Do you enjoy the flavors of fresh herbs in your cooking? Tired of grocery store prices and poor selection? All is not lost…

Growing your own culinary herbs is easy and does not require a lot of garden space. In fact, most herbs can be grown in containers. Even if you only have a small patio space or window box you can grow your own fresh flavorful herbs.

Choose your Location

If you have the space and want to plant your herbs in a garden space, you’ll want to place it as close to the kitchen door as possible. Most of the culinary herbs are satisfied with any location that has several hours of sunshine and well drained soil. For a small garden of culinary herbs your space should be about 3 X 5 feet. You will be able to start with several varieties of herbs and have some room to add a few more later on.

Planting in containers is an alternate way to grow culinary herbs. Be sure to use a good quality potting mix and provide sufficient water. As with an herb bed planted in the ground, your pots should have good drainage. You can combine several plants in one large pot or plant them individually. Strawberry Jars are a great way to have your entire kitchen herb garden in one pot. Plant a different herb in each of the side holes and try alpine strawberries in the top. You’ll be able to bring the entire garden inside during the cooler months and have fresh herbs all year around.

Here are 5 easy care plants to get you started.

• Chives - These herbs are not a bit picky about where they live or how rich the soil is. It has been my experience that chives will grow and thrive no matter where they are planted. Several years ago we purchased a new home. I found an old window
box that had been discarded behind one of the out-buildings. In that old dilapidated box, were some of the nicest chive plants you have ever seen. I’ve still never done anything with them and they continue to grow fragrant and tasty each year.

• Oregano - This plant also does not seem to care about soil conditions, and will do well just about anywhere. Oregano is a low growing plant that will spread so you will want to choose your planting area with this in mind. To increase growth of foliage,
simply cut back the flowers.

• Thyme - Resembling a tiny shrub, Thyme is a hardy little plant that adds fantastic flavor to many different foods.

• Sage - A bit more particular than the others we’ve discussed, Sage prefers full sun and good drainage. Neither of which is difficult to achieve. Use mostly for flavoring meats and making a supremely fragrant stuffing.

• Parsley - Actually a biennial, when seeded into an outdoor garden for two consecutive years, parsley will continue to reseed itself giving you an abundant supply. Used as a garnish and for flavoring parsley is another very easy care herb.

These five easy care herbs will give you a very good start in your kitchen herb garden. Whether you choose to plant them in a small plot by the kitchen door or in containers on the patio, after you’ve started growing them, you’ll be inspired to try your hand at growing others.

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