If you want to branch out into a fulfilling gardening adventure why not consider growing your own herbs? Though it requires less space than you regular garden plot, the benefits of production and the joy of gardening are both present. Herbs add that special touch of flavor to so many meals and growing your own is always more fun than buying.

When deciding what to plant just go in your own kitchen cabinet and see what you have there. Plant your own collection and save when it comes time to restock. Some easy herbs to grow are rosemary, sage, basil,dill, mint, chives, and parsley.

An herb garden needs to have very good drainage, you can prepare and area by digging down a foot deep and placing a 4 inch layer of crushed rock in the bottom then filling the area with top soil. If you don't want to dif just create a boarder out of wood or brick and place the rock in the bottom then the top soil.
Your drainage should allow water to get away from the plants. Of course the easy easy way is container gardening you put your rock in the bottom then add the topsoil.

Herbs are fairly easy to grow from seed so you don't need to go and buy a bunch of plants. Also herbs grow fast and are tough plants, they will grow in harsher environments than some other garden plants. Herbs tend to be aggressive, in other words they will dominate and area. If you are going to plant mint for instance, it would be good to have an area away from your garden so it can take over and fill the area without giving you headaches as to keeping it in check. Here is another instance where containers provide perfect solution.

Let the plant become well established before harvesting, take too much to soon and you may have to start over. A strong herb will produce for years to come so patience is rewarded.

As you harvest the herbs you will want to dry them for storage. Place the plants on a cookie sheet and and bake them at 170 until dry. Then store them in air tight  bags or jars. After 24 hours check the newly stored herbs for dampness in the container, if any exist you need to re-dry the product otherwise mold or in rot will require you discard them.

As with any gardening adventure the fun is in the process. The reward in this case is in the taste of meals prepared with fresh herbs in season and free herbs out of season that you grew, dried and prepared yourself.

May life yield and abundant harvest of joy for you today.