Common Mistakes That Novice Herb Gardeners Make
So you’re thinking to grow your own herbs, or maybe you did try growing them last year and it was a big disaster? Well don’t worry. There are few common mistakes that many people make growing herbs. Mastering these practical and simple tips of herb gardening can help you grow your own herbs with ease and without any mistakes.
Read Also: 3 Innovative Ways to Design an Herb Garden Using Recycled Goods
Take Your Cooking To Next Level with Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs add an amazing flavor to your food. I often toss few leafy herbs into a salad to add awesome variations in flavor. Fresh herbs can also add great taste to sauces or create appetizing crusts for roasted chicken. While fresh herbs are easily available at supermarkets, growing your own herbs is an excellent way to have mastery over your different kinds of food. Growing herbs in a backyard or in decorative pots at home can be very easy whether you live in an apartment in the city or live in a house in the suburb area.
Common Mistakes New Herb Gardeners Make
There are a lot of guides available in the internet, but these are mainly geared towards professional gardeners who can understand what soil PH is and all that. When I started out growing herbs, I was looking at some easy guide and needed some sort of herb gardening for dummies. So here I am sharing some practical and quick advice for growing herbs for dummies or beginners.
Mistake #1: Growing herbs directly from seed. When you start growing fresh herbs, I suggest that you begin by trying to grow directly from seedlings than herb seeds. These seedlings are widely available in supermarket or grocery stores especially in the late spring. A packet of herbs will cost you almost the same price for your own little starter plant. A lot can go wrong in the seedling transition, so it’s recommended that you begin by skipping the complicated task of growing herbs from seed.
Mistake #2: Watering your herbs like indoor plants. Instead, you should water herbs moderately. While some indoor plants can flourish with one solid watering every week, most gentle herbs require modest and consistent watering. This is mostly true during hot summer months. If you have a good drainage system or a drainage hole at the bottom of your herb pot, it will be difficult to water herbs excessively.
Mistake #3: As an amateur gardener, it may look like that your little herb plant isn’t all-set for trimming, but then you will just find yourself sitting in front of the plant and wishing for leaves to grow without much success. For instance, basil is an excellent herb to practice trimming. Like other herbs, you want to trim the herb directly above a set of growing leaves. With basil, when you trim the herb plant that way, the first trimmed stem will stop growing. However, two new stems will start growing around the initial cutting, usually creating a “V” shape. To produce a nice tough plant, it is recommended that you trim the plant approximately 2-3” above the soil. As the plant continues to grow, continue to trim it approximately 2-3” for a nice firm plant.
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