A lot of people buy their herbs from the supermarket.They can be found in growing versions which they can cut and then use when they want to or in already freeze dried to keep in the cupboard.  Both methods have their advantages, but nothing beats actually growing them yourself at home. A lot of people find it hard to grow their own herbs, so buying a chia herb garden is the solution they thought of.

What Exactly Is A Chia Herb Garden?

A chia herb garden makes easy work of growing your herbs indoors, and it’s ideal if you want to start growing them for the first time and want to get great results right from the word go. What makes a chia herb garden so irresistible is that it is completely user friendly.  Each kit comes with all the components needed to create your own indoor range of herbs.  You will soon have a wide range of herbs growing in your very own kitchen, with the whole process made as easy as possible, since you don’t need to add anything except water!

The indoor chia herb garden comes in a very attractive package, making it perfect as a gift for those who enjoy cooking and has the place to keep it.The prices are reasonable, but it won't hurt to check Google for places that offer the best prices.

What Do You Get With A Chia Herb Garden?

A chia herb garden comes with a selection of terracotta pots and saucers; this means you can put the herbs in various places in your kitchen instead of grouping them all together if you wish.Most herbs will grow wonderfully in a warm sunny spot, but it's still easier to have them placed in different spots on your windowsill than finding one particular spot.

Perhaps the best part of the chia herb garden is that it comes with a growing compound that makes the whole growing process a lot easier.  These herb garden kits come with a growing sponge which does away with the need for using compost of any kind.They will also be perfect for children who would love to grow herbs.

Starting a herb garden is a great hobby and can help save you money on herbs and tea. Growing your own herbs can be a rewarding experience, save you money and is a great way to start acquiring that green thumb you have always wanted.

Herb gardens can be grown both inside and outside. Beginners should start with just a few plants.The reasons for this is simple.Outside your plants are subjected to climate conditions such as wind, rain, frost and other conditions that you will be unable to control. Indoors you can control all of these conditions including the amount of sunlight by using a grow light on cloudy days.

Having control over these conditions will make you experience easier and you likely won’t get as frustrated. As you learn more about gardening you can move your garden outside to a deck and then a garden while adding more and more plants.Then you’ll be able to enjoy fresh herbs whenever you want.

Getting a starter plant from a nursery will also help increase your chances for success.Old seeds or low quality seeds will not always germinate.

So by starting with a plant that you know is healthy it increase the chances of your seed growing.

Choosing Your Plants

The best way to choose the plants for your indoor herb garden is to start by making a list of those herbs you would like to grow the most.After you have a list of ten check with your nursery to see which ones are available in starter plants. Next, you are going to have to determine how much space you have in the area where you are planning your indoor garden and just how many plants you want to begin with.

A good number for the first time gardener is 3 to 5 plants. Fewer plants will help you focus and observer which will improve your gardening skills. A few suggestions for starters are oregano, chives, or mint. You can also ask for recommendations from your nursery.

Use a Book

You should consider getting a book and doing some research prior to starting to get familiar with the territory. Talk to your nursery and if possible anyone you know that has successfully raised their own herbs. The more you know about herb gardening before you start the more confident you will feel in this venture and the more likely you are to enjoy your gardening experience.

Learn how to make your own loose tea with an herbal tea garden.

I recall when I designed my first herb garden. It was located in the corner of the back yard under a Bradford Pear tree. I outlined the bed with red bricks and divided it into 4 quadrants—one section for each group of herb plants. I planted different herbs in each section.

Italian herbs in one section, including parsley, basil and oregano. One section was for my tea herb plants, such as anise, chamomile, fennel and peppermint. Another section had medicinal herb plants, such as aloe vera, horseradish and calendula. The last quarter had cosmetic herb plants like for lavender, chervil and lemon verbena that I used in soaps, lotions and shampoos.

It was a brilliant success that first year and I loved the experience, but in the second year, my mints took over and my chamomile crept away while my lavender died a painfully tragic sunlight-related death.

The second year was terrible because I hadn’t taken time to think about what my herbs needed most: the right dirt, the right kind of light and enough water.

