5. Purchase Plants if You Want Herbs Soon

While growing herbs from seeds is fun, there are some gardeners who want instant herbs. This means taking a trip to the local plant nursery is in order. Buying plants ensures you a healthy plant that will become large enough to use a lot sooner than waiting for your seedlings to even begin poking their heads above the dirt.

4. Give Them Sunlight

Most herbs need at least 6 hours of sunshine every day. If you have your herbs in a container, make sure they have a good source of sun; otherwise you might need to move the container into a sunnier location during certain times of the day.

3. Don’t Let Herbs Dry up

Plenty of water is necessary for any plant, but I’ve had a few herbs that will wilt within a day or two of not being watered. Container herbs will need to be checked often. They seem to dry up much quicker than herbs planted in the ground. Self-watering containers might even be something you might want to look into, in case you have a busy schedule and watering the plants is at the bottom of your list.

2. Give Them Good Soil

Using soil that is of high quality is all that is necessary for herbs to have the nutrients they need. Very few herbs care for fertilizer, some herbs will actually die if fertilized the least bit. In the case of herbs, these plants find fertilizers to be harmful instead of helpful.

1. Pinch Herbs Back for More

As a general rule, if you pinch off the newer parts of your herb plants the entire plant will become bushier and better formed. You will usually end up with a full, stocky plant instead of a thin, spindly one.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. I like to have a variety of herbs on hand, even if I don’t end up using them all. Some of them just look cool setting in the window, such as rosemary. This bushy little plant has even been used as a table decoration, due to its sturdiness and ability to withstand being decorated with ornaments. What are your favorite herbs to grow?

Top Photo Credit: Liyin the Designer-in-Pajamas