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.
Holiday Soap
Soap can be such a great gift, especially for the holidays. We have various holiday soap for sale at just $2.00 a bar. These soaps are made from shea butter or glycerin which is so soothing to the skin. Glycerin soap or shea butter unscented soaps are so mild they can even be used on babies.The soap shapes are gingerbread man, muffin, circle or rectangle soap. These soaps weigh between 3 and 4 oz a bar and look so cute. They also come in wonderful scents such as vanilla sugar, cinnamon bun, blueberry, hazelnut, maple sugar and more. If you are interested you can email me at amandassoapsandsweets@hotmail.com or you can visit amandassoaps.com to purchase directly from the website and view pictures.
Organic Housekeeping Book
Organic housekeeping is less expensive and healthier. If you learn to make your own cleaning products from herbs you can save money. This book tells you how to make your own organic products.
Fine Gardening Magazine
Herbs have been around since time immemorial. Ever since, herbs have served different kinds of purposes. Herbs have been used to treat illness and also in cooking. They are even believed to have magical charms. So if you do want to have your own herb garden, here are a few ideas on how to create one effectively.
Scented Candle
Implementing aromatherapy into your life might go a long way in easing your stress as well as the stress levels of others around you. One of the main attributes of pure essential oils is their ability to relieve stress with immediate positive benefits. Because of the emotional elements which are at play in stress-related conditions, the choice of essential oils depends largely on the causes of the problem and the temperment of each individual and how they respond under pressure. Only make use of oils that appeal to you. If you do not like the scent, it will not have the desired effect.