Some Popular Herbs for Beginners
The previous article discussed the trial and error way of getting to know your herbs. While this method can work for those with a lot of time, those with less time on their hands consider it useful to have a guide to popular herbs that beginners can start with. If you are a beginner herb gardener, start your herb garden with around three to ten herbs. Three herbs are a great start for you if you are starting your garden in small pots just to see how it goes. If you have a fairly large yard, however, you can section off an herb part of your garden, and start with around ten herbs there.
Remember that just because you have chosen ten herbs, doesn't mean you only have ten plants. You can choose to have two of each herb plant if you want to start bigger. Generally one plant per herb is what most people begin with and then they become discouraged when something happens to their plants. Having two of each plant allows you to learn from your plants, and get to know a plant's characteristics.
Knowing your plants through experience is important and something that is irreplaceable for a master gardener. You may even be able to successfully grow plants that don't really do well in your climate by getting to know what exactly will make them happy and make them thrive in your environment.
Now, to jump start your herb garden, choose any or all of these popular garden herbs for beginners:
Dill. It's a wonderful garden herb that can be planted straight into the ground. Enjoying full days of sunlight with moist, but well draining soil conditions, it's pretty easy to grow, and it grows tall. Most dill plants will grow anywhere between two to three feet tall. There are several variations of dill, some varieties are smaller than the others. These variations can bring about slight changes in flavor. Dill is a member of the parsley family, and it has a great flavor to its thin leaves.
Basil. A classic herb. Almost all herb gardens have basil. This is because it is very easy to grow. Basil enjoys full days of sunlight, a good amount of water, though they will be able to thrive in rather dry conditions as well. Like dill, basil can be planted straight into the ground. In chapter five when the subject of preparing seeds is discussed, you will appreciate the fact that basil can be planted straight into your garden.
Not only is basil easy to grow, but it is used in many wonderful dishes. There are several types of basil, and these different types cater to various types of cuisine. The most popular types of basil for growing are sweet basil and/or Italian basil. If you want to explore other cooking cultures, however, try purple basil or Thai basil. Don't worry, it's still pretty much the same plant, and the varieties don't have big differences when it comes to care.
Page Two: More Popular Garden Herbs to Start With (Some Popular Herbs for Beginners continued)
