One of the simplest plants to cultivate is a herb garden. All they require is sunlight, water, and neutrally pHed soil that drains properly. A garden is not even necessary. Many herbs grow well in pots, including oregano, mint, rosemary, basil, cilantro, and lemon balm. Actually, unless you’re okay with your garden taking over, mints should only be grown in containers. Mint spreads quite easily. Test your soil to get things going. Purchase a pH test from your neighborhood garden center or online, then follow the instructions. For growing herbs, a reading of 7.0 is ideal, but anything in the range of 6.0 to 7.5 is usually suitable. If the soil tests lower, boost the results by adding garden lime.
Use potting mix intended for foods when growing herbs in containers. Information about the pH level of the package should be included on the label. Select a location that gets six hours or more of direct sunlight each day. Use a reasonable layer of compost, 15 to 20 cm deep, to stabilize drainage in your garden if the soil is sandy or heavy clay. If the soil is consistently damp, dig a hole that is 7.5 centimeters deep, fill it with crushed stone, and remove the top 15 to 38 centimeters of dirt. Refill the hole with the mixture you created by mixing some compost with the dirt you removed. Make a mound on top of it. With time, it will settle more slowly.
Allow the soil to somewhat dry out in between waterings because damp circumstances will hinder the growth of herbs. Growing herbs without fertilizer also improves their flavor. Because of this, while amending the soil to promote drainage, do not add too much compost. The exceptions include lovage, fennel, summer savory, and chervil. When given fertilizer, they thrive. In a single growing season, annual herbs complete their life cycle from seed to senescence, or death. These consist of marjoram, chamomile, dill, cilantro, and basil. Herbs that come back every few growing seasons are called perennials, and they include oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, and tarragon. Biennial plants, such as parsley and caraway, have two growing seasons. In the first, they only produce leaves, and in the second, they produce flowers and seeds before dying.
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