Herb Garden Kits




Herb Garden Kits: Special Guest Article from author Michael Johsone

Two little herb garden kits played the unlikely role of getting me through my first year living away from home. I still remember it very clearly.

It was 1982 and I was 19. I had decided to try my luck in a huge city after living my whole life to that point in a very small town. I lived in a tiny dank apartment above a deli with almost no natural light. (The only windows were black with soot and facing into the alley.)  I tried to tell myself my move and my new life in the city was an exciting adventure, but the truth is, I felt lost. And I was dirt poor.

My mother came to visit and for a few days and I showed her the big city. I wondered if she could tell that I was not exactly confident or optimistic about my life. She never did say anything about that, but on the last day of her visit, she left a little gift on the kitchen counter of my flat.

After she had gone, I opened the card that said, “When life gets the better of me, I plant something. Trust me. What you need are plants of your own. Herb garden kits made all the difference to me when I was alone. You’ll see. All my love – Mom.”

How to Start Herb Garden Plants for Beginners

Like you will find with most herb garden kits, my kits had:

  • a little tray
  • a variety of herb seeds
  • and a clear plastic dome.

(I must admit, sitting there reading the little instruction book about how to start an herb garden, I felt a little silly. I had moved to the big city to embrace and conquer whatever adulthood threw my way. But I felt more like a little kid opening a gift from his crazy aunt or something.)

But I did trust my mom’s instincts so I stuck with it. So I took the little packages of soil that were included in the kits and spread it in the trays. I opened the herb seeds and arranged them according to the different kinds of herbs. The seeds were very small and delicate and needed to be planted shallow… not too deep. So I made little rows and labeled them according to the type of herbs.

Of course, being a total herb garden beginner, I was bound to make a mistake. I knew enough to get some water for the little rows, but I filled a cup with tap water and like a bull in a china shop, I doused them. Flooding the tray and washing half the soil, seeds and labels all over the kitchen counter. Sigh.

I went back to the instruction book. Oh! I was supposed to give the soil a “gentle misting”. I thought, “What is misting? How does one “mist?” I went down to the hardware store and someone took pity on me and showed me to the garden section. I dug deep into my pockets and bought a $1.99 plant mister. Off I went to try again. This time all was well. I wasn’t sure what the clear plastic dome was for, but I snapped it over the tray and placed it on my window sill as directed.

A day or two went by before I remembered to check my herb garden kits. I was amazed to see that the puzzling little clear domes combined with the moisture I had added to the soil, had created a tiny little environment in there. Like a little world with it’s own little weather system. And… I guess that was really the beginning of my journey. I was hooked. And fascinated.

I found I was thinking about my herb garden kits all day and I began to rush home after work to check on it. Then, I began to stop into the library on my way home to read everything I could about keeping a healthy herb garden and their thousands of uses.

My herb garden kits contained culinary herbs and Italian herbs. Culinary herbs are herbs we use in the kitchen with cooking. But I soon learned, that there are hundreds of herb varieties:

  • international herbs
  • salsa herbs
  • german herbs
  • medicinal herbs

And so many more.

When my seedlings began to appear, I was so happy and excited. But then my mind raced. “Wait! What do I do now? I can’t cook!” So it was back to the library for me. This time I began to read everything I could about cooking with herbs.  “I only have one pot!” I decided to call my mom. This was serious. “Mom, I can’t cook and .. and .. I don’t have any pots and pans… and did I say I can’t cook? I don’t think I have enough light in here for the herb garden kits.”

Mom began to laugh and said, “Slow down, honey. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. So you like your little herb garden kits I guess?” she said with a chuckle.

A week later, I got a large delivery from my mother. A set of kitchen ware, and a little grow light. My little herb garden was saved.

That was many years ago. I had moved to the city to be a captain of industry and adventure. Instead, I moved back to the country and became a herb garden enthusiast and author. Life is funny. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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Some Thoughts From Melanie Stark About Herbs and Growing

I love Michael’s story!  It illustrates how the best things in life are right under our noses. Herb gardening kits are a way of including our ever more distracted kids, teenagers and families in a shared activity and instilling a sense of responsibility for the life they create in the garden. I urge you to get your herb garden started with your kids and those close to you. Or those you wish were closer to you. It’s a little thing with big importance. As Michael’s Mom said… trust me.

Here’s a list of things you need to know to get started. Please read my other articles here for more information and make sure to sign up for my free mini-course.

  • Herb garden kits are a great way to get started and you can grow your herbs indoors all year long.
  • A kit is an environment that you can control. Garden pests and weather are not issues.
  • Delicious herbs for cooking will be right at your fingertips. Oregano, thyme, coriander, mint, anise etc.
  • A herb kit will help you gain confidence so you can graduate to starting an outdoor herb garden, as well as transplanting herbs and learning which herbs never want to be transplanted.

Learn how to freeze or dry your herbs to keep them fresh and useful for months.

By starting with a little indoor herb garden, and starting with my mini course, you WILL be successful in growing happy and healthy herbs every time.