Herb Gardening Tips And Green Fingers |
| Written by Lee Dobbins | |
| Saturday, 19 July 2008 | |
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Herbs can be hardy plants. They are capable of doing well in poor soil, do not require very much fertilizer if any, often insect repellent, and do not need regular pruning. For these reasons, herbs can be great starter plants for new gardeners. The following are some basic herb gardening tips to get you started: After making your choice of the herbs to grow, the next step is to ensure that you have the appropriate tools to properly care for your new plants. The two main tools you will need are a small shovel/spade and a spike or fork. If you are planting from cuttings, you can use the shovel to create a small hole. If you choose to start from seeds, you will only need to dig just below the surface. For seed planting, you will use a spike or fork for aeration of compact soil because herbs do better when they have good drainage. Another tool that can be helpful for maintaining your herb garden are a pair of pruning shears. You can use standard scissors for things like cutting twine or snipping small stems, but when it comes to pruning, it is important to have a good pair of shears. Using a watering can may be a good means of watering your herbs and is one of the most basic herb gardening tips. The best type of watering can to use is one that has a spout with a series of small holes (as opposed to one with a single, wider opening). This type of can allows you to better regulate the amount of water you are providing your plants. This is important, for the most common mistake people make is to over water their herbs. For a container garden a watering can is adequate, but if you possess a larger plot of earth it is a good idea to purchase some kind of watering system, preferably an automatic one. A simple drip or soaker system is relatively inexpensive, although your climate may require replacement occasionally, and is easy to set up and maintain. One thing to bear in mind for maintaining your water system is how the elements can impact its durability. Snow and cold temperatures tend to rot and plug the hoses. This means that you will need to replace them after a couple years. This is not an extremely overwhelming task. You simply create a design that lays close to your plants and then secure the hoses with either plastic or metal spikes. Wheelbarrows are very helpful garden tools. They help you transport seedlings to your garden that need to be transplanted. Many people put the weeds that they pull into a wheel barrow because this is easier than picking up all those pulled weeds off of the ground and makes it easier to cart them away. In order to help reduce the need for weeding, as well as improve the soil composition of your garden, place a 3-4 inch layer of much after planting. Any or all of the following combined will make a suitable mulch: wood chips, bark, gravel, or shredded newspaper. When spreading the mulch, be sure to allow approximately one inch of open space around the base of the plant. This will assure that too much moisture and heat do not build up, as these factors can can harm plants. As you can see, these basic herb gardening tips are not difficult at all. Purchasing some good quality tools to use as well as some seeds is a fine beginning point. Then you'll need to find a spot of nice soil and start planting!
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To get more basic herb gardening tips including tips on growing herbs in containers and drying herbs, please visit http://basicherbgardeningtips.com/
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