!

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

About the Author:

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.GardeningLandscapingTips.com, http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com,

and http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com
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Article published on April 04, 2006 at iSnare.com

I have been trying my hand at gardening on and off for the past few years without much success. In fact, no one that knows me thinks of me as having much of a greenthumb at all. So when I announced that I was determined on having a successful herb garden not too many people took notice or gave me a sense that they believed in me to accomplish it.

What I loved about the idea of creating an herb garden was that it seemed much easier and much less consuming that having a vegetable garden or even a flower garden. I have no idea where that idea came from, but by harboring it my head I became more and more convinced that an herb garden was truly the best bet for me.

So I went to my local library and checked out every single resource on creating a herb garden that I could find. I spent the next few weeks reading these books any time I got. I made visits to several gardeners that I knew and I was online in any spare moment outside of that. I wanted to learn all there was to know about an herb garden so that I didn’t fail at my attempt when spring came and it was time to plant my herbs.

Even my family members laughed at my latest pursuit. I think they might have placed bets behind my back as to how successful or unsuccessful I would be with the herb garden. I think most of them doubted that any of the food I cooked this summer would utilize the spring’s worth of herbs that I had planted.

I proved everyone wrong. Dead wrong. My herb garden turned into the biggest success of any hobby project that I have ever attempted. I feel pretty good about my success and I have loved adding fresh herbs to many of the meals I have prepared this summer so far. I guess perhaps I have a little more down time than many people I know, but that is fine by me. They get to reap the benefits of all my hard work when I pass around baskets of herbs from my herb garden that everyone can enjoy.

About the Author:

Julee Mitchelsin is a writer turned lover of gardening. She loves sharing about her success with an herb garden and encouraging others to try the same. See www.herbgardengroup.info for more details.
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Article published on July 13, 2006 at iSnare.com

No matter where you live in the world most cultures like to use herbs in their cooking to provide the flavours and aroma that we have all come to love. With the enormous spread in popularity of Gourmet Cooking shows on television we are encouraged to expand our culinary tastes to include dishes from all over the world . As most professional chefs prefer to use fresh herbs in their cooking why should we not follow in their steps and grow our own basic herb garden at home.

It is quite easy to put in a basic herb garden to grow the ones used the most. Most of the common herbs used as spices in cooking can be successfully grown in average soil but some do request rich soil, such as oregano.

Additionally, some herbs in a basic herb garden such as parsley are biennial in nature. This means the first year they are grown they will not be useful for seasoning. It is during the second year that the crop can be used. Ideally, with parsley, , plant a new crop of seeds one year after planting your first parsley plants so that in a couple of years they will overlap, providing u sable seasoning every year.

Most of the herbs grown in a basic herb garden such as, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil are tolerant of direct sun, but will require a minimum amount of water to survive. You can harvest leaves, sprigs and twigs from any of your herbs as they are growing giving fresh organic herbs for your kitchen.

However, some plants like thyme is a very forgiving plant and if it dries out will likely come back when an appropriate amount of water is given. Since some have different soil requirements and can grow under slightly different conditions, having them separated by variety can help get them started and keep them growing throughout their life.

Plant Herbs Close To Where They Will Be Used

In most cases it is easier on the grower to plant the basic herb garden close to the kitchen for easy harvesting of the fresh crop. Remember, the entire growth does not have to be cut and used at once. With the right care, the spices will continue to grow and be usable during the entire season. Drying or freezing the extra cuttings at the end of the season can possibly supply the spice throughout the winter, often lasting until the next crop produces the following year.

If you are little short on space why not consider companion growing? When planting a basic herb garden that would take more room than available, certain herbs can be planted among other plants, especially tomatoes. Parsley can play well with other plants specifically tomatoes, asparagus and among roses. Broccoli and cauliflower also welcome rosemary in their midst. Basil also likes to grow alongside tomatoes too.

The only problem with planting herbs among other plants is that they can be mistaken and trampled on inadvertently when weeding, pruning and maintaining the other plants in your mixed garden bed. A basic herb garden is a valuable addition to your kitchen supplies and really wont take to much of your valuable time to look after.

About the Author:

Paul Courtney contributes articles to various articles ewlated to Alternative Medicines, Herb Gardens, Herbal Medicines, Organics and Health & Wellness.Paul Courtney writes for various publications and is the main contributor to www.aherbalman.com/index.php
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Article published on September 19, 2007 at iSnare.com

First, wash out your can and peel off any labels. Next, apply a coat of metal primer to your can. Let the primer dry thoroughly. Then, apply a coat of bright acrylic paint to the can.

Once your can is painted, you can decorate it. I like to apply crackle medium and then add a top coat of color. This effect is beautiful if you paint a deep blue undercoat and a rich red overcoat on your can.

You may want to rubberstamp bugs or garden tools onto the can instead. To do this, use stamps that are flexible so that you can stamp onto the curved surface of the can. You can apply a light coat of acrylic paint to the stamp and then press the stamp onto the can, carefully rolling the stamp so that the whole image is stamped onto the can. If you mess up, don’t worry. You can wipe the stamped image off the can and start over.

Another great decorative technique for decorating cans is decoupage. Use empty seed packets with pretty artwork or cut pictures from magazines and decoupage them to the can in an attractive pattern.

Once your can is decorated, apply a coat of sealer to the finished product. If you will use the can outside, you may want to let this coat dry and apply a second coat of sealer.

Now, you are ready to prepare your can for planting. Turn the can upside down. Use a 3 inch nail and a hammer to poke drainage holes in the bottom of the can. Turn your can over and fill it to just an inch below the rim with good potting soil.

Next it is time for you to decide which herbs you will be planting in your can. Chives, basil, oregano, thyme and parsley all are great choices. Of course, you can also put a lovely scented geranium in the can, instead.

As a finishing touch, add a tag with information about caring for the herb and a few great recipes. It is easy to attach the tag with a simple florist pick.

Finally, consider other ideas for your coffee can. For instance, instead of adding potting soil and an herb, add a garden trowel, gardening gloves, a packet of seeds, a box of tea and a package of tea biscuits for do it yourselfers.

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Article published on October 13, 2005 at iSnare.com