A lot of medicinal herbs can be easily grown with very low maintenance. All you will need is a good pot of soil and water. The benefits of medicinal herbs are more than you can imagine. Most of the common ailments like common cold, indigestion, etc. can be treated with these herbs. A little research will tell you how useful herbs grown in an organic herb garden can be. The herbs can be used straight from the plant when you don’t use artificial pesticides. Otherwise you will be consuming harmful chemicals which can have negative effects on your health.

Some of these herbs are applied as medicine or for beauty purpose. When this is done, it is very important that you skin is not fed with chemicals. When a plant is fed chemicals, residues will settle on them and then eventually get into the leaves, stem and roots. Using herbs like aloe in its purest form will get the best results for your skin. Basil is another herb which has antiviral properties. It is used on insect bites, wounds, etc. Basil is also boiled and taken as a tea from stomach aches.

Going organic is especially important when children or infants are involved. Sometimes these herbs are used in the bath water or as a shampoo and chemical free ingredients will be the best. The plants grown in the organic herb garden are healthy and more resistant to disease. Organic herb teas made from licorice root, cinnamon, mint, etc. are also widely used and are found to be very relaxing.

Organic herbs taste better than inorganic ones and they also help eliminate toxins from the body better than the latter. Lemon grass has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Herbs grown in an organic herb garden have more vitamins and minerals. Cosmetic products made at home using the herbs are not only free from chemicals but the fragrances are not artificial too. Lavender oil gives soft fragrance which is very pleasant and totally natural.

Oregano is another herb that can be grown in your organic herb garden which can be used for cooking and also has medicinal properties.

Using organically grown food would mean fewer chemicals for you. Salads which are eaten raw should use organic vegetables as the artificial fertilizers and pesticides are not good for the health. You can maintain a compost pit in the corner of your garden where you can dump all the organic waste from your house. After a few weeks, the bottom layers can be used as manure for your organic herb garden.

It is essential to know that many herbs can be successfully grown indoors. If you have been craving to have seasoning herbs at your own houses and not have to go to market to buy and if you are one of the many who think that not having a huge backyard garden is a barrier, then this article on indoor herb gardening for beginners will make you rethink. In order to have an herb garden, all one requires is a sunny windowsill which has adequate supply of sunlight for a minimum of five hours per day and a couple of pots. There are three important factors that can impact the growth of any herb, especially when grown indoors. The three factors are: lighting, temperature and moisture. The best part is, these factors can be controlled without much effort, by even a beginner of herb gardening.

There are few steps in order to start an indoor garden. Firstly, a right place needs to be selected. Care should be taken to not choose a place that does not receive any sunlight. The chances of herbs growing in these sheltered spaces are limited. Secondly, the seeds or the plants that one buys should be one good quality. Buying from a reputed supplier, checking the expiry date and the freshness of the plants can help one choose good seeds or a healthy herb. Since the herbs are being grown indoors, using the right compost can make a huge impact on the health of the herbs. The indoor herbs will depend heavily on the compost. Finally, find a good pot that suits your interiors, or even better, one could paint the pots and decorate it so as to give your house a distinctive look. After planting the herb and finding a right place for it in the house, taking good care of them is the most critical part. Watering the plants regularly and not over-watering will be deciding factor.

In herb gardening for beginners, understanding the benefits of herb gardening can be motivating.  Besides its well-known medicinal benefits, planting them indoor will add an aroma to the house. Indoor gardening also has the magic of lifting the spirits of the house.

One of the things a beginner worries about will be how much water the herbs will need, how deep into the soil they need to be planted, etc. Since all the beginners worry about this, the kits come with booklets which give you simple and clear instruction about how to go about it. Some of the more recent herb garden kits will come with a CD. Whether you get a booklet or a CD, you will get all the information about the herbs the kits come with.

If you keep them indoors, you will have to do the pollination yourself too. Details on when to do this and how will be given with the instructions. This will be necessary only if you want seeds from it otherwise you will not need to worry about it. Seeds obtained can be used to plant more herbs or can be exchanged with other herb garden enthusiasts. You will need to check how test your soil and ensure it is alkaline before putting in the plants.

If you don’t have a lot of space, you can always try the kits that come with stackable pots. A small corner of your windowsill will be sufficient for your herbs as long as it gets enough sun. A beginner will be better off getting herb garden kits with plants rather than starting a garden from seeds. Seeds will take time to go and by then there is a good chance you will lose interest. Some advise beginners to keep a journal. This will tell them how their herbs will behave and when to cut the tips off to make them bushier.

