Herb Garden – Mint and Coriander

It is not that you will find ageless Indian herbs only on mountains and forests. You can also grow them in your home garden. There are some herbs that can be grown conveniently around your home. They not only add colors to your garden but add flavor to your foods as well. You can spice up your soups and day to day dishes with these invaluable herbs that offer superior medical and health benefits to your family.

To set up an herb garden you first would need to device a proper plan. This includes the kind of herbs that you would like to grow and the space you can offer to grow them hassle free. You have to make a list of herbs that you wish to grow in your garden. You can buy minimum sized mud pots from nursery gardens found in your locale. It is better you grow them in mud pots which are transferable if you want to grow perennial herbs. You can get the seeds from the nurseries or shops that sell fertilizers.

Mint

Mint Plant

One easy to grow and a widely used herb would be mint. Mint can grow fast and you can use fresh leaves from your herb garden to garnish your dishes. You can just take a mint stalk and tuck it in a mud pot and you will be delighted to see a plush mint plant within a month. You can borrow a fresh stalk from somebody who grow mint plants or get it from a nursery. Just pluck away the leaves at the bottom of the stalk and leave only two to three leaves at the top while you tuck it into the mud pot. Just tuck a considerable portion of stalk into the mud. Likewise tuck two or more stalks as all stalks may not survive. The stalk has to form some roots to grow further. Forget not to water them daily, allow enough sunlight and you can nourish them with some fertilizers. If you take good care you can see the stalks growing otherwise you might see them withering out. You can reap your effort within a month or so.

Coriander

Coriander Plant

Coriander conveniently grows both indoor and outdoor. It has a nice fragrance and serves as a flavoring ingredient in south indian, north indian and even in various other western cuisines. You can sow the coriander seeds from your kitchen container in your herb garden. A minimum of one inch hole is required to sow a seed. You can leave about 3 inches of gap in between sown seeds. Sprinkle water and keep the pot in a half-shade. Allow the seeds to germinate. All you need to have a bunch of lush coriander leaves is patience. It might germinate within three days or even weeks to germinate. The germination totally depends on your soil conditions as well as the climatic conditions. Once you observe the germination allow enough sunlight for the plants to grow fast. It requires at least 4 to 8 hours of sunlight. Do not allow too much of water to stagnate around your coriander plants. Enjoy growing coriander in your herb garden which add enticing flavor to your garden as well as your dishes.

More would come in the subsequent blogs.