For the sake of stress relief and of course the added witch’s vibe, I’ve decided to take up herb gardening for the month of September. Half a month in and I can say without a doubt: gardening, especially herbs, is not for every person. Herbs gardening has become increasingly popular, as herbs are great for meals and the easiest of plants to grow. However, there are people gifted in gardening and there are those who are not. I happen to fall in the latter group. Here are a few tried and true tips I learned the hard way as well as a few of my favorite herbs that I just wish would stop dying on me. But before we begin though, establishing the basics is key because this is a key step that I missed. Catching up is not fun.

So, what is an herb? What comes to mind are the many aromatic spices used in cooking—thyme, basil, and rosemary, to name a few. But there apparently is not definitive qualifier for an herb, per say. Only considering the plants used for medicinal, culinary, or aromatic qualities is a broad enough definition, but it excludes a few favorites such as lavender. Regardless of what counts as an herb, what matters most is whether you can actually grow it.

Finally, why start herb gardening? Everyone’s purpose is different which affects which herbs are best to grow. If you want kitchen herbs to cook with, garlic and thyme might be more to your liking than lavender or mint. If, like me, you did not start with a purpose, then my advice is to either start with a favorite (mine would be lavender) or start with the easiest herb to grow—parsley or basil.

Now to the gardening tips:

1. Not Knowing Anything at All and Jumping In. The fact that you, a reader, are already reading this is a good sign that you are doing the necessary research and making smart choices. Myself on the other hand, having gone to Pikes on an impulsive whim, did not give time to research. This is one of the many reasons my herbs are dead. Don’t do this. Do research, see which herbs are compatible, when they grow best, how to properly pot them and all the necessary things attached to herb gardening.
2. Growing with a Seed as a Beginner. Yes, watching seeds grow into seedlings are really cool and wonderful but seeds require more maintenance than using starter plants. Starting with a seed is not beginner friendly since seeds require a proper environment for germinating before being planted outside. Use starter plants to start with a healthy plant and avoid the disappointment of not having plants to grow.
3. Over-watering with Bad Drainage. As a person who has never cared for a plant, I was unsure of how much water to give my herbs and went with the typical watering schedule for a houseplant. Having learned that wet roots may eventually rot in continually damp soil, I’ve had the better sense to research and look into the proper way of watering herbs. Placing pebbles at the bottom of the pots will help with drainage. Water in the morning so the excess water evaporates throughout the day. I’ve also left the herbs needing more water with my mother’s vegetable gardening and the ones needing less on a windowsill to manually water.
4. Trimming and Harvesting, Too Early and Too Much. Some gardeners find it very hard to cut any of their plants, but the problem I find myself facing is being a bit too scissor happy. I have sacrificed multiple pots already to drowning and now an added two have gone with the premature and all too frequent trimming. While trimming and pruning is necessary, don’t go too overboard and check everyday with scissors in hand. If you don’t trim and use your herbs, the plants will grow tall and lanky and annual herbs will go to seed quickly.
5. Too Many Herbs At Once. As a beginner, do not make the mistake of starting with too many, as I did with six, when now I simply have three. Even if you start small, do not simply add more if you’re doing really well and you’d like to spice things up by adding a third or maybe even a fourth to your bed (of herbs). Do not do so unless you are completely sure that you can handle the maintenance and care, or you risk sacrificing your other herbs that have been well grown. If so, variety is the spice of life!