My Favorite Things For The Herb Garden

For herb gardening, I love a big trowel that doubles as a soil scoop. I use a Fiskars Ergo Trowel in my herb garden. It works well for all of my container herbs (indoors and outside) and for herbs in the raised bed garden or in-ground vegetable gardens.

The Fiskars Ergo brand offers my favorite day-to-day handheld gardening tools. They have soft-yet-grippy handles with a nice orange stripe that makes them easy to locate in the soil. It’s also nice to have the transplanting trowel with depth stamps when planting bigger seeds or potatoes.

I grow most of my garden herbs from starter plants rather than from seeds. Baby plants are easier to grow since some herb plants have seeds that are slow to germinate. There are many herbs with preferred varieties that can only be grown from cuttings as the seeds do not grow true to the parent variety (French tarragon, peppermint).

I buy my herb plants from Home Depot’s Garden Center and online from Richter’s Herbs. Home Depot sells herb plants seasonally in store, and Richter’s ships herb plants all across the USA and Canada from March-November.

I like to grow some herbs from seeds, including parsley, cilantro, and chervil. Growing them from seeds allows me to sow a whole area rather than just having a plant or two. This way, I can use as much as possible in a recipe without feeling like my only plant has been totally disrupted.

My favorite seed companies for herb seeds are Botanical Interests, Richter’s Herbs, and West Coast Seeds. I usually sow extra seeds as many herbs take a few weeks for the seeds to germinate and I want to be extra sure that I’m getting lots of seedlings for my efforts!

Fertilizer is another important input in most herb gardens. This is especially true for herbs grown in containers, as the soil is isolated from the ecosystem in which it would naturally receive mineral nutrients. Even outdoor garden soil can have nutrient deficiencies that can be corrected with a slow-release organic fertilizer.

Dr. Earth Organic Herb & Vegetable Fertilizer is a balanced slow-release granular fertilizer that’s easy to apply prior to planting, during transplanting, and throughout the growing season as a top-dressing on top of the garden soil. This made-in-the-USA fertilizer is also approved for organic gardening by the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI).

Herb plants tend to be smaller plants, especially when grown in containers. A delicate pair of garden snips are the perfect tool for snipping off sprigs for dinner or for pruning the plant to keep it shapely.

I like the Ergo Herb Snips by Darlac of England for the herb garden. These mini scissors have a carbon steel blade and a classic red handle (making them easy to find if you set them down).

While you can water your herb garden with the hose or with drip irrigation, sometimes it is very nice to have a nice watering can. This is a total luxury that is a nice investment or gift for an avid plant parent.

My favorite watering can for herbs is the Haws Copper Watering Can. This is a gorgeous offering from a trusted UK-based traditional watering can maker. This one is indoor-sized but works wonderfully for the patio as well.

I like to use lightweight organic potting soil for my herb plants. I grow most of my herbs in containers so I can bring them indoors during the winter. In general, I look for mixes that are free from contaminants, drain excess water well, and are certified for organic gardening.

In my garden, I use both Nature’s Care Organic Potting Mix and Pro-Mix Vegetable & Herb Mix. Both are a mixture of coco coir & peat moss for bulk, plus perlite for drainage, and some organic fertilizers. Both are approved for organic use by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

I love growing herbs indoors! My perennial herbs come indoors in their terra cotta pots, but I love to grow annual herbs in my smart gardens.

My favorite indoor herb garden is the Click & Grow Smart Garden. This little gadget is perfect for growing parsley, basil, and other popular kitchen herbs right in the kitchen. See my Click & Grow Review for a full overview of this garden. You can use my Click and Grow promo code HHARVEST15 for 15% off.

Herb gardening information can be difficult to come by, as many gardening courses focus extensively on either vegetable gardening or landscaping. That said, there are some great options out there for getting the best information about growing herb plants.

The Herb Garden with Dr. Rachel Petheram is my top choice for a course about growing herbs. She teaches both the how and the why of herb gardening, plus tips about using your herbs after you grow them.

Many herb gardeners are just as interested in how to use their herbs as they are in actually growing them. For those gardeners, a herbalism class can be a very worthwhile investment.

The Herbal Academy’s Introductory Herbal Course is the industry-standard course for those new to herbalism. This course provides an in-depth introduction to a wide range of herbs and how to use them. The Herbal Academy also offers a Herbarium full of gorgeous plant monographs and botany data.