I am living in an old house and where the original back "porch/stoop" was its open to the dirt below and I am wanting to put an herb garden in that little spot. {its about 2ftx3ft}. How do I go about starting an herb garden and what herbs are best to plant and can be used regularly for cooking and other things around the house?
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well first off you have to determine if the area you want to plant the herbs in get at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight.
once you’ve detemined that, the next step is to test the soil for it’s basic nutrient level..N-P-K test kits are available in most garden stores..also you should check the soils pH level. best range is 6.5- 7.0 Next thing is to determine your areas hardiness zone..
Dept of Agriculture..on line might be the best best.
most herbs require a well draining moderately fertile soil.
the best soil for herbs is a humusy soil..average garden soil with compost added.
after all is said and done herb growing is just "gardening"
but the initial time and effort you put into preparing the bed will let you rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor throughout the season..good luck
I usually do parsley, chives, cilantro, thyme, and some rosemary. They always grow well, and I have partial sun all day on them, but I do have to water them often.
does that spot get any sun? I grow mine on my back porch that gets some sun. I grow basil, rosemary, chives, mint, and use them for a variety of dishes. I cant stand spaghetti unless I make it with fresh basil and rosemary. In the fall, I cut any remaining bunches and hang to dry. Is sooo good. Most herbs are easy to grow, just keep them watered as needed. Topping them makes them grow better so use them often.
most herbs prefer to have atleast a couple hours of sun each day, they tend to get leggy if they don’t get enough light. as for what you can plant, I recomend tilling down atleast a foot and adding nutrient rich compost to the soil as this seems to help the herbs. and as for what to grow, well that depends on your tastebuds, what food do you like to make? if you use it from a store bought jar when you cook then grow that herb so you can use fresh herbs. depending on your zone though you may need to cover them in winter so you won’t lose them.
Plant the herbs you like to cook with. They must have full sun. have fun.
Rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, basil, sage, parsley, and cilantro are very good herbs.
Rosemary (rosemary is my favorite) and thyme go very good with chicken.
Oregano is very good for italian dishes.
Basil is the only annual in the list I think, but it can be used in almost every dish. It is kind of a sweet herb.
Chives have an oniony taste.
Cilantro is used to make salsa.
Sage is used for pork and red meat normally and sausage.
Parsley is normally used as a garnish but is also used in many dishes.