Owning a garden allows you to grow some very useful herbs you can use in cooking, in your drinks, and as a fine decorative detail to increase your curb appeal. Even if you are not experienced in gardening, there are easy herbs for beginner gardeners you can start with. Here are the seven most popular ones, so pay attention to them before renovating your backyard.
Mint – a cocktail favorite
From cocktails to roast lamb, mint is a fantastic addition that gives drinks and food something that makes them exquisite. The great thing about this versatile herb is that it is super easy to grow, which makes it an excellent choice of herb for rookie gardeners. It is best to buy it as a young plant in the spring, and you will have it in your mojito by mid-autumn. It likes to be bathed by sunshine or to chill in partial shade, with lots of water, so it doesn’t dry out. Once its delicious leaves are ready for picking, make sure you do it regularly so it can produce fresh ones until winter, when the show is over for mint.
Chamomile, the tea enthusiasts’ herb of choice
Tea lovers know that chamomile is the star among tea herbs. But did you know that this marvelous plant can be used to create a scented lawn? If you are looking for creative ways to make your lawn not only look good but also smell good, chamomile is a good choice for you. Its final look is one of the easy ways to add value to your home, and it’s always a great idea to boost your home’s curb appeal, even when not selling. Its maintenance is not such a drag. All you need to do is plant it in light and well-drained soil where there’s lots of sunshine. It can also grow in pots, and you will need soil-based compost. With regular watering and hand weeding, you will have fresh chamomile flowers for your tea in July and August.
If pickles had a say in it, they would vote for dill
Ah, the sweet dill. It’s the ingredient that perfects so many dishes, such as fish and egg dishes, salads, or soups. And, of course, dill pickles are what this herb is most famous for. Apart from its leaves, dill’s tiny yellow flowers and its seeds are edible as well. To enjoy your home-grown dills, you’ll need to sow them between mid-spring and mid-summer. Bear in mind this plant does not like to be disturbed, so there will be no transplanting. It requires a warm place with some fertile soil and lots of sun. You will need to water your dill regularly but do not flood it too much; that’s not how dill likes it. When the time comes for its picking, you will be able to enjoy both fresh and dry parts of this tasty herb.
One of the easiest herbs for beginner gardeners is oregano
Pizza, anybody? Oregano, one of the critical ingredients of most people’s favorite Italian dish, is another herb a rookie gardener can grow. As it is fitting for a Mediterranean dish herb, oregano loves the sun and warm soil, so it’s time for planting when such weather conditions are present. If your location is in a particularly hot area, find a patch of land in partial shade. If you decide to grow it in a pot, when the cold arrives, take your pots inside. Those that do not have much time for gardening will be happy to learn that oregano isn’t much of a drinker – no need to water it too often. You can trim it when it grows higher than 4 inches so it can turn into a denser bush. Once this fragrant plant is a few inches tall, you can start harvesting by using sharp shears. Ensure you do not harvest more than 1/3 of it at a time.
No reputable soup is ever without it – parsley
Those who like cooking already know how omnipresent parsley is. This is not just by chance. Parsley reduces the need for salt, and it is rich in iron and vitamins C and A. A beginner gardener can quickly grow it in his or her backyard by picking a spot exposed to sunshine as much as possible. If you are designing your new garden or renovating your old one, consider converting part of it into your little herb garden. You can plant your parsley and other herbs and produce ingredients for a healthy diet there. As for parsley, ensure it receives plenty of sunshine and water, and it will be a happy little herb.
Lemon balm is a low-maintenance plant that can take over your yard
A cousin of mint, lemon balm is a common ingredient of perfumes, and its fresh leaves are used in tea. It has a luscious lemon scent which you are probably familiar with if you tend to chew on bubble gum. Lemon balm is not a very needy plant, and even though it prefers well-drained soil and full sun, it will grow just about anywhere. It’s a great addition to any backyard because of its alluring scent and bushy appearance. The moving experts from Preferred Movers often work with people living in houses with yards. They say that many of their clients concluded that lemon balm is a great garden plant that is generally low-maintenance. The only potential problem with it is that, without some occasional supervision, it can spread over your yard, so you will need to trim it every once in a while.
King Basil
This story would not be complete without the king of herbs – basil. It got its royal title because of its popularity with amateur and rookie gardeners. Its edible leaves are full of nutrients that help fight cancer, lower blood sugar, and deal with inflammation and many other conditions. Caring for it is easy as long as you remember a few things:
- It loves sunshine. The more sun rays reach it, the merrier.
- Frost will kill it. Basil is extremely sensitive to even the mildest frosts.
- Its flowers damage its taste. When the flowers appear, make sure you remove them ASAP.
- The more you harvest, the thicker it will grow. When you pinch its stem, two more will grow. Harvest often so your darling basil can become more abundant.
Even though when fall comes, your basil will be gone, and you will have to redo your garden, from June to September, it will do more than enough to make you don’t regret the effort you made to grow it properly.
Final thoughts
As you can see, there are easy herbs for beginner gardeners you can plant in your backyard and grow without much effort. All you need to do is pay attention to a few important factors for each one, and you will be an herb master before you know it.