Grow Your Own Herb Garden

Don't Think Plots; Think Pots!

Do you love the delectable depth and complexity that fresh herbs can add to any dish? Think about a sprig of just-picked mint in your next glass of iced tea or the punch packed by just-minced cilantro - which even seriously perks up a store bought jar of sauce - in your next bowl of salsa. If your mouth is already watering, think about this: why not grow your own herb garden?

Go into any decent supermarket today and you find that the produce section features a bounty of herbs. Often, however, this bounty comes with a healthy price tag. That price gets steeper once you factor in that when you buy a bunch of chives or cilantro, you may not use it all before the greens lose their crispness or flavor. But, if you grow your own herb garden, you can take the same money you might invest in buying herbs into raising exactly those you want.

When you grow your own herb garden, your plants are ready and waiting when you want to use them, without the expense or waste you have with store-bought versions. Your plants are always fresh, too. Plus you also have the advantage of growing a number of different varieties (think spearmint, peppermint and even chocolate mint and pineapple mint).

The best part? You don't need a big garden plot, a cart full of tools, and you can forget the time spent on your knees working your plants. Instead, consider small pots that you can start in a window regardless of whether your place in a tiny studio or a large country house complete with a greenhouse window as mine is.

When you use the simple pot method to grow your own herb garden, you reap big benefits over a traditional garden plot. There is virtually no weeding required, for example, and you can better control your results. You can make your herbs as organic as you want since you probably won't need pesticides, whether natural or man-made. Whether you use something like Miracle Gro or similar products is entirely up to you. You also get the ability to grow herbs year-round rather than only have them available during summer.