Time to Start your Spring Herbs!

Now is a great time to begin and indoor herb garden, ensuring a full season of use, and cultivating seedlings to transplant to an outside garden when the weather permits! If you are starting your herb garden for cooking purposes, consider starting with some popular herbs such as parsley, sage, rosemary, chives, mint and thyme. Starting these herbs from seeds is very easily accomplished with a planting container or containers, soil, and seeds. Label your containers so you know what is growing where, and be sure to use a container with holes to allow for drainage. Water the seeds well after planting and continue to water with small amounts daily to keep the soil damp. Some seeds can be covered to produce more of a greenhouse effect to start the growth, and place your containers on a window sill to allow for adequate sunlight. Your herbs will grow for your use great in this fashion, or you may transplant outside once you have seedlings established and the weather permits. First move the containers outside for a few days to allow the plants to adjust, then move to their permanent location by carefully removing the seedlings from their container, handling by their stems to minimize breakage, and plants in a prepared bed. Transplant on a cloudy day if possible, trim your plants and water regularly until the herbs are reestablished in their new environment. Each herb should be pruned differently to promote new growth. Visit Better Homes & Gardens at http://www.bhg.com/ for tips of pruning the herbs you choose. Good luck and enjoy the gardening and cooking world this will open for you!