A home herb garden is following in a grand and ancient tradition.

Back in the times of the  ancient Egyptians and Chinese,  people had their own home herb gardens.  References to herbs  are found in the Bible and in medieval documents that show herbs were used by most households.

There are enormous benefits to be gained from growing herbs.   Even in the 21st century.

You can grow your herbs organically without pesticides or other harmful substances.  There is nothing to beat freshly picked herbs when you are cooking.  The bottles you buy in the supermarket do not begin to give you the same quality of taste.   Herbs are at their most flavorful when they are picked and herb garden plants are available to you instantly.

There are three main uses of herbs.  The first is in the kitchen.  Different herbs will give different tastes to your food and in fact it is mostly herbs that distinguish say Italian dishes from Greek dishes.

Many herbs are full of nutrients which means that eating them offers more benefits than mere flavoring the food.   Herbs are adaptable and  can be used in cooking, or raw, or served up in a herbal infusion tea.   The tea can be served hot or iced.   Herbs can be combined for different infusion teas and they take merely a few minutes to brew.  The choice is yours.

Herbal “tea” is really a misnomer.  “Tea” is the name of the drink obtained through processing leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant.  What is made from herbs is called an infusion “tea” which means steeping the leaves, flowers or stems in water that has just boiled and leaving them for a few minutes.  When the color is right, the leaves are removed and the infusion tea is ready to drink.

Herbs have been used since ancient times as the local pharmacy!  Over time people experimented and found which herbs acted on which part of the body and which ones were beneficial for various ailments.   The wisdom has been passed through the ages and certain properties of various herbs have stood the test of time in the medicinal world. Chinese herbs are renowned for their healing qualities. Herbs are  appreciated for their essential oils and are used in various alternative medicines such as Ayurvedic Medicine.

Apart from their medicinal qualities, herbs are made into potpourris to impart pleasant aromas to a room or cupboard.  Centuries ago lemon balm was strewn across the floor of a room to hide unpleasant odors.

What is less well known is that certain herbs can control pests.  Others planted next to certain vegetables encourage those vegetables to improve their flavor.   Even less well known is that lemon balm is particularly attractive to bees and so if planted near hives, the bees will stay in the area.  The burdock herb and a clever scientist,  de Mestral, gave NASA Velcro which is used in space shuttles.  The oil from lemon grass was used for centuries to preseve plam leaf documents.

There are hundreds of herbs in the world. Probably in the west only a few are used regularly.

As many herbs were first found in the wild they tend to be tough and fairly low maintenance.

In fact with some herbs such as the mint family, they grow so prolifically that they need  pruning to keep the plants under control.

Herbs can be annuals, perennials, biennuals.  Many come from subtropical and temperate zones.  Some have beautiful displays of flowers others are bushes or trees. The variety is pretty well endless.

Herbs do not require a lot of room ane a small piece of land around 4feet by 6 feet (1.2 by 1.8 meters)  is sufficient for a family’s home herb garden.  However some gardeners prefer to tuck them in among the flowers.  Others are used as edging plants down a pathway.

Many herbs can be grown indoors if the conditions they require are met.  Those include a certain amount of daily sunlight or a grow lamp if that is not available.

Generally speaking herbs prefer a good soil but not too rich. It should be well drained. They like to be watered regularly  but not drowned.  They grow well in containers in the garden and can become a design feature.  The amount of sunshine they can tolerate depends on the herb plant and the location.  Some when they are planted outside their native climate they may require some shade.

If you are a complete beginner at gardening you might like to start by buying a herb garden kit.  It  will contain a planter, seeds, a planting medium (it might not be soil) and instructions.  This is virtually “just add water” gardening!

This is merely an introduction to herbs.  The Home Herb Garden site is dedicated to herb growers, and would be herb growers and anyone who want to learn about these amazing plants which have been serving mankind for centuries.   I hope you will find information of interest and value to you.

Good herbs gardening!