The big trend in food these days is “farm to table,” with many more people interested in figuring out exactly where their food comes from and making sure that it is of the highest possible quality. And though the overwhelming majority of folks out there aren’t going to be starting up their own family farm in the countryside anytime soon, a lot of people have taken to growing a herb garden so that they are able to spruce up their favorite dishes with fresh herbs whenever they like. Thankfully, growing and herb garden is relatively simple and straightforward – provided you avoid beginner mistakes like the ones that we break down below. Let’s dive right in!
Make sure your soil is in tiptop condition
The very first thing you need to do is make sure that the soil you choose is in the best possible condition. For a variety of different reasons, people try to lump also soil configurations and types in with one another, figuring that “dirt is dirt” when nothing could be further from the truth. You’ll want to make sure that your soil is in tiptop condition, filled with nutrients, and fertilized perfectly to maximize the potential for your garden to really flourish. Fortunately most herbs and pretty hardy and can grow in most soils and potting mixes, however why do get your garden started on the best foot possible?
Don’t try to water your herbs like houseplants
Secondly, you need to make sure that you aren’t watering your herbs the same way that you water houseplants. The overwhelming majority of houseplants out there only really need to be watered once a week or so, while your herb garden is going to be looking for water more frequently. In fact, it’s almost going to be a challenge for you to water your herbs too often – that’s how much they love H2O! You can hope Mother Nature will do most of the watering for you with regular rainstorms, however you need to monitor the weather to adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
Make sure that your trimming schedule is on point
There is definitely going to be a tendency to try to avoid giving your new herbs a “haircut” when they are nice and young, but you’ll need to fight that temptation to just kind of let things grow. Instead, you’ll want to be sure that you give your herbs a quick little clip in its early stages so that it has the potential to grow a stiffer base. If you allow the new growth to get too tall, the leaves will be too heavy, will pull down on the stock, and will almost always cause damage and death – or at the very least stunt the growth of your herbs dramatically. Keep these mistakes in mind and you shouldn’t have any trouble whatsoever avoiding them. If you have any other questions about starting a herb garden, the friendly and knowledgeable staff at Ritchie Feed & Seed are here to help. Just come into your nearest location, and we’ll talk gardening.