While there are enough kinds of herb plants to grow outside to fill a hundred gardens, such as dill, rosemary, salvias, scented geranium and vervain before you begin your herb garden check out the optimal growing conditions that your herb plants will need. Each plant needs optimal conditions to thrive and prosper. Try herb plants like white willow, thyme, sage, poppies and lemon balm.

Plant these herbs for instant success:

• Basil: If you plant basil, you will be on easy street because basil won’t need much help from you. Basil requires full or part-sun and can grow in a bed or pot, as long as it has good drainage, which reminds me to mention that you will only need to water it when the dirt is dry. If you are going to be cooking with your basil, be sure to use the sweet basil kind of the herb for better results.

• Lemongrass: You can’t beat the smell of lemongrass. Whether you purchase it or cultivate it from seeds, this bright green, lemon-scented grass will add a spot of color to your garden and grow pretty tall in just one growing season. For best results, I recommend that you pick-up the plant rather than starting with seeds, and before you know it you’ll have another ingredient for your Indian and Thai dinners!

• Cilantro: I must admit that cilantro is my new favorite plant to raise in my garden and use in my cooking. Its distinctive flavor makes it an awesome addition to your Tex-Mex meals and it is easy to grow.

• Chamomile: To add some extra sparkle to your hanging baskets, use the German kind of this chamomile. Cut off a few of the leaves to use in your calming tea or even your bath for some added luxury. Its light, woody, apple scent is seductive to your senses, while its white petals with bright yellow centers remind me of happy little daisies, so how can you go wrong?

Now it is up to you to get going, with a little planning, you’ll be digging in the dirt in no time. Just don’t get bogged down with trying to be perfect about it—there is no such thing as perfect so just have fun with it.

Good luck with your herb gardening outside. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Designs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

Did you know that many of the shampoos that you get in the pharmacy have herbs in them? Just think how much money you could save by raising your own healing herb plants. I know I have saved a lot of money by cultivating my own little first aid kit in the garden.

Do you have any of these ailments? Try herbs!

• For aching joints, try chervil, coriander and thyme. For an affordable antibacterial, use calendula, lavender, lovage, marjoram, oregano or peppermint.

• Got bad breath? Anise, mint, parsley and sweet cicely can do you a world of good.

• Constipation can be serious. Both dandelion and fennel can assist in getting things going again.

• It’s amazing how many herb plants can help with flatulence, including peppermint, summer savory, lemon balm, ginger, caraway, coriander, beebalm and lovage.

• There is not much more soothing to your frazzled nerves than a lovely cup of chamomile tea at the end of the day. A few other herb plants that I think are soothing are goldenrod, lavender, dill and lemon balm.

• There is no better cure for a hangover than thyme. It works better than the raw egg/tomato juice concoction some people might tell you to down.

• Can’t cure your hiccups? Give dill a try It will be fantastic, and if you like dill, it can be a tasty cure.

• Goldenrod, aloe, summer savory and hens-and-chicks are awesome for taking the sting out of those insect bites, including mosquito bites.

• Insomnia? A lot of those herbs that can calm your nerves will help here too, but chamomile and dill are most likely to help you with your insomnia.

• If you suffer from seasonal allergies or nasal congestion, sage, horseradish and violet are great options. To clear your nasal passages fast, experiment with some horseradish.

• Peppermint is the best thing for indigestion and stomachache, but dill, lovage and fennel are also beneficial.

Please don’t be alarmed with all these treatments—it is not snake oil! You don’t believe me? Experiment with it for yourself!

• Aloe Vera: I have 2 different aloe vera plants that are always suffering from me breaking off bits to treat burns (including sunburn) and mosquito bites. Be mindful not to over-water it. It is a succulent and does not require much water or any other creature comforts. Just be sure that it gets a lot of light and that its well-drained sod keeps it firmly rooted in the container or garden bed.
• Chamomile: You may already be familiar with chamomile because it is well-known as a medicinal herb that can help with both mental and physical maladies. Chamomile has two types (German and true or Roman chamomile), and if you let them, both of them can cultivate themselves next year in a process called self-sowing.
• Horseradish: Just a whiff of horseradish can clear you out, and quickly. As a member of the mustard family, horseradish has a peppery taste that doesn’t attract horses at all. When you are working with horseradish, it is the root that is the important, but do not neglect the foliage, which will grow to two feet long–they can look awesome in your floral arrangements.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Kits. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

Don’t you love basil? A meal can’t possibly be considered Italian if there is not any basil in it. It’s one of the best herbs to begin with because it is not complicated to grow, touble-free to harvest and it smells great too.

