Five Easy-to-Grow Garden Herbs for Beginners

A beginner gardener will probably have a difficult time choosing the first few herbs for growing in his/ her garden. When looking at the list of herbs to choose from, many novice gardeners can get intimidated by the many different choices. In order not to be deterred, beginner gardeners can use this small list of five easy to grow herbs and tips for growing a brand new herb garden. Take note that all of these herbs combined create a great edible herb garden, and there are other uses for these herbs around your house too.

Basil

This popular herb is often used in Italian cooking. You can also plant the Thai kind for Asian cuisine. It generally prefers lots of sunlight. Plant your basil after the the cold seasons have ended, and make sure it doesn't get too much water. If you want to store your basil, store it by freezing the leaves in air tight containers, the flavor will keep much better.

Sweet Marjoram

Begin this plant's life indoors, moving it outside after six weeks. It's a good substitute for oregano, and dried leaves bagged in pouch sacks make a great natural air freshener. Sweet marjoram needs a good amount of sunlight and sufficient water. The plant will grow up to a foot, so it makes a good border plant as well.

Dill

This herb is great for fish and salads. It adds a great flavor to many dishes. Growing up to three feet tall, you can also use this as a border plant. Like basil, you can plant dill straight into the ground once the frost is gone. When harvesting, pick the leaves right as the first flowers begin to bloom. This time of harvest will yield the best flavor for dill. You can also use the leaves to freshen air. Add the leaves to your pouch sack of sweet marjoram, and you'll have a wonderful bathroom air freshener.

Thyme

Grow this at the same time you grow your sweet marjoram. It needs about six weeks of indoor life before you let it go off into your garden. It grows to be about two or four inches shorter than your sweet marjoram. Thyme needs a good amount of water, but never allow the soil to very wet. It needs to be able to almost dry completely too.

Sage

Just like your thyme and sweet marjoram, cultivate your sage seeds indoors for six weeks. Great for seasoning and cooking with meats, this woody plant grows up to three feet, but do have a tendency to sprawl and grow wide too. Make sure you keep your sage plants in check so they don't overrun the garden.

For instant gratification, you can purchase some seedlings and replant these into your garden. To really learn the ins and outs of herb gardening though, you may want to just purchase a few seedlings and plant seeds of the same plant alongside it. This will help you see and watch the progression of your new plants, and you can make sure that they are growing healthy and normally.