Herbs provide beauty in the garden and flavorful additions for our kitchen creations. Most herbs are easy-to-grow plants that, once planted, require little maintenance other than occasional picking to keep them growing and providing you with flavorful leaves and beautiful blooms.
Most herbs do best in full sun. Plant your herbs where they will receive at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun each day. Herbs can be planted alongside vegetables in the vegetable garden, or you may choose to create an herb garden dedicated to herbs alone.
The reason we grow herbs is for their intense, aromatic fragrance and flavors. Many herbs are from parts of the world where soils are lean and infertile and summers are warm and often dry. Keep this in mind when growing herbs. They'll grow just fine in soil that is not perfectly prepared. So be sure not to overfeed or you will get a lot of lush growth at the expense of flavor.
While herbs do appreciate water during especially hot or dry weather, it's important not to overdo it. Overwatering herbs such as rosemary and thyme, which come from drier places in the world, can lead to root rot diseases that are difficult to treat. And just as with too much fertilizer, too much water may force your herbs to put on a lot of lush growth, but they won't be as flavorful.