Even though this little plant is native to the tropical Pacific islands, you can’t look at a French, Greek or Italian menu without seeing basil several times over. I am not sure how basil got to Europe, but I’m glad it did. In my opinion, the best basil meal is a mouth-watering pesto, which is a green sauce made from a whole bunch of chopped basil mixed with olive oil. Delicious!

Just some of the many varieties of basil that you can choose from are:

• Sweet Basil: This kind is the most popular one for dishes. It has glossy leaves and provides the full basil flavor.
• Lettuce-Leaf Basil: This variety of basil has broad leaves and a milder taste. There are several kinds of this leaf type, including Mammoth, Napoletano and Green Ruffles.
• Bush Basil: This smaller type of basil is good for edging and also comes in a few different varieties, including Spicy Globe, Bush, Tiny Leaf Purple, Green Bouquet and Piccolo Fine Verde.
• Lemon Basil: This variety has short, small leaves and offers a lemony fragrance. Herbal tea, fruit salad, vinegar and poultry and fish dishes are just a couple of the things lemon basil leaves can be used for.
• Purple Basil: It’s no surprise that purple basil has broad purple leaves and delicate pink flowers. Add it to your vinegars and in your Greek dinners.
• Thai Basil: This kind, which is from Thailand (of course), has long, thin leaves. It also has a slight licorice taste that adds extra flavor to Thai and Indian meals.

Even though some people may prefer to get their basil plants at the nursery, buying seeds is also a good way to get started. Regardless of how you start, your herbs should grow to about 20 inches high as long as they have plenty of sun and well-drained dirt.

In June or July, your basil will start to grow white buds, which I cut off. I do this because I’m not in it for the blooms; I want those lovely 1-2 inch leaves. When you cut off the flowers, you get a bushier herb with more leaves.

To harvest your basil, clip the stem just before the flowers, remove the leaves and dry them. After they’re dry you can put them in a freezer bag to store them. In fact, you don’t have to dry them, your herbs will go straight away into your freezer. You can even store your herbs in a container and cover them with olive oil, which can bring out all their taste. Your herbs can keep for several months this way.

You can grow basil indoors, but I can’t suggest it. My attempt at wintering basil several years ago wasn’t successful. It really needs about 5 hours of direct sunlight a day with moist soil to grow and succeed. Unfortunately, my kitchen does not get that much light.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Italian Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

One component of the planning process when you decide to create your own herb garden is to pick the array of herb plants you’d like to grow. There are a lot of different herb plants and many of these herbs have numerous types—for example, there are hundreds of kinds of thyme to select from.

Each plant variety has its own growing period. In order to make good choices, it is important to know the growing period of your herbs. When you go shopping for your herbs, you’ll need to know their life cycle. The 3 primary categories are:

• Annuals: These flowers start from a seed. They grow, flower and die all in the same growing season. There are a number of good annual herb plants: cilantro, chervil, basil, borage and dill.

• Biennials: This variety of flower can grow for 2 years and can generally bear “fruit” after the first year. Some herbs (like parsley) can produce leafage during both years but deteriorate early in the second growing season. Angelica, chicory and Queen Anne’s lace are just a couple of the many biennials to select from.

• Perennials: Herbs that tend to survive for more than two growing seasons are called perennials. Whether or not they come back or for how many years they will come back depends on the climate where you live. Some perennials you might like include yarrow, lemon verbena, mints, rosemary, scented geranium, thyme and lady’s mantle.

My favorite herbs are perennials because I only have to pick-up and plant them once, but I also have fun growing annuals and biennials. Too much cold will kill your perennials, so beware. Bringing your perennials in during the colder time of year is a nice way to extend their growing cycle.

