Jun 21 2010
5 Easy Steps To Grow Fresh Herbs
This article approaches growing fresh herbs as taken in the context of growing all-natural and healthy herb gardens. Below are quick guides for growing the freshest herbs you would ever use.
Starting an all-natural garden may seem too expensive for most people. However, growing your own organic herb gardens can be done with really simple tools and techniques.
Step 1: Cultivate your own plants.
You could start growing organic herbs by starting with seeds. Cheap organic seeds are available in the supermarket. As soon as you have the seeds, you can start growing them indoors. If this seems too effort-driven, you could also buy organically grown plants.
You should always use home-made compost. vegetables, fruit peelings, straws, grass clippings and dry leaves can be mixed together with store-bought soil. All these already contain nutrients that could make your plants healthier. The moisture in this will help the soil from drying.
In cultivating your seeds, you need 12” by 8” tray with at least 3” depth. Have the soil fill it. Provide rows and holes for your seeds. Make it a point to have them watered gently. Use a plastic wrap to cover it. After two to three weeks, seedlings would sprout. Make sure that they have grown at least seven inches before you place them in separate pots. This is to make sure the roots are strong enough and are used to the soil.
Do not use fertilizers, pesticides or any synthetic plant grower. You could use animal manure for fertilizers. Your soil will do better if you put two or three teaspoons of neem oil. Your herbs will be able to repel insects with this.
Step 2: Water your plants with alkaline water.
You do not have to buy bottled alkaline water just to have them at home. You could easily have alkaline water by boiling tap water. To do this, boil your water scalding hot. Let it cool for an hour. Boil it again. The last boiling has already produced enough ions to provide your plants enough nutrients. You won’t be spending too much on gas money since the plants only needs to be watered three days a week.
Step 3: Apply light mulch.
Light mulch is quite similar to the compost mix. It could be composed of straw, hay, pruned branches of evergreens and bark chips. Application of mulch is best during winter. Your plants will still be able to get the right amount of temperature with help from the covering. Put mulch once a month. Never drench the mulch because when they get soggy, the roots would be suffocated.
Step 4: Clip the tip.
If you want bushy growth for your herbs, you have to regularly trim the tips of your plants. More leaves will be able to come out since this will make more stems grow. Clip every month, or as needed as some herbs grow rapidly.
Step 5: Tame the rowdy.
In trimming plants, you could repot the trimmed parts. The trimmed parts should have developed roots so they can sustain new life.
Put stakes, rods or sticks to limit the stretch of some herbs’ stems. These would serve as their guides in growing an upright position.
You could also regularly harvest leaves, flowers and stems to avoid overgrowing.
If you consider following these steps, you could look forward to growing fresh herbs. And you can enjoy your all-natural herb garden plants.
