You do not have to start your herb garden from seeds, but if you want to get a head start on the season and lengthen the time you’ll have for harvesting your herbs, start from seeds. You can purchase seeds in a package or use ones left over from last year.
Not all herb plants do well from seeds, so read up on your herbs before you invest in seeds, pots, soil and the like.
First, soak your seeds for at least three hours before planting them so that they will have an extra advantage. Another way to do this is to allow your herbs to pre-sprout by soaking them, placing them on a moistened paper towel and then putting your seeds into a freezer bag and sealing the bag up. Keep the bag at room temperature and out of direct sunlight until you find sprouting seeds when you open the paper towel. Once your seeds have started to sprout, you are ready to plant them in some rich, moist sod.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, read up on your herb plants before you get the seeds or begin the sprouting process, because that might not be enough. Some kinds of seeds need to be scratched up before they can grow. Other kinds will need to be heated up (from light, not the microwave, stove or oven) before you cultivate them. Good examples of these include the chili pepper and citronella herb plants.
Once your seeds have begun the sprouting process you should focus on controlling their growing environment. The sprouting process can be as little as five days, such as some types of basil, catnip, chives and parsley, or as long as 36 days or more, as in hyssop.
Your seed pots should contain a special seed-starting sod mix that comes with both vermiculite and sphagnum moss for best results.
Although there are a number of many great herbs that you can grow from seeds, here are some of my favorites:
- Caraway: If you’ve got some caraway in your kitchen spice rack, simply sprinkle a few of them into a container, cover with dirt and water—how easy could that be? Germination will not take long, and before you know it, you will be planting it in your favorite flower bed or container. Caraway is a popular herb for both German and Indian meals.
- Lavender: For the fastest and best results, use the Lady variety of Lavender or it will take forever to raise your lavender plant—and why waste time waiting for seeds to germinate when you could already be enjoying this most sublime plant.
- Nasturtium: These little flowers of joy are severely under-rated. Not only are they wonderful, they’re edible too. Even better, you can easily cultivate them from seeds! Soak the seeds overnight before planting for the best results when you cultivate them in your well-drained dirt. You can even raise the mature herb indoors, and for extra color you can use as a bonus in your salad greens.
- Shepherd’s Purse: Spice up your next salad with some shepherd’s purse, especially if you’re using a peppercorn ranch. This herb, which lots of people believe is a weed, smells a bit like pepper, but tastes much richer. As an added bonus, the fresh leaves are great for a heavy dose of vitamin C and A. It’s simple to cultivate. Fill your seeding pot almost to the top with earth and then add several seeds, cover with more dirt and add water. Before you know it, you have got your own shepherd’s purse plant.
If you want to really experiment with growing herb plants from seeds, try these herb plants too: bee balm, borage, catnip, chives, and dill.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Mini Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