There are several other things you can do to lengthen the life of your herb plants:

• The garage, basement or cellar is a nice place to store some perennials that need to be trimmed back and have the bulb, roots or rhizome unearthed for the winter.
• Using containers is a great method for those herbs that you need to bring in your house or garage.  Some folks even plant their containers in the ground, covering them up to the rim. This makes it a cinch to keep them during winter—just unearth the pot at the end of the season.
• Plant your biennials in middle of the summer so that you can get plenty of flowers in the second summer.
• A few herb plants are self-sowers, which means that they will sow their own seeds for the next year. A few great self-sowers include: mustard, borage and catnip.
• Clip off faded flowers to extend the growing cycle of short-lived annuals. Depending on your area’s temperatures; your annuals may self-seed if you clip the plant back at the end of the summer.
• If you have some unexpected cold weather don’t forget to cover your herbs with a blanket, towel or sheet which will prevent the frost from harming your herb. If you have your herb plants in pots, you can always move them under a covered patio.

I hope that these tips can help you with your herb garden planning. It can be hard at times to get it like you want it. Even I make flubs after all these years, but just keep in mind that you can dig up what doesn’t work and try try again!

Here is more information on Herb Garden Information. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

You don’t have to begin your herb garden from seeds, but if you want to get a head start on the season and lengthen the time you will have for harvesting your herb plants, start from seeds. You can get seeds in a package or use seeds left over from last year.

Not all herbs do well from seeds, so read up on your herb plants before you invest in seeds, pots, sod and the like.

First, soak your seeds for at least 3 hours before planting them so that they will have an added advantage. Another way to do this is to allow your herbs to pre-sprout by soaking them, placing them on a moistened paper towel and then putting them into a freezer bag and sealing the bag up. Keep the bag at room temperature and out of direct sunshine until you find germinating seeds when you open the paper towel. Take your sprouting seeds and plant them right away.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, read up on your herbs before you get the seeds or start the germinating process, because that might not be enough. Some types of seeds need to be scratched up before they can germinate. Other types will need to be heated up (from natural light, not the microwave, stove or oven) before you cultivate them. Good examples of these include the chili pepper and citronella herbs.

Once your seeds have begun the germinating process you should focus on controlling their growing environment. How long it will take your seeds to germinate depends on the seed. Some can take only 5 or 6 days while others can take over a month.

Your seed pots should contain a special seed-starting sod mix that comes with both vermiculite and sphagnum moss for best results.

I cultivate plenty of herb plants from seeds each year. Some of the best ones are:

• Caraway: You can plant caraway straight from the spice jar, which I believe is amazing and simple. All you have to do is add a few seeds to a container and cover with a thin layer of sod and a small bit of water. Caraway only takes a few days to grow. Then you can transfer your herb to a larger pot or garden bed. Use caraway to add something extra to your Oktoberfest meals and also your curries.

• Lavender: There are a number of types of lavender to select from. My vote goes to the one called Lady because it develops pretty fast. This fragrant type of lavender can certainly grow on you.

• Nasturtium: These wonderful and edible herb plants are so easy to raise from seeds that you’ll wonder why you didn’t start it sooner. Soak these seeds overnight before planting for the best results when you cultivate them in your well-drained earth. You can even raise the mature herb inside, and for extra color you can use as a bonus in your salad greens.

• Shepherd’s Purse: Even though many people think shepherd’s purse is a weed, this tasty herb has a mild peppery smell and the taste is a great addition to any salad. As an added bonus, the fresh leaves are great for a heavy dose of vitamin C and A. To cultivate shepherd’s purse, simply sow the seeds on top of the soil, water it and watch it grow.

And those herbs are just a few. Some other good herb plants include anise, hyssop, basil, German chamomile, fennel, lemon balm and sorrel.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Mini Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

No matter where you live, you can have your own herb garden and have the many benefits of being an herb gardener.  In my first apartment, I started slowly with a few herbs in containers mixed in with a few blossoms on my front stoop—just your basic kitchen necessities like basil, oregano and parsley.

In addition to those outdoors, I added some indoor herb plants. Huddled around the only southern facing window in the location were a number of other little herbs like lemongrass and lavender, which smelled awesome together, and to those I added my outdoor herbs when winter came..

