Grow Fresh Herbs at Home
30 guides published
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mint is easy to grow and hard to stop. Here is how to give spearmint the moist soil it likes while keeping its runners inside a pot or barrier.