Harvesting can begin when you have a few leaves and is best done before it flowers. The herb garden kits will tell you the right time to harvest too. Most beginner kits will contain stakes, seeds in separated boxes and containers. Some even supply you with soil which is suitable for the particular herb you want to grow. Fertilizers can be supplied or the ones suggested by the kit can be bought.

When you first plant a herb, there is a chance that it will droop for a few days. This is normal and there is no need to worry. Some may try watering it too much which is not recommended. For any beginner, herb garden kits will be very helpful and they can also be used by people who want to start a herb garden as quickly as possible. Patience is necessary to grow any garden and the same holds good with this too.

But, the most important reason to grow an herb garden is because herbs help you stay healthy and keep away a number of illnesses. In fact, in many ancient cultures like India and China, entire medicinal treatises have been written detailing the use of herbs to lead a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of the herbs you can grow that are bound to have a positive impact on your health:

Borage: Borage is a very useful herb to grow in your own home and if you decide to grow an herb garden, having this herb is a great idea. It has lovely blue colored flowers that add a lot of vibrancy and life to its surroundings. But, more importantly, the borage herb is extremely great in relieving stress and anxiety. Borage boosts the adrenals and is a great restorative after a major illness or surgery. Borage grows best when it gets a lot of sunlight and ample shade as well.

Catnip: If you have children in your house, then having catnip in your herb garden is a great idea. It is a great tonic to help overcome teething pains and toothaches as well as cramps in the stomach. And, if you find the children too much to handle, add a little catnip to your tea as well- it works wonders on frazzled nerves. If you grow an herb garden and add catnip to it, ensure that it gets plenty of water as well as sunlight.

Chamomile: Chamomile is also a great herb to have in your herb garden. It will help ease menstrual pains, minor aches and pains. For children, it helps ease toothache and teething pains and colic in babies. It also helps give you a deep and restful sleep at night and helps relieve insomnia. It also provides a great mood lift and is great to treat mild depression.

Calendula: If you grow an herb garden, the calendula which is commonly known as marigold is also a wonderful addition. They provide a great cure for stomach upsets cramps and vomiting and also treats fevers effectively. Calendula is very easy to grow and requires very little maintenance.

Skullcap: Skullcap is a very useful herb to have in your herb garden as both its flowers and its leaves are extremely useful. Skullcap is a great pain reliever and also helps relieve menstrual pains. It is also a mild sedative and helps overcome insomnia and restlessness at night. Moreover, it also works as an anti depressant and keeps you feeling upbeat and happy. Skullcap is extremely easy to grow and will easily grow indoors in containers or in herb garden kits.

Container herb gardening is taken up as a hobby by many, since the possibilities are endless- while picking containers and herbs, the wide variety of choice available can baffle you. Types of pots most often include plastic and terracotta. It maybe wise to stick to the basics and not stray too far since certain aspects of pots has not been studied extensively enough. A few pots, for example, may contain toxic elements such as lead, and such pots are an obviously a poor choice for herbs that you wish to use in cooking. Herbs like mint, oregano, cilantro which are regularly used in cooking are the most immediate choices that come to mind.

A number of techniques and ideas are in practice relating to container herb gardening and the scope to get creative is very broad, for, both gardening and cooking are considered arts where creativity adds to the zest. If you’re one of those people who does not want to be pained by the plants’ constant need to be watered, tiny polymers called ‘soil moist’ can be mixed in the soil. These polymers absorb water and swell several times their original size. They are to be mixed in decent numbers and scattered evenly about the container and they will take care of the herbs’ watering needs for a good deal of time, thus you can considerably reduce your frequency of watering. Alternatively, diapers (which contain similar polymers) may be used to serve the purpose.

One important pointer to bear in mind with regard to container herb gardening is that it is best not to use regular garden soil. While it may be rich in nutrients and seem like a good choice at first, it offers poor drainage facility for the water and comes with a host of weed seeds and harmful microorganisms.

A question that faces all rookies is whether to go for seeds or plants. The answer to this boils down to a matter of requirement. With seeds, the waiting period can be a pain since it takes most herbs about a month to reach a decent size, though a few do take much lesser. Herbs like cilantro and mint are best sown as seeds since a change of soil does not go down very well with them, besides they grow into plants in no time. Knowing such simple facts can improve your container herb gardening experience.