Your Herb Garden Questions Answered
Having an indoor herb garden in NZ provides all kinds of benefits. You never have to worry about not having the right herbs for recipes, and you can transform a bland dish into something spectacular.
However, learning how to grow a herb garden in NZ takes time, patience, and a little bit of luck. Here are a few things you might need to know before you start trying to grow some essential cooking herbs.
Which Herbs Can Be Planted Together?
Even though many garden vegetables can be picky about their neighbours, herbs are less so. Most of the commonly used herbs in Aotearoa, like basil, thyme, garlic, chives, parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be planted together.
However, you can plant them in individual pots if you please, particularly if you believe there’s a risk you could get them mixed up and ruin a dish!
If you want to make sure your kitchen herb garden in NZ has the best chance of success, consider giving mint its own little area to thrive. If you plant it with your other herbs, there’s a high chance that it will take over and cause the demise of your other plants.
If you’re a fan of fennel and plan to grow some, give it space. You won’t find too many other herbs or vegetables that enjoy fennel’s company.
It may also be a good idea to group your herbs in an indoor or outdoor herb garden in NZ based on their watering needs. For example, coriander, mint, and basil tend to require more watering than sage, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. Separate them for ease of making sure you are only giving them as much water as they need.
Do Herb Gardens Like Sun or Shade?
Many people who are creating a hanging herb garden in NZ or are learning how to make a herb garden often ask whether they like sun or shade. The more herbs you have, the harder it is to answer that question.
Just like the vast array of flora in your garden, your herbs all have different needs and preferences. But to make things easier, you can safely assume that all herbs prefer full sun. Just keep an eye on your parsley, mint, and coriander, as they can all tolerate shade, as well.
What Time of Year Should You Plant Herbs?
Even though vegetables can be quite challenging to grow in New Zealand year-round, herbs are a little bit different. As long as you choose the most appropriate options for when you are planting them, they have the opportunity to thrive.
The time of the year actually doesn’t matter so much as the time of the day. Plant them early in the morning or late in the day. The goal here is to make sure the plants aren’t immediately exposed to the hot sunshine. Though, this may not matter as much if you are planting a hydroponic herb garden in NZ.
How Do You Start a Herb Garden For Beginners?
How to make a herb garden can depend on your needs, space, and goals. You may desire a hydroponic setup if you are trying to grow an abundance of herbs, or you may just be happy with an outdoor herb garden.
However, suppose you are starting small and want easily accessible herbs while you cook. In that case, a kitchen herb garden may be more to your liking. We’ve included some helpful tips below for how to get started.
1. Pick Your Spot
As we mentioned above, most herbs love sunshine. Therefore, it makes sense that one of your herbs' best places to live is on your kitchen windowsill. If your kitchen windowsill doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, place your herb pots on a nearby sill that will be within convenient reach.
2. Prepare Your Soil
If you want your herbs to thrive, preparing your soil is essential. Use organic matter and sheep pellets to create a solid growing foundation. Follow this up with a layer of herb mix, which you will be planting your herbs into.
3. Choose Your Herbs
Learning how to make a herb garden can be an exciting time. So, it’s quite easy to get a bit too excited and start trying to grow every herb you can get your hands on.
Step back and think about the herbs you actually use. The ones you tend to buy in small amounts from the supermarket but would love to have access to for free. You might use lots of fresh mint in your new potatoes, or you may even love meat dishes with rosemary and thyme.
4. Plant Your Herbs
If pots and containers are going to form the basis of your indoor herb garden, then there’s a right and wrong way to go about planting them. If you notice that your containers don’t have drainage holes, add a layer of stones to the bottom.
If you are planting seedlings, consider soaking them in a plant tonic first. Doing so can give your plants the best start to life while staving off transplant shock. You can then half-fill the container with a herb mix.
When transplanting your herb seedling from the container you purchased it in, gently loosen the root ball before planting it in the middle of your new container. Fill it up the rest of the way with your herb mix before firming it around the base and watering it.
We hope that we were able to answer your pressing herb garden questions. If you need additional gardening help, contact us at 0800 800 286 or email info@crewcut.co.nz.