Herb Gardening
1. Soil: Good soil drainage is important, we don’t want the roots sitting a pool of water. Chicago land is known for clay like soil, which holds a lot of water and has poor drainage. If your soil is clay like, you’ll need to add sand and peat to allow water to drain properly. You should also amend the soil with organic material like compost.
2. Sunlight: Herbs require at least 8 hrs direct sunlight, the more the better.
4. Planting time: the best time to plant is when all frost is over, typically the middle of May. The general rule of thumb is Mother’s day.
5. Water: to know when to water, remove the upper 1” of soil. If you see that the soil underneath is dry, it’s time to water. On hot days above 85 degrees, I would water every day, otherwise water every 2-3 days. You will want the water to reach the roots, if you only water the top 1”, the roots will not get the water and the surface water will be evaporated.
6. Mulch: a ground cover of wood chips, grass clippings, newspaper shreds, hay or other organic material that prevents weeds and keeps moisture from evaporating. Place about 2 inches of mulch all around the garden to cover all exposed soil.
8. Invasive insects: typically herbs are not susceptible to insect like fruit bearing plants like tomatoes. If you do see insects, you can use a strong water spray to wash them off or spray a light solution of soapy water on the leaves to drown the insects.
