Herb Gardening For Dummies

A plain-English guide to the world of herb gardening Starting an herb garden isn't free, but it certainly outweighs the growing costs of buying retail herbs. Plus, adding homegrown ingredients to your meals is a healthy and tasty way to improve upon any dish you whip up at home. This friendly, hands-on guide is an excellent introduction to the world of herb gardening. It gives you tips and advice to grow a thriving herb garden that will add depth and flavor to home-cooked meals-as well as boost your health. How to choose, plant, and care for herbs Covers ready-made versus homemade soil mixes, starting plants from seeds, and other fundamentals How to prevent insects, pests, and diseases from invading your containers Over 30 herb recipes for everyday uses, including rubs, marinades, beauty products, and more Whether you're interested in getting step-by-step instructions for starting on your first herb garden or already have one and want to learn new tips and techniques, Herb Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition has you covered!

A plain-English guide to the world of herb gardeningStarting an herb garden isn't free, but it certainly outweighsthe growing costs of buying retail herbs. Plus, adding homegrowningredients to your meals is a healthy and tasty way to improveupon any dish you whip up at home.This friendly, hands-on guide is an excellent introduction tothe world of herb gardening. It gives you tips and advice to grow athriving herb garden that will add depth and flavor to home-cookedmeals-as well as boost your health.* How to choose, plant, and care for herbs* Covers ready-made versus homemade soil mixes, starting plantsfrom seeds, and other fundamentals* How to prevent insects, pests, and diseases from invading yourcontainers* Over 30 herb recipes for everyday uses, including rubsmarinades, beauty products, and moreWhether you're interested in getting step-by-step instructionsfor starting on your first herb garden or already have one and wantto learn new tips and techniques, Herb Gardening ForDummies, 2nd Edition has you covered!

Introduction 1Part I: Herb Basics 5Chapter 1: Why Grow Herbs? 7Chapter 2: Herbs 101 19Part II: Deciding How and What to Grow 35Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Home Ground 37Chapter 4: Designing Your Herb Garden 53Chapter 5: Herb Garden Plans 63Chapter 6: Herbs in Containers, Indoors and Out 79Part III: Getting Down to Earth 103Chapter 7: There's No Place Like Loam: Preparing Your Soil for Planting 105Chapter 8: It's Time to Plant 123Chapter 9: Everyday Care and Feeding 139Chapter 10: Managing Pests in Your Herb Garden 157Part IV: Cut and Dried: Handling the Herbal Bounty 175Chapter 11: Harvesting and Preserving 177Chapter 12: Culinary Concoctions 191Chapter 13: Herbs for Healing and Soothing 209Chapter 14: Herbs for Beauty 219Chapter 15: Herbs for Hearth and Home 225Part V: The Part of Tens 235Chapter 16: Ten Gifts to Make from Herbs You Grow 237Chapter 17: Ten Lists of Herbs for Different Uses and Garden Situations 245Appendix: An Encyclopedia of Herbs 251Index 351