In our southern gardens, we have the ability to grow many different types of culinary herbs with great success. If you lean toward Italian cooking, try oregano, fennel and basil. French cooking tends to use an abundance of thyme and rosemary. Once the herb gardening bug has bit, there are so many more herbs to choose from you may have a difficult time narrowing down you choices. To get started you will want to site your herb garden in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun each day, many herbs are from dry Mediterranean areas and prefer it a little on the dry side so avoid planting in areas that tend to hold standing water. You can either plant directly in the ground, create raised beds or in containers. Herbs are very forgiving and realistically require very little fuss. Just amend the soil, for improved texture and drainage; with some organic matter and plant as you would other things, it’s that easy. 

When planning your herb garden, group herbs according to their light, irrigation, and soil requirements. As we have already discussed, most herbs prefer a good deal of sun, but don’t despair if this does not describe your site, there are some herbs that will tolerate a little shade (I am not talking complete darkness, just a nice dapple of light) these include thyme, chives and sage. In general, herbs can be classified as either annual, biennial, or perennial. Be aware of the growth habits of the plants before you purchase them so you will know what to expect and how to care for them. Some herbs, such as coriander, cumin, dill, and fennel, should be direct-seeded, because they grow easily from seed or do not transplant well. Other herbs, such as mints, oregano, rosemary, and thyme should be purchased as plants as they are usually propagated from cuttings.

After establishing your garden, you will need to tend to your herbs, pinching and pruning will encourage your plants to bush out and be more abundant, natural sea weed based fertilizers applied every two weeks will keep your plants healthy, and of course regular watering is a must.