Starting Your Herb Garden
How to Grow Herbs
First decide on the size; this will depend on the number of varieties you choose to grow. A kitchen garden can be planted into individual 12×18″ pots, or into windowboxes where you can easily snip them with abandon when you fire up the stove or dress a salad. You will find that herbs yield abundant harvests all season if you tend to thier basic need for good fertile soil and adequate moisture.An important factor in growing successful herbs is good drainage. A light well drained soil is best for starting seeds indoors, be careful not to cover the seeds to deeply with soil. Keep the seeds moist during germination and water with a fine spray to prevent washing away of the soil.Select a south or west window when growing herbs indoors. You can use grow lamps or fluorescent lamps to supplement the light. When planting, mix 2 parts potting soil and 1 part coarse perlite, there should be an inch of gravel on the bottom of each container to ensure good drainage. Highly fertile soil will produce excessive amounts of foliage with poor flavor.

Harvesting Herbs
Drying and Storage of Herbs
Most herbs are at their peak flavor just before flowering, so this is a good time to collect them for drying and storage. Cut off leaves at the stems, with cold water rinse off any soil and dust, wash herbs thoroughly, then place them on absorbent towels or hang plants upside down in sunlight until all water evaporates. Strip leaves off the stalks once plants have drained and dried, remove all blossoms. Herbs MUST be completely dried before storage. Herbs with high moisture, such as mints and basils need rapid drying or they will mold. To retain some green leaf coloring, dry in the dark by hanging plants upside down in bunches in paper bags. Hanging leaves down allows essential oils to flow from stems to leaves. Tie whole stems very tightly in small bunches, individual stems will shrink and fall. Hang in a dark, warm, 70 to 80 degree F well-ventilated area. Leaves are ready when they feel dry and crumbly in 1-2 weeks. Once you are sure that the herbs are completely dry, place them in the airtight containers, and store them in a cool, dry place away from light. Never use paper or cardboard containers for storage as they will absorb the herbs aromatic oils.