Herb gardens provide you with fresh, flavorful additions to recipes and can be easy to maintain indoors or outdoors, offering flexibility depending on the climate you live in and the space available to you. Herbs can make a significant improvement on the flavor of dishes, but they’re more than just tasty. Many herbs, especially fresh ones, offer health benefits and natural healing properties, even in small amounts.
Even if you don’t have an outdoor garden or much room inside, you can grow several varieties of herbs in very small spaces. So whether you’ve already had an herb garden or are starting from scratch, learn what herbs to grow and why—some are easier to grow and provide they provide great health benefits…
1. Basil
Fresh basil packs a very powerful flavor and it’s used in many dishes and drinks because of its ability to complement and enhance other flavors. On top of the way it tastes, basil can be really good for the body because it contains many nutrients, including vitamin K, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Research has shown that basil may help prevent heart disease, reduce the impact or slow the development of arthritis, and improve blood flow.
Basil is one of the easier herbs to grow, especially indoors where you can control the temperature and ensure it gets lots of warmth and light. It grows fairly quickly and if you snip off the leaves when they’ve matured you’ll see new stems begin to grow soon after. Basil plants are quick to replenish, so you shouldn’t have to re-seed or buy new plants after harvesting. You should use a pot with good drainage and if you plant it outdoors, it should also be in an area that drains well. Water every other day for the best results.
