Love fresh herbs for cooking? It only makes sense to grow your own. Herbs are among the easiest of garden plants to maintain and they require little space. If you only have a small growing space, wagon wheel or checkerboard herb gardens with pavers alternating between herbs are pretty, small gardens. If you lack a garden entirely, you can grow a respectable herb garden using window boxes. Whatever the available space, choose herbs you will use regularly and maintaining healthy plants will never be a chore.
Measure a square slightly larger than 6 feet by 6 feet in a fairly level area.
Work in about a 5-gallon bucket full of good quality compost, then rake smooth.
Choose 18 herbs--one variety per square of soil. Basil, chives, cilantro, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme are good herbs for novice herb gardeners, suggests Mother Earth News. Add six more easy-to-grow herbs like fennel, pineapple sage, mustard, lemon balm, nasturtiums and chamomile or calendula for more variety.
Give plants a drink of manure tea or liquid fertilizer once each week to maintain nutrients in the soil as the herbs grow.