The first order of business is to do what farmers like to call harvest time. But you have to have a nose for this type of thing. If you pick your herbs at the wrong time, your crop won’t turnout as well. The key is to keep the essential oils in the herb and not let wind, heat or too much rain ruin it for you. The best time to harvest your home herb garden is on a calm, midsummer morning, after all the dew has evaporated but before the flowers open for the day. You don’t want to pick the entire plant, just one-third – leave the rest so it will grow back. You can also take the opportunity during harvest time to inspect your plants for pests, diseases or damaged leaves. Also, don’t worry about harvesting more than you can use right now, you can always preserve the herbs to use later on.

Let’s talk about the three main methods people use to preserve their home herb garden. They are:

Drying, freezing or preserving them in a medium… usually vinegar or salt.

To dry your herbs, simply bundle them together, being careful to remove all the leaves off the bottom of the stem for easier handling and then hang them upside down in a cool area out of directly sunlight. Some folks have used appliances to accomplish the same task, but the quality will not be the same, so keep that in mind when deciding which method to use.

The second way to preserve involves freezing the herbs. This is a simple process, but you have to remember to freeze everything twice. First, you cut up you herb leaves into a manageable size and then freeze all the leaves individually on wax paper. Once all the leaves are frozen, you can then combine them into one bag for storage in the deep freezer. By freezing everything separate first you will be able to access only the herbs you need, without having to thaw out the entire bag.

The final method of preserving herbs is through a medium like salt or vinegar. The process is pretty much the same for both. The herbs are covered; the difference is how you store them. With vinegar, you cover the leaves and store in a Tupperware container, it will last for months. With salt, you wait until the leaves are brown and dry, then remove them from the salt and store in a cool dry place.

We all love our food to be as fresh as possible and that is one of the benefits of having a home herb garden right in your kitchen, you have access to it whenever you want. But take care to make sure your herbs are clean before you use them. Wash the leaves in a solution of cold water and salt. It should be sufficient to drive away the little bugs that may have made your herb garden a home. Then simply remove them and dry out the leaves using a salad spinner.

There are many different uses for each of the herbs in your home herb garden. With a little research you can learn the best way to use, harvest and preserve the herbs in your garden.

Annuals – as the name suggests, last for only one growing season. You will have to plant them again, as seeds or small plants, the following year. These herbs, including basil and cilantro, are rather sensitive and will not survive a winter frost.

Biennials – will produce foliage (leaves) during their first growing season and their flowers during the next. After this second season they will die. herbs in this category include angelica, caraway and parsley. For best results, you should sow them directly in the soil during late spring.

Perennials – such as sage and winter savory are hardy plants which will survive year after year, even under frost conditions.

To prepare your soil for planting, it is a good idea to work it into a fine texture and moisten it slightly with water.  The seeds should be planted in shallow rows, about an inch or so into the soil, then lightly covered and pressed down. A method to distribute finer seeds, is to mix them with sand. If conditions are somewhat dry, you can keep the soil moist during the germination process by covering with wet paper or towel.

Herbs are further categorized by the way in which they are used. These include culinary, aromatic, medicinal, and ornamental uses. Let’s take a brief look at each one -

Culinary Herbs – include all of the herbs you would use for cooking. They have many and varied uses, but due to their strong flavors are mostly used in small quantities to add flavor to foods (such as roasts!). A popular example of a culinary herb is parsley, which you see used as a garnish on the side of dishes. Other herbs in this category include chives, basil, thyme, sage, savory and marjoram.

Aromatic Herbs – as the name implies, emit a pleasant fragrance from their foliage or flowers. These herbs can be used in a number of ways in your home to enhance your environment, such as potpourri, which is, essentially, dried aromatic herbs. Lavender is great for this, and will keep for long periods dried. Some perfumes are made from aromatic herbs too, such as mint, rosemary and loyage.

Medicinal Herbs – certain herbs have a long standing reputation for curing ailments of the body and mind, promoting health. Recent medical studies show that certain herbs contain beneficial properties for health, but you must make sure to do your research first because some herbs can be harmful if incorrectly ingested.

Ornamental Herbs – these herbs are grown for their stunning flowers and foliage, which are often brightly colored and most pleasing to look at. Such herbs include chicory and borage, which have beautiful blue flowers.

Bear in mind that herbs are multi-purpose. Mint, for example, is used for brewing tea, for cooking and for use as a pest control. But whatever your reasons for growing herbs, an understanding of them will allow you to choose the herbs best suited to your desires.

• Basil
• Sage
• Parsley
• Fennel
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Garlic

Basil is one of the most well known Italian herbs and can be added to many Italian recipes.  The subtle fragrance of basil makes it one of my top choices of Italian herbs. Besides adding flavor to your dishes, basil also has a number of benefits in your garden. It can enhance the flavor of certain other vegetables and it can also repel pesky flies and mosquitoes.

Sage can be used in many Italian dishes from meats through to salads. You will want to wait for sage to bloom before harvesting, though. It is recommended that you prune your sage plant to encourage new growth and prevent the herb from becoming too woody. These tender growth shoots are the best to use in your dishes.

