How growing an herb garden can save you major money on your grocery bill
(Photo courtesy of Sandy Anas)
Have you ever had a recipe that calls for a few different herbs and you find yourself paying way more than you expected for tiny packages of leaves and sprigs?
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can curate an herb garden with ease — we promise. (Some herbs — like dill, for example — grow like weeds). With our tips, you’ll have fresh herbs that bring great flavor to your meals. And, a small investment in a few plants or seed packages will lead to savings at the grocery store.
Here’s an easy guide for setting up an herb pot.
- Figure out what you want to grow. Look through your cookbooks (or your Pinterest files) and see what you cook with the most and what herbs your taste buds enjoy. Among some of the easiest and fastest growing herbs are: chives, fennel, mint, rosemary, parsley and sage. A must-grow on our list is basil since you can get it in different varieties — like lemon, lime, cinnamon … the list goes on.
- Get started: If you’re a beginner, consider buying a “starter kit.” A Seeds of Change Starter Kit from Master Gardening includes everything you need to grow your own herbs from seed. It comes with starting pots that are biodegradable and sit on a “no-leak” tray so you can expose them to light from your windowsill. With the kit, you’ll get organic basil and cilantro seeds. If you’ve got a little more experience or are looking for a unique gift idea, the herb gift basket comes with an herb mill to mince your garden herbs whether you’re making a rub for your chicken or garnishing a pasta dish. It also comes with a sower, garden gloves and seed packets — including Thai basil, garden sage and dill seeds.
- Find a pot. If you’re planting your herbs outside (it will be easier for them to soak up sunshine), buy a pot you can use to group them. Depending on how much growing you’ll be doing, sizes range from 7 gallon pots to 45 gallon pots.
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