General Herb FAQs
There are many questions about herbs. Here are some important questions and answers that will be helpful.
What is the best location for my herb garden? A location that will offer at least 4 hours of sunlight is best. An ideal location is one with 6 hours of sunlight. Be sure the location is well drained and ventilated.
What type of soil do herbs like? Most herbs do well with soil that has alkaline to neutral pH 7.0-7.2. Oregano, sweet marjoram, sage and rosemary especially need this. If you fiil a bucket 1/4 full of unsprayed lawn clippings and top with water, soak in the sun a few days this gives a good nitrogen boost to herbs.
How often do herbs need to be watered? This is a hard question to answer. If they are established in the ground with a good layer of mulch generally they may be watered 2-3 times a week. It is best to water herbs in the morning. Water herbs when the soil is dry to the touch. Do not overwater.
What are the best organic herbs to start a garden? Most herb gardens begin with culinary herbs such as basil (summer annual), oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill (quick growing annual), chives, mint (best kept confined or mint will take over the garden). There are many others to start with but these are the basics.
Does an organic herb garden need to be fertilized? Yes! Some slower growing plants like sage and thyme not as much. Others like basil and parsley need a lot. Fertilizers are best applied in the morning but never to stressed or dried plants because it may burn foliage. Soak these plants and feed the next day.
How can insects be controlled organically? Most can be controlled with neem oil (only use this if nothing else works). This needs to be used fortnightly. Bacillus thuringensis (bt) can be used on caterpillars. Use every 2 weeks in caterpillar season.
Will my herbs grow well indoors? Herbs do not grow as well indoors. A sunny porch or deck would work.
As we can see there are a lot of things to know about herbs. These are the most basic FAQs I found. They were helpful to me and I’m sure they will be helpful to you.