One of the key benefits of growing your own herbs is that for many if not most of the more common varieties out there. You can either grow them in your garden without much fuss or – if you don’t have a garden or you can grow them indoors, in planters, with little to no fuss required.

One of the key benefits of growing your own herbs is that for many if not most of the more common varieties out there. You can either grow them in your garden without much fuss or – if you don’t have a garden or you can grow them indoors, in planters, with little to no fuss required.

Pros (Indoors)

• It requires little space.
• Can be grown all year round.
• Can be monitored easily.
• Is unlikely to be damaged by pests.

Cons (Indoors)

• Plants must be carefully positioned for adequate light exposure (south-facing windows are best).
• Pots must be just the right size and must have adequate drainage.
• The size of the plants depends on how big the pot is, how many seeds are planted together, and the quality of soil or fertiliser used.

Pros (Outdoors)

• Higher yields and bigger plants.
• Herbs turn out being more flavourful on average.
• More space for planting in general, and for the plants to take root sufficiently.

Cons (Outdoors)

• Herbs can only be grown during certain seasons.
• Pests such as plant-eating insects are a likely risk, and so are weeds.

How to Grow Your Own Herbs

If you’ve decided to plant your herbs outdoors, then your first task is to work out how much space they’ll need (the seed packet will likely give you some hints about that). After this, find a corner of your garden which isn’t too crowded.

You’ll also need to make sure that you’re planting them in a part of the garden which receives a good, direct dose of sunlight. Many herb-varieties need between 6-8 hours of sun each day in order to produce the oils which give them their distinct fragrance and flavour.

Once you’ve worked out the location, you’re still going to need to give a thought to the soil conditions. You’ll want to plant the seeds in a part of your garden that has well-drained soil. If the soil in your garden seems doesn’t seem up to the task, then you can improve a section of it by mixing in some high-quality manure or compost.

A slightly acidic PH level (between 6.0 – 7.0) is near enough ideal for almost any of the herbs you’re likely to want to grow. So make sure that you test the pH of your proposed planting ground before you decide to knuckle down to work.

If the pH isn’t right, there are various things that you can do in order to balance it out more favourably. While most of your herbs can be planted outdoors from seeds and thrive (assuming soil conditions are good and proper sunlight and water exposure is maintained), there are some which will work best if they’re grown indoors. In pots to begin with, and then transplanted outside as seedlings after a period of about 5-10 weeks.

Alternatively, you could see if there are any well-insulated garden sheds on sale, and use one as a temporary incubation chamber. (Rosemary, Oregano and Mint need to be planted in pots first).

Indoors

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