How to Make an Herb Container Garden

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Choose Your Herbs
There are so many great herbs for cooking. If growing herbs is new for you, just choose the herbs you tend to use most in your kitchen. My top 3 herbs are basil, tarragon and rosemary. Mint (great for tea!) is especially good to grow in a container because if you don’t contain it, it will take over your garden! I usually buy starter plants but you can certainly grow herbs from seeds if you have the time and patience to do it! Here are a few recommendations:
Plant the Pots
It’s not rocket science to plant a pot of herbs. All you really need is a few pots (I prefer ceramic over plastic), your herbs and some organic potting mix. A pair of gardening gloves and a trowel are nice to have as well. Since we do home composting, I create my own potting mix by mixing compost with peat moss and sometimes a bit of sand. Good drainage is key for happy herbs so be sure your pot has a large hole in the bottom for water to drain.Fill pot about half full with potting mix.
- Remove plants from original containers and loosen roots a bit with your fingers.
- Place herbs in pot with base of plant about 1/2 to 1 inch below the rim of the pot.
- Fill in with potting soil up to the base of the plant. Do not overfill container with soil or it will spill out every time you water it.
Maintain Your Herbs
Herbs need a lot of sun to thrive. Choose a sunny spot for your pots, preferably one with 8 hours of direct sun. If you used a good quality potting mix, there should be no need to fertilize your plants but if you do choose to fertilize, be sure to choose an organic fertilizer. Don’t forget to water your plants regularly. Potted plants can dry out quickly, especially when they are in full sun. Many herbs are perennials but keep in mind that perennial plants are not hardy in all zones. In Minnesota, my chives and oregano always come back. Tarragon is temperamental and rosemary almost always dies over winter. I bring my rosemary and lavender plants indoors in the winter but sadly, I’m not always able to keep them alive.Have you tried container gardening? What are your favorite herbs to plant?

Good tips for anyone to get started, with no excuses if there’s little space! I’d love to link to this post when I do a garden-themed look at what’s happening in the blogosphere – on June 27.
We live in an apartment and have always grown fruits, veggies & herbs in containers. They seem to love it! I’ve never put ornamental pots near my front door but this year I decided to fill pots with a variety of herbs. The plants are beautiful with a variety of colors and shapes … and they are edible. 🙂 Thank you for your tips!
So nice that you can find a way to grow herbs and other plants even though you live in an apartment!
Thank you for your great post! I live in an apartment, and I never thought that it is possible for me to plant anything in such a small place! But,as i can see the last comment, it is possible! I love parsley, basil, mint and dill – so i am going to plant them ASAP! 🙂
This is a great post! I have basil planted in a small container on my apartment deck and I’ve been thinking of doing a couple more, Thanks for reminding me and sharing!
This is such a great idea! And it’s perfect that they are in pots, I move around a lot and they could travel with me! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips for anyone wanting to start an herb garden! I’ve been wanting to plant some basil but I live in an apartment so it’s a bit harder, but now I know I can, Thanks!