Spice up your garden.

Growing your own herbs doesn't need to be a major chore, and it can have decided advantages over buying herbs, especially in the quality of the product and the amount of money you can save by growing your own.

Let's face it, store bought dried herbs are not only extremely expensive, but they are often not very fresh. You have probably already determined the reasons for growing the herbs; otherwise you might not be reading this.

The first consideration when contemplating the herb garden is the use to which the herbs are going to be put. This is helpful especially for choosing which herbs you wish to grow.

The main ways that herbs are used are in cooking, medicine, aroma and crafts.

Each will have a direct bearing on which herbs are grown, and even on which varieties of herbs are grown. Some varieties may be better for cooking but won't be especially high in medicinal qualities, while others may have more aroma, and so on.

The next important consideration is where you are going to grow the herbs. If you don't have much room, you may need to plant in containers. However, some herbs don't do really well in containers. Likewise, it is helpful to know particulars regarding how much light and water, and what kind of soil a particular species of herb does best in.

Some herbs grow best in partial shade while others need as much sunshine as possible. Some do best if the soil is fairly dry, others do better if it is damp. Many herbs love rich garden soil, but some do better is poor soil. It doesn't hurt to do just a little research into the types of herbs you've chosen to grow. Doing this is far better and easier than trying to figure out, halfway through the growing season, why the herbs aren't doing well.

A last major consideration is the weather and environment. There are many herbs such as oregano and sage that are quite hardy and can withstand even very cold or snowy areas, producing growth year around. Others, like basil may grow well in the summertime but don't tolerate the snow and cold very well and will need to be planted yearly, if they aren't growing in pots.

As you grow your herbs, you will learn many other things about the herbs you have, like what parts are the best for your purpose, when to gather them, when to dry them (if you are going to preserve them), and how the herb subtly changes flavor through the year.

So, the first step is to figure out what you want from your herb garden so that it will suit your purposes. In the process, you will save yourself money and end up with something a lot better than you can buy in the store. Enjoy your herbs!

For more information, be sure to attend our Gardening Seminar on Sat. April 14. Judi Gealt will be giving a presentation on growing and cooking with herbs and Dot Eggleston will present general gardening advice for the veggie lovers.