Soil and Pests in your herb garden
Soil, fertilizer and water are key ingredients in a successful herb garden. There are several ways to achieve maximum success:
- For outdoor herb gardens, choose a location with sun for at least 8 hours daily.
- For potted herb gardens, the same amount of sun in necessary.
- For indoor potted herb gardens, a sunny window is important. Be careful of cold drafts that can retard growth.
Herbs love dark, rich soil that has good drainage. Use a topical spray fertilizer like 5-10-5 once herb seeds sprout. Stake those that have heavy branches that can cause leaf rot. Yellow foliage on herb plants are a sign of overwatering. Mulching around the base of the plant may be necessary to retain moisture in high summer temperatures. Remove the mulch when the temperatures begin to cool.
Be creative with your herb garden. Designate the right amount of space for delicate, spiraling fronds of dill, shrub-like rosemary and guard against too much wind with whispy oregano. Sage is a wonderful herb that is a lighter green color by comparison to dark, leafy basil. Use their colors to add visual interest when planting outdoors. Plant the tallest growing herbs with dark leaves toward the rear of the garden, reserving the smaller herb plants with lighter colored foliage for the front. This gives visual balance as well as allowing for proper space to grow.
DePesting An Herb Garden
There are many good types of safe pesticides to protect an herbal garden. Certain herbs are, themselves, insect repellents. Choose these first before using chemical pesticides. Check labels on pesticides before applying to herbs. It's important to know the length of time between spraying for pests and harvesting. If pests are particularly virulent, consider using a light mosquito net cover to protect plants from attack.