Italian food is all about the spices.  You start out with your base of pasta and then add flavorful sauces full of tomatoes, cheese, and fragrant Italian herbs.  Whether you are replicating the cooking your grandmother did or just love the hearty aroma of Italian cooking, you know that you need the proper flavors from an Italian herb garden in order to make the right dishes.  There are many herbs that make up the Italian canon.  These include: basil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, fennel, chives, and oregano. You can spend a lot of money and buy these herbs fresh or dried from the store, or you can grow your own Italian herb garden in a planter right in your kitchen no matter where you live, be it in the country or in a small city apartment, but there are some secrets to a bountiful Italian herb garden that one should know.

Italian herbs aren’t all that different from any other type of plant you want to grow in your container garden.  They need the right amount of sunlight, the best type of soil, adequate water and drainage in order to flourish.  The requirements for an Italian herb garden may vary from species to species, but these are the basic components of any happy plant. Drainage is especially important -and unfortunately often neglected- so ensure that your planter has holes at the bottom for excess water to drip out.

As you set up your Italian herb garden planter box, you should pair herbs that have similar growing requirements.  Did you know that rosemary likes a hot climate whereas parsley enjoys a colder environment?  As a result, rosemary and parsley would not do well in the same container.  However, if you want to know the secret of abundance of basil and garlic here it is: the two herbs have very similar soil and sunlight needs, therefore you should grow them in the same pot.

Some herbs love to spread wildly, for example thyme, a favorite of any Italian herb garden, will continue to grow until there is no soil left and it will choke out all the other herbs, therefore thyme should definitely be given its own container.

Once you have set up your Italian herb garden planter box and the herbs are growing nicely, the secret to keeping them abundant is to regularly harvest them.  By harvesting the ends of your herbs it stimulates new growth and also you have the added bonus of obtaining a large amount of fresh oregano available for adding to the pasta sauce or for freezing.

You can also keep your supply of Italian herbs steady by taking cuttings from mature plants about once every two months and repotting them as this ensures that your Italian herb garden is growing and also that you will have replacement herbs when some die off.  For instance, basil takes about three months to reach its best harvesting growth and when cut off it then takes about three months to grow back, therefore one should always keep three pots of basil growing in rotation so that there is plenty for your pizza.

Once you gain some real life experience with growing an Italian herb garden in planters you will see that producing  bountiful  herbs is not really so secret after all, they are just commonsense tips that allow you to create and maintain the best growing environment for your Italian herb garden.

QUALITY & QUANTITY GUARANTEE Each Packet comes with lots of seed, grow herbs indoors and outdoors! Plenty of seed to experiment with and grow a full herb garden! Our seed is also Guaranteed to grow! Assortment of 12 Culinary Herb Seeds Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro/Coriander, Basil, Dill, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, Savory, Garlic Chives, Mustard, Sage.

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Growing herbs indoors is simple and the benefits it brings come in countless ways. Herbs are not only easy to grow, but you can user your herbs in many ways.  They can be used for such diverse things from decorating to cooking to making tea.  Growing herbs indoors is very convenient. Your herbs will be accessible year around for you to use.  Weather is not an issue when you grow herbs indoors.

Growing herbs indoors will bring nature inside plus give you the benefits of being able to harvest your very own fresh herbs. One of the many advantages of growing herbs indoors is that they purify the air. Also, they fill the air with wonderful fragrances, and offer their harvest for cooking, healing ailments, and beauty in craft projects and bouquets.

Know your plant. Learn about each and every plant that you will take care of not only to be able to give the care that it deserves but also for you to benefit greatly by being able maximize the harvest and use of the plant you choose.

Indoor lighting takes the place of natural outdoor sunlight. If you place a plant inside your home, it may not have enough sunlight. This problem is easy solved by using a fluorescent light to be the light your plants need. Be careful to keep the light away from the plant. The leaves may burn from the heat. Learn each plant’s sunlight requirements but most are happy with at least 6-8 hours.

You need to know when to water. Evaporation is not as fast indoors as outdoors.  You must be careful to avoid overwatering your plant and making the roots suffer from rot, you can find out if the plant needs to be watered. Observe the top of the soil; if it looks dry, it is time to water. If still in doubt, touch the soil lightly, if it feels very moist, delay watering.

Growing herbs indoors is a great way for beginners to break into gardening. Not only are herbs very easy to grow, but you can use your herbs in a variety of ways ranging from decoration to cooking to making teas. One of the biggest advantages of starting your gardening experience with herbs is that you can conveniently grow them indoors (unlike, say, growing stalks of corn). Growing herbs indoors actually has a few advantages to growing in a garden. You have a convenience in location and space, your herbs will be easily accessible, and you won’t have to deal with difficult weather.

Culinary Herbs are one of the most important type of herbs popularly used for cooking, garnishing and flavoring.

A great way to have a continuous supply of herbs for cooking is by growing culinary herbs in your own garden. Herbs can have a tang to them, or they can be spicy or even salty, or they can be simply delicious.

For any recipe out there, there is the perfect herb. Herbs are one of natures little surprise packages that contain a lot of flavor. A little goes a long way. You do not need much to make an extraordinary impact in your cooking.

Culinary herbs have a strong flavor and are used in small quantities as condiments and seasonings. There are three types of culinary herbs including Annual Herbs, Biennial Herbs, Perennial Herbs. Culinary herbs are available in forms like Fresh Culinary Herbs and Dried Culinary Herbs.

Growing culinary herbs is so easy that anybody can do it. They are actually one of the easiest plants to grow and need only sunshine, water and soil. They are very resistant to disease and can endure adverse conditions well. Growing culinary herbs can benefit you in a number of ways. They can be an excellent addition to your cooking plus growing them can be a fun hobby in and of it. Adding them to your cooking can transform an everyday meal into a culinary delight.

A range of culinary herbs includes: Basil, Borage, Catnip, Thyme, Chives,Curry Leaf, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosemary and more.

The most common ingredient used in recipes is thyme. Thyme is made from the leaves of a woody-stemmed plant that is small in size. It is brilliant in sauces for beef or in stews, and in chicken or cheeses. It seems that almost any dish can benefit when a bit of thyme is added.

Another good herb is basil which is used for good reason. This is an herb of many uses, whether used for varieties of recipes from colorful pastas to cheesy pizzas, and is recommended greatly when preparing one’s tomato sauce for sophisticated, delicious pasta dishes.

Sage is one of the most popularly found in American kitchens, followed by rosemary. Peppermint is also great to add a zesty smell and taste to any dish. Any type of mint is a great complement to veal and potato dishes, soups, and even jellies and jams.

Kitchen Herbs: The Art and Enjoyment of Growing Herbs and Cooking With Them