How To Grow a Healthy & Happy Herb Garden

April 02, 2024By west-coast-gardens

If your garden is looking amazing this spring and summer, with beautiful blooms and buzzing bees, then maybe it's time to add in a herb garden with some plants that taste as great as they look! Herb gardens are a fantastic way to add fresh green plants to your yard, that also enhance your cooking and grilling for the season. They also attract friendly pollinators to your yard and can be extremely helpful in keeping away pests. Here are some of our best tips and ideas for how to add herbs to your garden.

A Space of their Own

When you plant your herb garden, be sure to allow room for them to grow. Many herbs get quite bushy and like to spread out. Depending on the plants, you may need between 1-4' for each one. The largest herbs are mints, rosemary, sage, marjoram and oregano, which need about 3-4' each. Basils, tarragon, and thyme will each require about 2'. Smaller herbs include cilantro, chives, parsley and dill, so you can squeeze them in between other plants as long as they have about 1' of space to grow.

If Herbs Could Talk...

If your herbs could talk to you, they would probably tell you to keep the water coming all summer long. Herbs need consistent watering, and often require more water than other plants. (This is especially true for mint!) Water them in the morning or in the evening before 5pm, whenever the top of the soil feels dry to the touch.

However, even though they love water they still need drainage so that their roots aren't sitting in soggy soil. Raised garden beds are ideal, as well as using soil that has proper drainage and doesn't contain too much clay. If your herbs are in pots, then make sure to use pots with drainage holes in the bottom to keep your plants happy.

Keep Those Haircuts Coming

Just like a regular salon appointment, your herbs love to get a trim regularly. In fact, harvesting your herbs encourages them to grow faster and fuller. You can prune up to 1/3 of most herbs, in one session, and they will grow back quite quickly. For a single meal you'll probably need a lot less than that however.

When harvesting your herbs, don't go for the biggest leaves! Those leaves are actually helping your plant stay healthy by collecting sunlight. Instead, go for the smaller, new growth near the top of your plant. It will also taste a lot fresher and have a stronger effect on your taste buds.

Don't Get Fooled by the Flowers

When it comes to herbs, you don't want flowers. If you are continuously cutting back and harvesting your herbs, then they shouldn't flower. (Cut off any flower buds that appear, to discourage them.) However, if your herbs do flower, then the taste of the plant changes. Basil, for example, will become bitter if it's allowed to flower. You don't want your herbs using all their energy to produce showy flowers and not delicious leaves. Save the flowering for fall, when the plants are ready to re-seed themselves.

A Few More Pointers

Here are our top quick tips for a successful herb garden for your to take note of!

Mint and oregano are fast growing and invasive herb, so make sure to use a pot when planting these, or give them their own garden all by themselves.
Basil is picky about its drainage, so using well draining pots or a raised garden bed is the best idea.
Mint needs more water than most other herbs and plants, for its lush leaves and delicious taste!
Be sure to trim your thyme plants, as they can get leggy very quickly. They love to be pruned.
Your rosemary plants can be brought inside during the winter months to help them grow and survive until its spring again! Bonus, you get delicious rosemary for your kitchen all winter long.