Intimidated To Start Gardening?
DON'T BE. You
see growing a plant, {in this instance an herb garden} is such an awesome
experience because you get to grow with the plant. The plant goes through
stages and goes through those stages with them. You have to learn the plant,
what it needs, wants, when and how. The plant literally tells you what it
needs. All you have to do is pay attention the plant it lets you know
predominately based on its appearance. If the plant isn’t looking green,
strong, and healthy it’s probably NOT. What do you do then? It either needs
more or less water, more or less sun. It’s pretty easy to figure out, trial and
error.
{Above: My Dad's vegetable garden. He grows, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, corn, eggplant and a myriad of other fresh veggies and herbs.}
I started gardening because of my parents they both grew plants rom
annuals to herbs and at a young age I learned that plants tell you what they
need. Now yes, some plants are fussier than others, but most herbs have basic & simple requirements. This blog post covers the 5 benefits
of growing a herb garden and why you should get started right away!
~5 BENEFITS OF GROWING A HERB GARDEN ~
Variety: They’re so many types of
herbs, let’s use basil for example, and there are over 20 types of basil, which
have purpose for different dishes. Lime basil is great for salads and fish
dishes, Sweet Basil is great for Italian Cuisine and especially great for
sauces such as pesto & Sweet Thai basil is great for Asian dishes. You
don’t have to worry about running to the store last minute for that specific
herb you forgot was in your new recipe.
Stress
Free:
Spending time in a garden allows you to slowdown and connect with life.
Engaging with the process of life and experience the journey & growth of a
plant allows putting certain aspects of life in perspective. I know for myself
it makes me feel well accomplished and grounded to the ideals and fundamentals
of what life is really about. Caring & nurturing something which will
return the favor by nourishing my body is the true experience of the circle of
life.
Fresh Cook: The
ability to have fresh herbs at your disposal is a luxurious convenience. It
isn’t just convenient but it enhances the taste and smell of your meal. Nothing
like knowing you already have most of if not all of the herbs needed for your
cooking purpose. To be honest, having my
herbs actually make me look forward to cooking when I may not be in the mood.
Economical Cents: the price for a handful
of cilantro could run you around $2-$3 and you have about 5-7 days to use it
before it starts to wilt and go bad. Although the life of store bought herbs
varies what remains the same is that you can purchase a cilantro plan for the
same price and it can last you months. Not to mention you don’t have to worry
about running out in the middle of a new recipe.
Gifting: One of my favorite
things to do is gift my herbs to my family and friends. It’s literally the gift
that keeps on giving. They are always so happy to receive fresh herbs grown by
yours truly and knowing they will remember me when cooking and eating their dinner is the
cherry on top. You can through them into a Ziploc bag or spice it up a bit and
use trinket size gift boxes or miniature sized mason jars.
BONUS: GROWING HERBS SUN CHART
This
is a great guide from EMPRESS OFF DIRT to use to get familiar with herbs and the amount of
sunlight they need. EMPRESS OF DIRT also has great information for getting started on your herb garden.
~ ~
~PEEK INTO MY HERB GARDEN~
Welcome
to my herb garden. I threw together a few plant pots and soil to create my herb
garden consisting mainly of Mediterranean herbs. Most of these herbs are easy
to maintain and I use them in most of my meals. One herb I haven’t yet planted
is mint. I highly suggest growing mint in your garden, It’s such a useful
“everyday” herb as you can use it in your salads, mojitos, but best of all for
tea! I’m a huge tea drinker and the ability to have fresh mint tea at my
disposal is literally heaven from the earth.
Below
I attached a guide I found on DREAM GARDEN 101 of some of the most common cooking herbs. I
grow most of them and hopefully this guide will help when deciding which herbs
to start growing. For more information about herbs and gardening check out DREAM GARDEN 101. It's an informative blog with many great tips and ideas for gardening.
Now
that you well informed on why growing an herb garden will only enhance your
life, I would love to hear back from you. Are you an experienced gardener who would
love to share some of your gardening secretes? Or maybe you are new to the
gardening game and you have questions. Either way I would love to hear from
you. I am obsessed with gardening and excited to share gardening stories.
Ciao,
Xo
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