Grow Fresh Herbs at Home
Clear, beginner-friendly guides to planting, watering, pruning and harvesting culinary herbs outdoors at home, in a garden bed or in pots.
New to growing herbs? Read these four guides in order.
A plain starting point for a first outdoor herb garden: what culinary herbs have in common, the first decisions to make, and the two plant groups that explain most care differences.
How to choose the right spot for herbs, decide how big the bed should be and arrange plants by height and water needs so every one gets light and can be reached.
How to tell whether your garden soil suits herbs: a rough drainage check, what clay, sand and loam each need, why pH changes should follow a soil test, and what to fix first.
Forget the timetable. Learn the simple finger test that tells you when garden herbs need water, how the answer differs for basil and rosemary, and how to water slowly and deeply at the base.
Choosing a sunny spot, planning a bed and knowing which herbs come back each year.
Which kitchen herbs need replanting every year, which return on their own, where parsley and rosemary fit, and how to use life cycles and hardiness zones when you plan a bed.
What full sun and part shade mean, which common herbs are listed for each, and a simple way to count the hours of direct light your own garden spot receives.
How to choose the right spot for herbs, decide how big the bed should be and arrange plants by height and water needs so every one gets light and can be reached.
A plain starting point for a first outdoor herb garden: what culinary herbs have in common, the first decisions to make, and the two plant groups that explain most care differences.
Growing guides for individual culinary herbs, from basil and parsley to rosemary and sage.
Culinary sage stays full and leafy when it has sun, dry feet and a spring prune. This guide covers siting, spacing, first-year care and where not to cut.
Rosemary thrives in sun and dry, well-drained soil, but winter decides how you grow it. Learn when to plant it in the ground, when to use a pot and how to avoid overwatering.
Oregano is easy to keep alive and harder to grow with real flavor. Learn how to choose a good plant, site it in sun and lean soil, and shear it at the right moment.
Thyme lasts for years when it gets full sun and soil that drains fast. This guide covers where to plant it, how little to water it and how to trim it without harming the woody base.
Starting from seed, choosing transplants, hardening off seedlings and timing around frost.
Herb planting time depends on your frosts, not the calendar. Learn how to find your frost dates, and when hardy perennials, cool-season herbs and tender basil should each go outside.
A herb-by-herb decision guide for the garden center: which herbs are worth sowing from seed, which are easier to buy as young plants, and how to choose a healthy starter plant.
Move herb seedlings and starter plants into the ground with less stress: how to harden them off, pick the right day, plant at the correct depth and look after them for the first two weeks.
A practical walk-through of raising herb seedlings: reading the packet, choosing between direct sowing and trays, sowing at the right depth, thinning, and hardening off young plants for the garden.
Telling when herbs need water, pruning for bushy growth and working out common problems.
Yellow leaves, wilting, leggy stems, holes or a white coating? Work through the likely causes of each symptom and the simple check that tells them apart.
Find out exactly where to cut soft, clumping and woody herbs so they branch out instead of growing tall and bare, and how much you can take at one time.
Forget the timetable. Learn the simple finger test that tells you when garden herbs need water, how the answer differs for basil and rosemary, and how to water slowly and deeply at the base.
Picking herbs without harming the plant, drying them for later and collecting seed.
How to collect, clean and store seed from cilantro, dill and basil, with the color signals that show when each is ripe and the limits of home-saved seed.
A step-by-step guide to air drying garden herbs: which ones suit the method, when to cut, how to bundle and hang them, and how to store the dried leaves.
Where you cut an herb depends on how it grows. This step-by-step guide shows when to harvest, where to cut branching and clumping herbs, and how much to take.
How to bring perennial herbs through winter: why drainage matters more than cold, when and how to mulch, and what to do with rosemary and potted herbs.
A season-by-season checklist of herb garden jobs, from spring cleanup and dividing to summer pinching, fall harvests and winter protection.
Which herbs can share one large pot and which cannot, followed by clear steps for filling, arranging and planting a mixed herb container.
A practical guide to outdoor herb pots: choosing the right size and material, filling them with potting mix, and placing them for sun and easy care.
How to collect, clean and store seed from cilantro, dill and basil, with the color signals that show when each is ripe and the limits of home-saved seed.
A step-by-step guide to air drying garden herbs: which ones suit the method, when to cut, how to bundle and hang them, and how to store the dried leaves.
Pick a category to see every herb gardening guide filed under it.
Every guide is listed on one page, from planting and soil to watering, pruning, harvesting and growing herbs in containers. All of them are free to read, with no sign-up needed.
