Growing Herbs Organically
Herbs are generally very easy to grow organically. As long as you provide very good soil, growing herbs organically will usually be very easy. You can plant hers indoors or outdoors, in the garden or in containers.
You’ll want to start with excellent potting soil. Choose a well-draining potting soil that is very rich in organic material. Using a great organic compost mix is a very good start for your herbs if you’re going to grow them in containers. If not, you can mix it with existing soil to enrich and enliven it.
The healthier the soil is, the better able your herbs will be at fighting off diseases and fending off insect attacks. Quality soil is crucial, and it’s one place you should never skimp on, even if you aren’t gardening organically.
Next, be sure to plant your herbs in the right spot. Many herbs need full sun, but a few can tolerate partial shade. Some even prefer it to be a bit shady. So you need to make certain you’re planting your herbs in a spot where they’ll be happiest.
It’s important to be sure you’re selecting herbs that will grow in the zone in which you live. Find out which hardiness zone you live in and be sure to select only varieties that are hardy where you live. Otherwise you could be wasting your time growing herbs that won’t survive.
Choose very high-quality seedlings if you’re buying your herb plants. If you choose to start your own seedlings, be sure to thin them carefully so they don’t choke each other out. Seedlings should be thick and dark, not spindly and pale.
You can use mulch to control weeds. Simply use a good organic mulch to cover the top of the soil to prevent weeds from peeking up through the ground. It will also help keep moisture in the soil, and will help keep the soil an even temperature.
You can control pests with the use or organic pesticides and companion planting. There are many types of plants that go well together to help deter common pests. Garlic and marigolds are two plants that are often used with other plants to discourage insects.
There are also many organic pesticides available that you can use to help control insects. Some of them simply make your plants inhospitable to insects, and others can actually kill them. You should choose varieties of herbs that are disease-resistant and pest-resistant, if possible.
Although these plants may still have problems, they don’t typically have as many problems as their standard counterparts. This is especially important when you intend to not use a lot of chemical treatments to control problems.
Rotate your plantings each year. Move your herb garden to different spots of your yard if you can. Also, rotate the varieties of the herbs you grow. If you grow purple basil one year, you might grow Thai basil the next year.
This helps prevent pests from learning where your garden is, and where they can find the tastiest plants each year. If you keep rotating your plantings, you’ll be able to discourage some pests.