10 Easy Plants for Beginning Herb Gardeners

Beginning herb gardeners often wonder which plants to choose. These 10 herbs are carefree in the garden and will provide plenty of dried herbs for cooking.

This is an installment of the Ask Me Anything YouTube Series

Many beginning herb gardeners worry about which types of herbs they should grow.  Luckily, there are a few types of herbs that are especially easy to grow for beginners.

The plants recommended below are generally more hardy plants that don’t require a lot of fertilizer or special work for success. 

Remember to be careful about the zones.  Although many of these herbs are hardy, they do much better when kept to their hardiness zones.  As long as you grow them in the zones in which they do best, most of these herbs will be very easy to care for, and shouldn’t need a whole lot of extra work to take care of them.

Ask Me Anything YouTube Series

Topics in this video

• Growing Rosemary
• What are spittlebugs, do they harm your herbs
• Tips for growing herbs indoors and overwintering
• Harvesting dill and cilantro
• Growing parsley for a continuous crop
• Keeping indoor herbs healthy in low light areas
• Herb gardening by zones
• Tips for keeping grasshoppers out of your herb garden
• How to fertilize indoor herbs

For further reading and free herb info use these links:

Mindy’s blog post: Using Healing Herbs on the Homestead
Mindy’s freebie: Growing Herbs Indoors

Kristi’s blog post: How to Grow Rosemary
Kristi’s freebie: Medicinal Herbs Materia Medica Starter Pack

Shelle’s freebie: Get fresh homegrown flavor when you download your free copy of 27 Must-Have Culinary Herbs and their Uses from Dehydrating Made Easy.

Websites and other resources mentioned in the video:

Go to the Master Gardener Website URL to find the extension office in your state and county. This is the place that you will likely find information about how to become a master gardener.

Information about organic ways to control grasshoppers can be found in the Ask Me Anything Pest Control video #1 at Timecode 3:25

10 Easy Herbs for Beginner Gardeners

Parsley

Parsley is a relatively hardy biennial in zones 2 to 11.  Both flat-leaf and curly varieties are easy to care for and grow very well without a lot of extra care.  It can do well in full sun to light shade and needs rich soil that is well-drained but moist.  It doesn’t do particularly well in the heat, so start the planting cycle in the spring. Let some of it go to seed so you will have a continuous harvest, year after year.

Basil

Basil in a warm-weather annual herb.  It is hardy in most zones, but it requires hot, dry conditions to reach peak flavor.  It needs full sun, and very rich, moist soil.  The only major issues with growing basil are slugs and cool conditions.  As long as basil has enough light and heat, and its soil is allowed to dry out between waterings, it usually requires little additional care.

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Cilantro

Also known as coriander – this annual herb doesn’t need exceptionally rich soil and isn’t extremely particular about sun and shade.  It can do well in full sun or light shade.  It is relatively easy to care for and does well in almost all zones. If you allow it to, it will self-seed for next year.

Chives

Chives are a perennial herb.  Chives can grow well in almost any soil, and almost any conditions.  Chives have been known to be seen growing in old gardens that haven’t been tended in many years!  It’s hardy in zones 3 to 9, and prefers full sun.  It does do better in rich soils but doesn’t need it to survive.  Chives have a rich, oniony flavor, and they taste great on baked potatoes.

Lavender

Lavender – There are many types of lavender. Some get long flower stalks that are terrific for crafting. Some get really big flower heads. Some are taller than others. All lavender is fragrant. In fact, lavender is known medicinally to sooth and calm nerves. It is also antiseptic and makes a good addition to your herbal first aid kit. It requires full sun and free-draining lean soil, with little amendments. Cutting back after flowering may encourage a second bloom.

Mint

Mint – is one of the essentials for my garden. I grow several flavors, especially spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint to use in making my own herbal tea blend. If I had to pick only one herb to grow, mint would be it. It is easy to propagate from cuttings or layering and mint grows by sending out runners, so unless you want it everywhere it should be contained in a pot.

Rosemary

Rosemary prefers a dry, warm spot in full sun. It does not like to have wet feet and is a great addition to your vegetable garden because it is popular with pollinators. Pinch it regularly for use in culinary creations and to keep it from becoming too woody. Rosemary dries easily, so be sure to have some on hand.

Oregano

This herb is an extremely popular herb, and it goes well with many different types of foods.  It is commonly used in tomato-based pasta dishes, chicken dishes, and pork dishes.  Hardy in zones 5 to 9, oregano does well in raised beds, rock gardens, alongside roads or pathways, or just about anywhere!  It needs full sun and well-drained soil, but it actually does better in poor, rocky soil!

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Bay

Although it is a type of shrub, this is actually a very good herb for beginners to grow.  It’s remarkably hardy in zones 8 to 11.  Bay needs full sun to light shade, and rich, well-drained soil.  It will tolerate variations in conditions rather well.  Just remember, bay leaves reach their full flavor when dry, so be sure to press them between layers of paper towels inside heavy books for a few weeks before you use them.

Thyme

Thyme is a perennial herb.  It is hardy in zones 4 to 6.  It’s a small, shrub-like herb that requires full sun and moist, well-drained soil.  It is quite hardy in its standard zones and doesn’t require much care at all.

Get fresh homegrown flavor when you download the free copy of 27 Must-Have Culinary Herbs and their Uses.