Same Herbs - New Ways

For any of my friends looking to get into gardening I always suggest to them to start with herbs. Most herbs are easy to grow, they're both beautiful and functional and don't take a lot of space. A lot of time though people don't know where to start. Here's a few ideas I wanted to share for some unique and different ways to add herbs to your home and garden.

The Herb Wheel

A couple years ago I came across the concept of an herb wheel - which is basically a large multi-sectioned planter that you can plant different herbs in. My husband designed and build this one for me using pressure treated lumber. For the bottom he used recycled lumber tarps - sturdy, not subject to rot and you don't have to worry about the weeds growing through.

Theme Gardens 

If you're planting herbs - why not ones with a theme or purpose. Here's a few different "theme" ideas for your herb garden.

Pizza Garden - What better way to celebrate one of everyone's favorite foods than by dedicating a garden to it! Think of all the great homemade pizza you'll be making. You could jazz up this garden seasonally by interspersing plantings of tomatos and other pizza vegetables.

Oregano

Basil

Thyme

Parsley

Chives

Tea Garden

Chamomile

Lemon Balm

Lavender

Any Type of Mint (see below)

Mint Garden - There are tons of varieties of mint on the market now. I'm sharing just a few of my favorites. Caution on this idea - mint is very invasive and will take over your garden if you don't keep it well sectioned off from other areas.

Sweet Mint

Chocolate Mint

Variegated Pineapple Mint

Peppermint

Spearmint

Medicinal Herb Garden - First off - please do your homework before using any herbs for medicinal purposes - I'm not a health professional. That said, remember you mom putting aloe on your finger the first time you burnt it? I bet many of you have aloe plants on your windowsill for that very purpose. Many herbs have a history of being used to treat various ailments. 

Sage

Thyme

Echinacea

Horseradish

Peppermint

Lemon Balm

St. John's Wort

Lavendar

Rosemary

Container Herb Garden

Who says your herb garden has to be a garden at all. A few planters is all it takes to get started. I've had great success growing lots of culinary herbs in container gardens - basil, rosemary, parsley, chives and the like!

Hope these ideas spur some new creativity in your garden. How do you do herbs?