planning your herb garden

Outdoor herb gardens require a bit more planning than indoor ones.  This is an important thing to consider.  How much time and effort are you actually looking to spend with planning, starting, and maintaining your herb garden?  If you are wanting something that requires the least amount of time and effort as well as the least amount of planning then you should definitely consider growing your herbs in an indoor setting.  Some of the primary considerations when planning an herb garden are the soil composition and the climate.  These are things that you don’t need to be concerned with if you choose to grow your herbs indoors.

 

As previously stated, one of the first things that you should consider when you are planning your outdoor herb garden is the climate and soil.  The easiest way to determine which plants will be best suited for your garden will be to check with a local nursery or garden center.  They will be able to advise you on which are the plants that are best suited for growing outside in your region.

 

It is very helpful to determine a theme for your herb garden.  You can decide whether you will be using the herbs for fragrance, cooking, medicinal, or cosmetic purposes. 

 

When you first begin planning the actually physical location of your outdoor garden it is very important to consider the location very seriously before reaching an ultimate decision.  You should consider the amounts of sun and shade that the spot will be getting and the amount of sheltering the area provides from the weather, as well as the type of soil and soil drainage for that area.  The choice of location is extremely critical and can ultimately determine the success or failure of your herb garden. 

 

You will want to choose a place that gets at least four to at most six hours of sun each day.  Herbs are green leafy plants that require a good amount of sunlight for healthy photosynthesis, so the importance of choosing a spot that gets an adequate amount of sun cannot be emphasized enough. 

 

Proper soil drainage is also very vital and should be taken into serious consideration when planning the location for your herb garden. You do not want to choose a spot that has poor drainage and becomes extremely swampy when it rains.  You want to choose a location that will provide enough drainage so as not to drown your plants.

 

Sheltering from the wind and other elements of the weather should also be taken into consideration.  You don’t want to have your herb garden situated on high ground that has not other trees or supporting structures nearby to block the forces of winds and torrential rains.  Rather you should choose a place that is relatively snug and secure that is capable of providing adequate screening from the wind and weather.

 

If for some reason you cannot find a spot that is adequately sunny, you can plant the herbs in containers and move them throughout the day.  Moving them around may see to be very time consuming but in the end your efforts will be well worth the time spent moving them.