Herb Plant Guides
How to Grow Chives: An Easy Perennial Herb
Chives return each spring with very little work. Learn three ways to start a clump, where to plant it, how to cut the leaves so they regrow, and when to divide.
Guides
30 guides published
Herb Plant Guides
How to Grow Cilantro and Slow Down Bolting
Cilantro flowers fast in warm weather, but you can stretch the leafy harvest. Learn when and how to sow it, how to keep it cool, and what to do once it bolts.
Herb Plant Guides
How to Grow Parsley: From Slow Seed to Steady Harvest
Parsley seed is slow, but the plant is generous once it settles in. Learn the easiest way to start it, the soil it likes, and how to pick so the center keeps growing.
Herb Plant Guides
How to Grow Basil: Planting, Pinching and Care
A complete guide to sweet basil outdoors: when it is warm enough to plant, how to keep the soil evenly moist, and how pinching keeps the plant leafy until frost.
Watering & Care
Common Herb Garden Problems and What to Check First
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.
Watering & Care
How to Prune Herbs for Bushier, Longer-Lasting Plants
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.
Watering & Care
How to Water Herbs: When, How Much and How to Tell
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.
Planting Herbs
When to Plant Herbs: Frost Dates and Soil Warmth
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.
Planting Herbs
Seeds vs Transplants: The Best Way to Start Each Herb
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.
Planting Herbs
How to Transplant Herb Seedlings into the Garden
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.
Planting Herbs
Growing Herbs from Seed: A Step-by-Step Guide
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.
Herb Garden Soil
Fertilizing Herbs: Why Less Is Usually More
Most herbs need far less fertilizer than you might expect. Learn which herbs benefit from a light feeding, which want almost none, and how compost and a soil test keep you from overdoing it.