How to Grow Great Herbs
Read about the kinds of herbs you plan to grow., Find a container with good drainage., Fill your container with soil-less medium., Moisten the soil., Plant your seeds., Keep your newly planted seeds moist., Cover the containers with plastic wrap...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read about the kinds of herbs you plan to grow.
Some herbs do better if you transplant them, rather than starting them from seeds.Reading up on the kinds of herbs you want to plant will also help you to figure out how much sun, space and water your plants will need, as well as when the best time to plant them is.
It’s also a good idea to find out the best type of dirt to start your seeds in.
Growing great herbs starts with knowing your stuff! -
Step 2: Find a container with good drainage.
Clay pots work really well, of course, but there’s no need to go out and buy them.
Plastic containers like old yogurt, sour cream, or lunch meat containers with a few holes punched in the bottom also work really well.
Egg containers are great too—just punch a single hole in the bottom of each compartment.Wash your container before you use it.
Water with 10% chlorine bleach (but no more!) works, as does a small amount of dish soap.
Rinse well and allow containers to dry., Do not use potting soil to start seeds.
Find out what kind of dirt or soil-less medium works best for each kind of herb.
Often, a fine-mix compost works best for herb seeds.You should use only about two to three inches of soil in each container. , It should be wet throughout.
Let the soil sit for 20 to 30 minutes before planting your seeds., It’s very important that you plant your seeds at the correct depth.
To find out how deeply to plant your seeds, you can check the seed packet they came in or look it up on the internet or in a good gardening book.
Make sure that you follow seed-depth instructions! You’ll also want to check how much sun your seeds will need in order to germinate., Make sure that the soil doesn’t get too dried out—this will kill your seeds.
But it’s also important not to overwater.
If your soil is muddy, you’ve watered too much and your seeds could drown.
Try bottom watering for great seedlings.
Fill a baking tray with water and place your seed containers on top.
When the soil at the top of the containers is moist, remove them from the try.
Repeat as necessary.
Bottom watering helps to prevent overwatering, and also encourages your seedlings to grow deeper roots., This will help to keep your soil moist and the air inside the container humid.
Uncover the containers every other day to ensure that they don’t grow mildew.
Once your seedlings show a few leaves, stop covering them., Even though your seeds are underground, they still need plenty of light in order to grow into great herbs—up to 16 hours a day! You may need to light them artificially if you don’t get enough sun from your windows., They are ready to be transplanted when they have several sets of leaves and are two to three inches tall.This will probably take about five to ten weeks.You’ll have to take care in order to transplant successfully:
If you’re planting outside, wait until all danger of frost outside has passed.
Frost will kill your seedlings.
Try “hardening” your plants before planting them outside by leaving them outdoors in the shade for a little bit longer each day.
In the beginning, only leave them in the shade for two hours or so and work them up to twenty-four hours.
Hardening will help your plants to survive better if there’s a long stretch of time with little to no sun.Take the lower leaves very gently off of your seedlings before transplanting.
You will need to plant your seedlings just deeper than where its bottom leaves were.The best way to transplant your seedlings will depend on whether you want to plant them indoors or outdoors. -
Step 3: Fill your container with soil-less medium.
-
Step 4: Moisten the soil.
-
Step 5: Plant your seeds.
-
Step 6: Keep your newly planted seeds moist.
-
Step 7: Cover the containers with plastic wrap.
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Step 8: Make sure your seeds get enough sun.
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Step 9: Transplant your seedlings.
Detailed Guide
Some herbs do better if you transplant them, rather than starting them from seeds.Reading up on the kinds of herbs you want to plant will also help you to figure out how much sun, space and water your plants will need, as well as when the best time to plant them is.
It’s also a good idea to find out the best type of dirt to start your seeds in.
Growing great herbs starts with knowing your stuff!
Clay pots work really well, of course, but there’s no need to go out and buy them.
Plastic containers like old yogurt, sour cream, or lunch meat containers with a few holes punched in the bottom also work really well.
Egg containers are great too—just punch a single hole in the bottom of each compartment.Wash your container before you use it.
Water with 10% chlorine bleach (but no more!) works, as does a small amount of dish soap.
Rinse well and allow containers to dry., Do not use potting soil to start seeds.
Find out what kind of dirt or soil-less medium works best for each kind of herb.
Often, a fine-mix compost works best for herb seeds.You should use only about two to three inches of soil in each container. , It should be wet throughout.
Let the soil sit for 20 to 30 minutes before planting your seeds., It’s very important that you plant your seeds at the correct depth.
To find out how deeply to plant your seeds, you can check the seed packet they came in or look it up on the internet or in a good gardening book.
Make sure that you follow seed-depth instructions! You’ll also want to check how much sun your seeds will need in order to germinate., Make sure that the soil doesn’t get too dried out—this will kill your seeds.
But it’s also important not to overwater.
If your soil is muddy, you’ve watered too much and your seeds could drown.
Try bottom watering for great seedlings.
Fill a baking tray with water and place your seed containers on top.
When the soil at the top of the containers is moist, remove them from the try.
Repeat as necessary.
Bottom watering helps to prevent overwatering, and also encourages your seedlings to grow deeper roots., This will help to keep your soil moist and the air inside the container humid.
Uncover the containers every other day to ensure that they don’t grow mildew.
Once your seedlings show a few leaves, stop covering them., Even though your seeds are underground, they still need plenty of light in order to grow into great herbs—up to 16 hours a day! You may need to light them artificially if you don’t get enough sun from your windows., They are ready to be transplanted when they have several sets of leaves and are two to three inches tall.This will probably take about five to ten weeks.You’ll have to take care in order to transplant successfully:
If you’re planting outside, wait until all danger of frost outside has passed.
Frost will kill your seedlings.
Try “hardening” your plants before planting them outside by leaving them outdoors in the shade for a little bit longer each day.
In the beginning, only leave them in the shade for two hours or so and work them up to twenty-four hours.
Hardening will help your plants to survive better if there’s a long stretch of time with little to no sun.Take the lower leaves very gently off of your seedlings before transplanting.
You will need to plant your seedlings just deeper than where its bottom leaves were.The best way to transplant your seedlings will depend on whether you want to plant them indoors or outdoors.
About the Author
Hannah Kelly
Experienced content creator specializing in organization guides and tutorials.
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