How to Care for a Potted Herb Garden

Container

• 1

  It is very important to choose your herb pots carefully. There are a lot of varieties of pots out there. There are pretty window box sets and cute "strawberry" pots with a lot of little openings for a variety of herbs. Whatever pot you choose, make sure that it has good drainage ability and that there is enough room for the roots to grow in the soil.

• 2

  Pick out good organic soil and organic food fertilizer that will help the herbs grow well. The food fertilizer is not an absolute must, however. When reading the soil package, be sure that the soil is okay to be used with eatable plants. Paying the extra expense for good soil can reap bountiful rewards.

• 3

  When choosing herbs, be mindful of the amount of sunlight needed for each variety of herbs. Also, pay attention to the herb starts themselves and make sure their leaves are healthy. It is much easier to keep an herb garden healthy if it starts out that way.

• 4

  Also, when choosing herbs, be sure to read up on the varieties you want to plant. Some varieties fair better in different areas of the country and some do not hold up as well under extreme temperatures.

Sun, Water and Drainage

• 5

  It is important to keep an indoor or outdoor potted herb garden in a well lit area. The fullness of the sun can really make your herbs grow.

• 6

  When caring for an outdoor potted herb garden, be sure to water it regularly, preferably at least once a day in the heat of summer. You may be surprised how those little herbs like to drink in the water and they'll wither fast if not watered. An indoor herb garden, however, would probably not need as much watering as an outdoor one. With an indoor herb garden, watch the soil and the stems of the herbs to see if they could use some water.

• 7

  Make sure that the soil is draining well. If the soil is too wet, it can also kill the herbs. If you find that the soil is staying saturated, cut back on the watering.

Eat Up and Store Up

• 8

  One of the most critical steps to caring for a potted herb garden is to trim back the plants regularly. If not, the plants can end up going to seed and dying on you. The easiest way to do this is to remember to eat the herbs. Fresh herbs can be such a wonderful part of summer meals. As you eat, you might be surprised how quickly the herbs flourish as you pinch them back.

• 9

  Also, be sure to research each herb carefully as to whether they can be winterized as the summer draws to a close. Depending on where you live, you may be able to enjoy your garden a lot longer than you may have initially planned.

• 10

  Plan to carefully harvest the garden at the end of the summer. Whatever herbs will not make it through the winter need to be dried and stored. If you neglect this last step for too long, you might lose a lot of your crop.