How to Setup a Vegetable and Herb Kitchen Garden

Setup a Vegetable and Herb Kitchen Garden is a unique and fantastic idea to get vegetable fresh and new.John Bee, Master Gardener states that most home gardeners still think of culinary herbs as annuals but in actual fact many of them are perennials or biennials. So why not create a small herb kitchen garden full of permanent herbs and grow a few supplementary "other herbs" as annuals on the side if you so desire in your herb or veggie gardens.

Some of these herbs and veggies may die back in a cold winters and other herbs may require winter protection but all are perennials and can continue to grow year after year. If you live in a frost-free location, they will keep growing during the winter months BUT may need cutting back or pruning in winter or early spring to "freshen" them up.

If you are growing in pots these types of herbs in containers then they really need to be dug up every second year or so and divided to stop them from becoming root-bound.

Some of the most popular perennial (culinary) herbs to consider are Chives, Basil, Oregano, Sage, Lemongrass and Thyme.

• Large plants such as Basil and LemonGrass can be grown just about anywhere in the garden, or if in a containers it must be a large one.
• Invasive plants can be truly invasive in your garden and unless you are happy for them to literally take over part of your garden, then plant them in large containers and NOT in the ground. Some of these plants include: Mint and lemongrass.
• Smaller plants such as Chives and Garlic the small plants are great for borders or even in crevices in pathways, meaning they can be used as space savers

Plant such as Dill, Ginger, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme do very well in the ground or large containers. Bear in mind that all these herbs are perennials; and if you intend to grow them as perennials then the grow containers should be as large as you can afford or have the space for in your organic kitchen garden.