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.