Parsley is a truly wonderful herb and used extensively as a garnish, served on many dishes around the world today. Parsley was traditionally used to cleanse the palate after eating and provides an excellent breath freshener when dipped into freshly squeezed lemon!

Fennel is famous for its aromatic seeds that have the ability to enhance flavors of Italian sausage.  Because fennel is a perennial, it must be divided and replanted every few years, but also because fennel looses much of its flavor potency as it matures.

Oregano is flavorful and decorative and will produce elegant purple flowers when fully mature.  You must wait until flowering is over before harvesting oregano, because this is when the plant is most flavorsome.

Another beneficial garden herb is rosemary. This herb attracts bees, which are necessary for all plants to flower and pollinate. The bees are attracted to the tiny blue flowers it sprouts. Watch out for frosts though, as rosemary is sensitive to this.

Many people do not know that garlic is actually an Italian herb! Garlic is a must-have herb for most cooking dishes. Your Italian herb garden would definitely not be complete without it. They need very little care and attention to grow, and will flourish in most soils. An added bonus of garlic is that it can be used in many different ways after harvesting such as drying, freezing and pickling.

There are many more herbs that come under the Italian herb heading, but the most popular ones have been presented here. You must consider for what purposes you will grow these herbs before deciding which ones to go with.  As Italian herbs are fantastic in the kitchen, they provide many more uses than just culinary. These include delicious aromas, eye catching flowers, and complementing other existing plants in your garden. Italian herbs will really add value and interesting conversation pieces for your garden.

As you can imagine, there are numerous questions that need to be answered before beginning your herb garden. Even though you may have a strong desire, you might lack vital knowledge and understanding of where to start. Herb garden kits are invaluable to anyone wanting to start a herb garden by themselves.

There is a large variety of herb growing kits that are available for purchase and they are tailored to specific categories. The main categories include:

• Italian herbs
• Culinary herbs
• Medicinal herbs
• Tea herbs
• and many, many more

Which means you can have herb plants growing right in your kitchen WITHIN WEEKS!

Herb kits contain the basic ingredients you need to get started (like seeds) and also provide specific requirements for the particular variety of herbs you are trying to grow. Some herb kits contain more equipment than others, such as a green house dome, which will regulate temperature and humidity to provide optimum conditions for the plants to thrive. Rest assured that you will receive detailed instructions with your herb kit, so the process will be easy and enjoyable. Some herb kits, like the culinary ones, will provide you with recipes for your fresh herbs and even some websites will have a newsletter that you can sign onto to receive regular, ongoing recipes. You will also be provided a planter box with your herb kit and/or soil and pellets with which to grow your herbs with.

The benefits of growing herbs from an indoor herb kit are many! For instance,

• The herbs are right there in your kitchen, waiting for you to add to your next meal.

• Most of them are small, taking up little space in your kitchen.

• You don’t have to go outside in the dark to select herbs when cooking at night.

• Many herb kits contain beautiful planter boxes with which to create an exotic eye piece for your home.

• The lovely aromas herbs produce can be very pleasant in an indoor environment. You will also be growing your herbs in consistent conditions (temperature and warmth are important), meaning that your first herb growing experience will be enjoyable and rewarding, not to mention successful every time!

Like with anything worthwhile, the journey to becoming a herb expert will take time. Until you feel comfortable and familiar with the herbs you are growing, the best way to go about learning is with one of the many herb kits available on the market today. The kits are a difficulty free way to get started. When you reach a level of proficiency and familiarity with your herbs you can then experiment growing them outside if you like. You will be well on your way to becoming a herb expert in no time. So let’s get started!

SUNLIGHT - when selecting a location to grow your herbs, choose a place that has ample sunlight, for your herbs will enjoy this much better. If lack of sunlight is a problem there are other sources of light than just the sun. Some gardeners like to use ‘grow lights’, which are an artificial means of producing light, which work tremendously well.

SOIL – herbs definitely like a well drained soil that is not too rich. For potted herbs, a fantastic soil can be made by adding one part perlite with two parts potting mix. To the bottom of your pot, add an inch of small rocks, such as pebbles, which will help with water drainage. You can also supplement your indoor herb soil with 1 teaspoon of lime per five inch pot.

WATER – potted plants need to be watered more often than plants in the ground, so keep an eye on them. At the same time, you want to avoid over watering them as the roots can become soggy and start to rot. Not a good situation!

Most herbs are frost sensitive, so you want to make sure you bring your herb pots in before the first winter frost. Growing your herbs in pots allows for this mobility. A few herbs like mint, chives, and tarragon, will actually do better if subjected to a light frost. By doing this, they will actually produce fresher foliage upon new growth. You can leave your annual herbs inside all year long, but you would do well to move your perennial herbs outdoors during the warmer months.

If you adhere to some of these basic guidelines, you will create a fantastic indoor herb garden. Certain herbs will grow better than others in containers, but rest assured, all types will grow well. Watch out for the mint herb, as it will take over your garden if it is not contained within a pot of some sort. You can keep your indoor herb garden right in your kitchen for easy access to fresh herbs while cooking. Foliage picking is encouraged! Any gardener will tell you plants grow better after a pruning. For peak herb health, other factors to keep in mind are periodic light feeding and yearly repotting. You can use your herbs fresh or dry and store them for you and your friends to use later.