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Herb Gardening Tips For Beginners

By: Lee Dobbins

Herbs are a wonderful start for a novice gardener because they do well even in poor soil, require little or no fertilizer, and tend to be quite forgiving of a beginner's mistakes. Many herbs are resistant to insect infestations, and do not require heavy maintenance such as pruning. Here are some basic herb gardening tips that will get you off to a good start:

You'll need just a few tools to plant your chosen herbs; a pocket-size spade and shovel should work for most planting since plant cuttings and seeds only require small holes near the surface. For aeration (good drainage is ideal for herbs), you may want a spike, but a kitchen fork will also work fine.

Another tool that can be helpful for maintaining your herb garden are a pair of pruning shears. You can use standard scissors for things like cutting twine or snipping small stems, but when it comes to pruning, it is important to have a good pair of shears.

A fine watering can may prove indispensable to your herb garden depending on your arrangements. Some prefer to pour water out a one inch opening which is just right for some plants. But for herbs, which require less water, one of the most basic herb gardening tips is that you can avoid the most common mistake of over watering by using sprinklers, the type of watering can punched with a number of small holes designed to easily control the amount of water to be given.

For a container garden a watering can is adequate, but if you possess a larger plot of earth it is a good idea to purchase some kind of watering system, preferably an automatic one. A simple drip or soaker system is relatively inexpensive, although your climate may require replacement occasionally, and is easy to set up and maintain.

One thing to bear in mind for maintaining your water system is how the elements can impact its durability. Snow and cold temperatures tend to rot and plug the hoses. This means that you will need to replace them after a couple years. This is not an extremely overwhelming task. You simply create a design that lays close to your plants and then secure the hoses with either plastic or metal spikes.

A wheelbarrow is a great tool to assist with your gardening. It can be helpful when you want to move plants that you started in containers to the garden. Another use is when you are extracting weeds. As you weed, you can simply throw them in the wheelbarrow and then remove them from your garden. This is especially helpful in reducing the chance of spreading the seeds of the weeds.

After planting, a 3-4 inch thick pile of mulch can be applied around the base of the plant. Mulch, which can be made from a combination of wood chips, bark, leaves, gravel, or even shredded newspapers, will not only minimize weeding later but also helps enhance soil fertility. It is just necessary, however, to leave about an inch in diameter of space around the base when applying mulch so as to avoid any excess buildup of moisture and heat that may cause unnecessary damage to the plant.

It is not hard to follow these basic herb gardening tips. All you need are a few quality tools, some seed packets, and a plot of ground with good soil to create an excellent herb garden.

Article Source: Main Articles

To get more basic herb gardening tips including tips on growing herbs in containers and drying herbs, please visit basicherbgardeningtips.com/

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