When you are focusing on a whole foods diet that consists of mostly produce with small amounts of meats and grains, adding flavor to your food is absolutely essential. Using a few fresh herbs and spices can take a salad or vegetable dish from boring to amazing. Unfortunately many herbs are expensive to purchase. They tend to go bad quickly and you pay several dollars for just a few ounces of herbs. Many people find that growing their own herb garden is simple and much more affordable than purchasing fresh herbs.

An herb garden can be grown indoors or outdoors depending on your available space and local climate. Herb gardens can be grown so that each herb is in a separate pot or so that all of the herbs have their own section in a larger garden area. The one exception to this is mint. All varieties of mint should always be grown in separate pots since mint spreads rapidly and will take over an entire garden and choke everything else out. Herb gardens can be started from seeds but if you can find them it is often easier and faster to start them from plants.

When you plan an herb garden it is best to focus on herbs that you use frequently or herbs that are particularly expensive. Mint, basil, parsley, chives, and cilantro are all herbs that are relatively easy to grow. There are some unique varieties of these available such as chocolate mint or lemon basil that can add specific flavors to foods. So long as they have water, sunlight, and good soil you can maintain an herb garden in an apartment window, on a balcony, or in a corner of a vegetable garden.

Growing your own herbs means that they are available fresh whenever you want them. You will find that you save money even though you are using more herbs. You will also waste less of your herbs since you simply trim or pick whatever you need and leave the rest to continue growing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5626085