Planting Your Herb Garden

Herbs are age-old plants with timeless appeal, whether you use them for culinary, medicinal, aromatic or ornamental purposes.

Herbs make interesting and beautiful landscape plants. Plant them in an herb garden, informally mix them into gardens with vegetables or add them to a mixed border of annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees.

Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow when given the right environment. Choose a location that has full sun. Most annual and perennial herbs grow best when they have at least 6 to 8 hours of sun a day. Because herbs must have well-drained soil to survive, the Piedmont’s heavy red clay soil will need to be amended with compost or other organic amendments to improve drainage and air space for root growth. Another way to improve drainage is to use raised beds. Herbs also grow best in a slightly acidic soil, a 6 to 7 pH. Add lime according to soil test results. Ask for a free soil test kit at your county Cooperative Extension Center.

Herbs are classified either as annuals, biennials or perennials. Annual herbs are usually grown from seed. They grow, flower and produce seed during one season and then die. Biennial herbs grow for two seasons, flowering the second. Perennial herbs, once established, continue to come back year after year. The size of your garden will depend largely upon the quantity of herbs that you need and want to grow. Ask for seeds and transplants of various herbs at local garden centers in the spring. Plant perennial transplants throughout the growing season; plant annuals after the fear of frost has passed.

Herb gardens need attention throughout the growing season. Weed control and adequate moisture are two important cultural necessities. The use of mulch is an effective means of controlling weeds and maintaining constant soil moisture. To be effective, apply the mulch at least 3 inches deep.

For more information on the planting and care of herbs go to: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8110.html.