A Garden Herb - Planning and Implementation

Adults are not the only ones interested in a garden herb – even kids can be interested to grow an herb garden. Involving kids is a great way to teach them about a lot of things - about science, about where our food comes from, about the values of hard work and perseverance. It’s also a great way for parents to bond with their children.

When it comes to gardening, and gardening with kids at that, it is important that you plan each step you will make. It’s true, that when you plant a seed and that seed dies, it’s disheartening. This is something you want to avoid when growing an herb garden with your kids. You want to make the experience as positive and as enjoyable for everyone as much as you can.

To accomplish this goal, here are some tips on how you can plan your home herb garden:

Envision what you want.

Gardening is not just relieving stress via planting (a non-stressful activity if you ask me); it also helps in practicing your ability to “see” into the future. Imagine what you would like your garden to be – would you want it to have herbs at this side, flowers at the end, spaghetti herbs all close to each other, container herbs all hanging by the sill? Would you want the fragrant herbs (like lavender, oregano and basils, to name a few) to be all snuggled up together or would you want them apart to spread out the fresh smell?

Knowing and seeing what you want prepares you for the task of plotting your garden, whether it be big or small.

Prepare your soil.

Soil should be loosened either via shovels or garden forks, with a depth of 8 to 12 inches before planting anything. Sometimes, it would also be a good idea to put organic compost on the soil before planting. You can even have your child do some of the shoveling.

If you’re about to grow herbs from seeds, it might be a good idea to rake the soil so it would form a fine bed for you to plant on. Container gardening can use that soil too, but you can buy peat soil if you are fresh out of time. As long as your soil gives an opportunity to the herb to breathe and drain easily, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Harvest time!

As soon as you see that the plant/herb has enough leaves and foliage for it to sustain itself, then you can harvest them already. Most herbs are dried before they are used for cooking, etc. You can have them hang or spread out in a dark, well-ventilated place until they are completely dry and well enough to be stored in the proper jars.

Herb gardening can be fun. Enjoy it with your child, who will have a vision and a mission to help mommy or daddy grow a garden, with the memory of it lasting you a lifetime.