When I lived in an urban high rise I had a balcony that was totally fenced in by a big grate—which also put my entire balcony in shade almost all day long. So I constructed a flower bed made from chicken wire, leaves, newspaper, pine needles, peat and sod to hang outside the grate and I filled it with my kitchen herb plants, plus some chamomile and other flowering herbs and some cascading vines. It looked great, but needed to be watered all the time.

You can have the same successes that I have experienced if you take some of basic ideas to herb gardening and apply them to your apartment or living space.

First things first, look around your apartment to find spots where you can cultivate your herb plants. Do you have a suitable indoor or outdoor spot where you can get your green thumb on? All you need is enough room for a container or two. Some herb plants, like chives, only require a container about the size of a coffee cup to thrive and do well.

Check out the lighting to see what will work. The type, quality and amount of sun your herbs get is hugely important. Without the right amount of sunshine your herbs can’t persist. In an apartment I had in the city a few years ago I had two windows in the whole location: one faced east, which meant that it got the full morning sun, but nothing else and the other, a tiny window in the bathroom faced south—which is the best way to face—and that one became my herb garden window. This worked because the window got a lot of southern sun and humidity from the bathroom helped the plants.

Once you determine where you can create your herb garden and the quality, type and amount of sun that your chosen area has, you’re ready to decide which herb plants you want to grow. I could go on for days about which herb plants to select, but the bottom-line comes down to how you plan to use the herbs. Do you want herbs for the aroma, for healing purposes, for cooking or for use in cosmetics or maybe you just want something pretty to look at? No matter what your interest, you’ll have plenty of herb plants to choose from. Start by flipping through a book on herb gardening and focus on herb plants that have the light needs that your space will respond to. Very soon, you’ll be all set!

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Windowsill Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

Chamomile tea is great for calming your frazzled nerves. The soothing begins as soon as you drink the delicate taste, and the chemical compounds within the tea can have you feeling calmer by the end of your first cup.

When you are ready to purchase your chamomile, you can find 2 main varieties. They are similar in function, but not in appearance, so be sure you’re getting the right chamomile for your needs.

German chamomile has a lot of functions, including teas and fragrances (like in lotions). The combination of this herb’s woody, apple smell and daisy-like appearance can brighten any room.

German chamomile is self-seeding, which is nice because it is an annual and this will save you some trouble with planting it again and again. You can even collect the seeds to use elsewhere in your garden or give some to a friend.

It’ll do best in full or direct sunlight and dry conditions. It will grow straight up, unlike Roman chamomile, and your German chamomile plant should grow to a height of nearly 3 feet.

The best way to raise German chamomile is to either plant the seeds in a container indoors or to sprinkle them on the ground. Regardless of whether you plant the seeds indoors or outdoors, you don’t need to cover them because they are so little. Keep the earth moist, but not wet, and if you are cultivating your German chamomile in pots, wait until your seedlings are at least four inches high before you transplant them. The very best way to increase your harvest is to plant more seeds every 4 weeks during the growing season. German chamomile produces only a few blossoms, so the more you grow the better.

I haven’t seen the kind of German chamomile that is double-flowered, but I am sure it is beautiful.

A good way to ease tension is to drink a cup of tea that has Roman chamomile in it, which is frequently called “true chamomile” or “English chamomile.” English chamomile has the same woody, apple-like smell of the German chamomile, but it is special in that it is a creeper or ground cover rather than a bushy herb.

Because this herb is a creeper, it will not reach more than 10 inches high. In the summer, the Roman chamomile will get a little taller and sprout little white blossoms with yellow centers that are similar to the German chamomile, but more aromatic.

The oil from the Roman chamomile is used to lighten or soften your hair. Chamomile is also called manzanilla in Spain and some varieties are used to flavor certain varieties of sherry.

This herb is not actually best if started from seeds, so I recommend you buy it or begin with a division from someone else’s Roman chamomile.

If you are a forgetful waterer, Roman chamomile is the plant for you since it is resistant to drought and can survive for some time without water.

It’s interesting that even though these 2 herbs have the same name, look similar and taste alike, scientists have determined that they aren’t even related.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Tea Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.