Container herb gardening is a natural. Herbs do well in pots or other containers. Small herbs can get lost among vegetables and other larger plants so container herb gardening is a plus. Container herb gardening has other advantages over a garden plot. One can extend the season if herbs are in movable containers; they can be moved to a protected area or move them inside when the weather becomes too cold and enjoy free herbs all winter long.

Fresh herbs add wonderful flavor to many dishes. Dried herbs cannot match their taste. However, when the weather is inclement, you may want to cut and dry some of your favorites for use during winter months. Your own dried herbs will be fresher than those found in most grocery stores. Container herb gardening also allows you to create attractive arrangements of different colors, leaf textures and pungent aromas. These can be enjoyed during the summer months and in northern climates, they can be brought indoors to brighten a sunny spot in the house.

The first step to successful container herb gardening is to assess the space you have available. Herbs can be grown in smaller containers than most vegetables which offers more choices for placing containers. Herbs do best with six to eight hours of sun daily so the placement of containers is important. Containers themselves can be made of almost any material as long as there is good drainage, It helps to have the pots raised or to put stones or wood chips in the bottom of the pot.  Pots and containers of different sizes and shapes can be grouped to make an attractive landscape setting. Simple and interesting containers such as the one on the left are available at TerrysVillage.com. Container herb gardening is a practical and satisfying endeavor.                                                                                                                         

What  kind of herbs do we grow in our container herb garden? Container herb gardening allows us to pick our favorites. You may choose to group those that grow tall and those that are low and compact. Choose those that have colorful blossoms and those that have attractive leaves and a distinct aroma.  Imaginative groupings of herbs and containers will make your container herb gardening efforts a thing of beauty.

There are some precautions that must be taken in container herb gardening. Herbs grow best in a loose soil. Regular garden soil is often not suitable to use in your container herb garden. It is usually too heavy, becomes compacted and does not allow enough air to reach the roots. It is often a good idea to cover the surface of the container with a layer of mulch to help retain moisture. In container herb gardening you can seed directly in your containers or start plants indoors and transplant when temperatures are mild.  If you are growing only a few herbs you may want to buy plants from a nursery and plant them in your containers when ready.

In planning your container herb garden you need to know which herbs are annuals, which are biennials and which are perennials. Annuals grow for one season only. Biennial herbs live for two seasons, flowering the second year. Perennials will generally over winter except in the coldest of climates. In those cases it is best to protect them in severe weather. If the plant is not too large it can be moved indoors for the winter.

If you keep good records of your successes and failures with container herb gardening, you will be able to establish and maintain a garden that is both attractive and a culinary pleasure.