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Love fresh herbs and produce, but hate grocery store prices?
Start your own indoor/outdoor garden!
There is no better time to plan for your first garden than now. As the weather heats up, save some money by growing your own produce and herbs.
The cost of quality fruits and vegetables is higher than ever these days, which makes eating healthy a challenge. Instead of cutting costs and nutritional value, start that garden you’ve always wanted.
Indoor garden
Indoor gardens are especially great if you live in the city and don’t have much land. They are also quite easy to set up on your own. Simply pick up some seed packets from your local store and pot them yourself. Grow fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, and mint right in your very own kitchen, year round. Also, be sure to position your herb garden in a place that gets plenty of sunlight, such as your windowsill or fire escape, and don’t forget to use a well-drained soil mix that is not too rich. Also, depending on which herbs you decide to plant, you will need to learn how much water they require. For more detailed information about growing an indoor herb garden on your own, click on the link below.
If you aren’t quite sure how to plant an herb garden on your own, there are a number of different indoor gardening kits that can be purchased online for a reasonable price. Take a look at a few herb garden starter kits below.
Outdoor garden*
First things first: pick a good location for your garden. You want the location to be in a place that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. After choosing the location, you may want to check the health of your soil. Soil tester kits can be purchased online to help you establish the condition of your soil. You most likely will need to add compost or other organic materials to get healthy, garden-ready soil.
After your soil is ready, decide which fruits and vegetables you would like to have. This might require a bit of research on what grows best in different areas with different climates. You might also want to think about setting up a fence around your garden to keep unwanted animals away from your hard-earned produce.
After you’ve done all of the above, you are ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty! But remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t expect to grow award-winning produce just yet. Start off small, and soon you’ll have ripe, delicious, homegrown fruits and vegetables for you and your family to enjoy.
Helpful links to get you started.
Check out a few indoor herb garden starter kits:
View detailed information about growing an indoor herb garden on your own at www.gardening.about.com.
Make your own organic compost! www.herbgardens.about.com
For more tips on starting an outdoor garden, see www.ehow.com.
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*Suggested tips adapted from http://hubpages.com/hub/Starting-a-Outdoor-Garden.
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