HERBS

Easy Herb Gardening – Eat Healthier with Fresh Herbs    by Perry Rosenbloom

Healthy eating requires the freshest ingredients, but oftentimes items like fresh herbs can really drain your food budget – unnecessarily. Growing a culinary Herb Garden to enhance your dishes is easy, low-maintenance and budget-friendly.

Your basic herb garden can be planted almost anywhere – all it takes is a little space, a little sun and a container to hold your budding garden. Herb gardens can be planted in planters on your porch, in small plots in your backyard and even on your windowsill. Windowsill herb gardens will not only fill your kitchen with the delightful fragrance of fresh herbs and add an earthy touch to your décor, they are also conveniently close to hand while you’re cooking.

Hydroponic herb gardening kits are also readily available and even more convenient than planted gardens. These self-contained gardens use UV lighting to simulate sunshine, meaning you can grow your culinary herb garden year-round. They also eliminate any need for soil or fertilizer, making them a cleaner option for a kitchen countertop. These kits are a great investment and will pay for themselves with the money you will save on grocery store “fresh” herbs.

If you decide to plant a more traditional garden rather than go the hydroponic route, your garden will require some basic ingredients:

1. Sunshine – Plant your herb garden where they will get at least six hours of sunshine per day.
2. Soil – Leaner soil intensifies the flavors of culinary herbs, so no need to go out and buy rich soil. Herbs also do not require any expensive soil foods, so save your money there also.
3. Water – Herbs need plenty of water, but make sure the water is draining well.
4. Use – Use your herbs! Regularly pinching off growths and using them to make delicious, healthy meals will keep your plants tidy and provide room for new growths.

As for deciding which herbs to plant, you have plenty to choose from. Some of the more popular culinary herbs are basil, oregano, tarragon, parsley, Thyme, mint and chives. All of these herbs can set you back a few dollars for a tiny bunch at the grocery store, and all of them are incredibly easy to grow yourself. Basil, oregano and parsley in particular are very low-maintenance and will do well in any herb garden, even indoor ones.

We can all use a few extra dollars in our budget every month, and your very own herb garden is a perfect way to stop spending unnecessarily on inferior grocery store herbs. Plus, think of the satisfaction as you watch your herbs slowly sprout from seeds into healthy, fragrant plants and then into healthy, delicious dinners for you and your family.

About the Author

Perry Rosenbloom spent two summers working and exploring Glacier National Park and hopes to one day buy a cabin in Polebridge, Montana. Learn more about basic herb gardens or read reviews of atlas gardening gloves.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 7:36 am and is filed under Herbs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.