Planting a Herb Garden is Easy and Fun

This spring I decided to improve the quality and productivity of my herb garden for the upcoming summer months. I began in early April by removing the debris that had built up in my garden over the past fall and winter. This included a large pile of old leaves and some sticks and branches that had blown in during winter and early spring storms. I collected this waste material and put it in my compost pile, a pile of fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen as well as grass cuttings from the lawn that, over time, breaks down to produce excellent fertilizer.

Once I had cleared my planting area of these unwanted materials, I went to the store to purchase seeds for the plants I wanted. Because I do not have much of a green thumb and wanted to be able to use the plants I grew, I decided to plant basil, parsley, rosemary, and chives, all of which are common ingredients in recipes. I waited until late April to plant the seeds, as it stays cold late in the spring where I live in Vermont, and about a week after putting the seeds in the ground, I began to see the first sprouts. I spent about half an hour every other day working to maintain my garden, which, at this point, mainly involved removing any small weeds that had sprouted before they could grow big and become a significant problem. By the end of May, my herbs had grown so big that I could hardly use everything I had!

One great characteristic of all of the plants I have is that they continue growing throughout the entire season, so there is always something to enjoy from the first few weeks of summer until the first frost in the fall. Having a small herb garden is easy and great for anyone who likes to cook.

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