In about a week my family will be in a
brand new home in a brand new town and I will have to start a new garden. Starting
a new garden is always a little overwhelming. The first thing I plant is a few perennial herbs. Perennial cooking
herbs are easy to grow and so useful! The four herbs I usually plant first are:

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

They all like sunny, dry growing
conditions and are used in many recipes. Culinary herbs are also very expensive
to buy at the grocery store. When I buy a bunch of herbs for a recipe I usually
use less than half of what I buy and the rest slowly goes bad in my fridge.
Growing my own just makes more sense, then I only pick what I need for that
night’s dinner.

Here are a few tips that will help your
new herb garden succeed:

Transplant your new herb garden as soon
as you can, preferably the same day you bring your baby plants home.

If you choose to grow your cooking herbs
in pots, on a patio or porch, choose pots at least six inches tall and six
inches wide. Smaller pots dry out too quickly.

Water the plants before pull them out of
their original pots and again after they are settled into their new spots.

Check your new herb garden every day to
see if it needs water. Stick your finger about an inch into the soil to see if
it is dry down where the plant’s roots are. If the soil is dry an inch down
it’s time to water!

Snipping fresh herbs for dinner is a
great way to get children involved in cooking and gardening. Children can pinch
off the tender tips of the plants and pull off tiny leaves to add to your
recipe!

Read more of GardenGrrrl’s writings at www.gardensong.net

Photo Credits: photo credit: tillwe
photo credit: The County Clerk
photo credit: yashima
photo credit: ceejayoz