Fresh herbs are all the rage when it comes to cooking and many people today want them. What better way to enjoy fresh herbs in your kitchen than ones that are only minutes old. There are no deep, dark secrets when it comes to growing herbs. In fact, herbs are actually very easy to grow and you don’t need a huge space to grow them either. Most herbs can be grown in an area no larger than a window box. Actually, a window box would be an ideal place to grow a kitchen herb garden. There’s plenty of room to grow parsley, basil, sage or cilantro and it can all be in a compact container right outside the kitchen door.

Many herbs can even be grown on a sunny window sill in the house. The trick is to keep the weeds collected and start new ones before the plants start to get too woody. Basil is an excellent window plant. When growing herbs indoors or out, remember two things: the first is that herbs don’t like a lot of fertilizer and most herbs like moist soil, but it needs to dry quickly.

How about an herb garden in a strawberry jar? Plant the top with a tall herb like dill and then fill in the side with creeping plants like oregano, creeping thyme or creeping rosemary. They will grow out the sides and hang down. just remember to keep trailing plants trimmed back to keep producing new leaves. You can substitute the plant on top with something else, like sage, if you like.

When planting herbs like cilantro and basil, it’s good to do successive plantings about 3 weeks apart so you’ll have fresh leaves throughout the growing season. Cilantro and basil will go to seed quickly if not picked frequently and the flowers removed.

The main thing most grasses have in common is that they don’t like wet feet and don’t really need fertilizer as I mentioned above. The fertilizer will change the growth habits of the herbs and affect their strength and flavor. Good soil will provide all the nutrients needed to grow a productive herb garden. Also be careful what you plant as some weeds can become quite aggressive and take over the entire area impacting everything else. Mint is a perfect example. Mint is very invasive, so if you want to grow it, I suggest you grow it in a container and never in the ground.

A good herb garden will pay big dividends as your family and friends will enjoy the great taste that comes out of your kitchen. You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re using fresh, homegrown herbs to feed them.