Growing Culinary Herbs Outdoors

Every summer I grow herbs for cooking and for tea.  I use to grow herbs for healing but when I moved my space for growing herbs outdoors was limited as there are too many trees in my yard.  

 My husband suggested that I grow herbs year round in the greenhouse where we have grow lights. This of course is always a good idea as you do not have to worry about groundhogs eating your parsley or the brown grasshoppers.  It is the best to grow in way to grow healthy and organic herbs, however the bees and butterflies are not able to forage off the basil and rosemary blooms.  

I watched the sunlight in my yard and found that a small section received 4 hours of morning sun, followed by part shade in the afternoon and at 4:00 pm the section had full sun for another 3 hours.  The sun was enough and I decided to plant a small herb garden.
  

Photographs of my small culinary herb garden:

I set my herb garden up with a rock boarder.  I laid a thick newspaper lining to keep the grass and weeds from growing into the bed and then I added two inches of pea gravel mixed with sand for proper drainage and on top of that I added 12 inches of top soil mixed moisture control beads and equal parts compost.  I then planted; dill. African Blue Basil, Honeydew sage, oregano, Rosemary, chives, cilantro, Italian parsley and lemon mint. 

If you are contemplating growing herbs outdoors then here are some tips for growing herbs outdoors.

Grow Herbs in the Ground

1. Use a tiller to break the ground and loosen the soil to 18 inches.
2. Remove grass and rocks
3. Break up soil lumps so that it is fine in texture
4. Add organic compost to the garden soil and mix well
5. Add slow release fertilizer

Grow Herbs in Raised Gardens

1. Raised garden beds get more sun and dry out quickly so it is wise to set the raised garden in an area that is close to a water source; rain barrel or sprinkler head.Choose a flat surface for the raised garden.  A leveled garden will provide a good water balance.
2. Buy a raised garden kit and set it up according to the directions.
3. Fill your raised garden with a mixture of Scott's miracle grow moisture control garden soil, Scott’s compost and course sand. This mixture will provide your raised garden with hydration, nutrients and drainage.
4.  Another way to fill your raised bed is to mix half organic compost with half potting soil.  Add water pearls to help retain moisture. .

Grow Herbs in Container Garden

1. Drill holes on the bottom of the container to aid in water drainage.  For large containers you may want to drill holes on the side close to the bottom of container.
2. Fill your containers with all purpose potting soil mixed with compost or manure.  Add water pearls to help retain moisture
3. Fill soil to one inch bellow container top. This will prevent the water from draining off and will also allow you to apply peat moss or mulch around the herbs.

Tips:

1. Herbs need a minimum of six hours of direct sun to grow.
2. Plant herbs after you have installed your patio, walkway. Once planted it is best not to disturb the soil.  As compacting the earth for patio or walkway will shift the earth from the herb roots and cause the plants to suffer.
3. Water herbs daily; for containers and raised gardens, water in the morning and early evening.
4. Avoid allowing soil to dry out.

Sage Container Gardening

Grow a sage container garden for your culinary kitchen or outdoor garden.  This easy container garden will add color and interest to your living space.  The foliage of the sage is attractive as the leaves vary in color. Some sage leaves are green with touches of yellow, others are purple with touches of gray, and some are a rich shade of green that compliments both purple and yellow.  The sage herb is easy to grow provided it has direct light and dry heat.  

This year I am growing Honeydew Melon sage.  It has dark green leaves with red flowers in the summer.  The flowers have a fruity fragrance that attracts butterflies to my garden.   We use sprigs of honey melon sage to garnish our summer beverages; lemonade and sweet tea. The honey melon sage is a delicious herb and would be a good choice for a butterfly garden or sensory garden.

Instructions for growing a sage container herb garden.

Step 1:      Gather what you need to grow a sage container garden.  Various sizes in containers, potting soil, compost, a bag of rocks, fertilizer, an assortment of nursery-grown sage plants, grass clippings, garden gloves, garden tools, and a hose.
Step 2:     Plan your sage arrangement for your containers.  You may want to display the various container sizes in groups on a sunny section of your patio, or in your garden.  Decide which sage plants work with your color scheme..
Step 3:       Prepare containers for planting.   Turn the container over and look for adequate drainage.  Add a layer of small rocks to the bottom of the container.  These rocks will aid in water drainage.  Fill the containers with moist all-purpose potting soil mixed with compost.
Step 4:        Dig a hole in the center of the container that is the same depth and width as the nursery container.  Remove the sage from the nursery container.  Use your hands to untangle the roots.  Gently pull the roots away from the root ball.  Set the sage in the center of the hole.  Place the roots on the soil to encourage them to grow outward.  Fill the hole with soil and water well.

Tips:
Plant sage herb outside after the danger of spring frost has passed. Water as needed, a sage plant requires evenly moist soil until the plants are established. In late spring when the ground has warmed to 70 degrees, apply a mulch of grass clippings around the sage plants.

Container Herb Gardening - Rosemary

Grow rosemary in a  freestanding containers and the rosemary stems will grow upright.   Rosemary stems are grayish with spiky aromatic leaves and grow to three feet. The flowers are blue and they bloom in August. . 

 I like growing rosemary in a containers gardens as I can move them outdoors in the summer and then bring them indoors in the fall. A container herb garden allows you to enjoy this tasteful and fragrant herb all year round.

Herbs grown in containers : Freerangestock.com

Before you buy containers for your herbs, check the growth requirements of the  rosemary.  Also check to make sure the containers have adequate drainage holes.  Once you have your containers for your rosemary you would then need to set them in an area that has full sun and has wind protection.  

Plant the rosemary by digging a hole that is the same depth as the nursery pot. Gently remove the  rosemary from the nursery pot and loosen the root ball. Set the rosemary in the center of the hole and cover the roots with soil.  Water the rosemary until the water drains out of the container. 

Containers require more water than plants that grow in ground. Water your rosemary in the morning as needed. Watch your rosemary and if the leaves seem to drop this is an indication that the plant needs water. 


Learn more about growing rosemary in contains here:

Tips:

1. Rosemary is tolerant of cooler weather and can stay outside in 20-degrees . When temperatures dip bellow then bring your rosemary containers into the greenhouse or set them indoors next to a sunny window. I keep my rosemary in my kitchen on a bakers rack next to a window. There is a fan directly above and the air circulation is good for the rosemary.
2. Harvest rosemary leaves by cutting the stems in the morning.
3. Harvest the leaves before the flowers bloom.
4. Use sprigs of fragrant rosemary to decorate harvest wreaths or to add to potpourri.

Warnings:

Watch for spider mites. Repel the pest with an organic solution.