Gardening is a tough job. It not only requires patience and skill but immense experience, care, and luck to get the best out of your sow.
Herb gardens are as popular as flower gardens because they are both beneficial and equally beautiful and fragrant and are a pleasant sight to enjoy.
Some herbs are easier to plant and grow than others, and for newbies, it is best to go for easier herbs like thyme, chives, and rosemary.
Starting with easier herbs helps to build up confidence and encourages you to move towards growing more herbs.
Arkansas is normally not a great place to grow herbs; most of Arkansas lies in Hardiness Zone 5 or 6.
Understanding the herbs, choosing the right herb for your area, and the care it requires is essential for your herb garden to thrive and produce yield.
Herb gardens can be of any size and can vary in size, from a small kitchen garden with a few pots to vast herb gardens used for landscaping or mass herb production.
Let’s dig into the science behind growing herbs in Arkansas and the best and easiest herbs that you can opt for growing.
What herbs grow the easiest?
Some herbs are harder to grow and require much more care than others.
While some may require more care and attention, others may be prone to diseases and pests.
Choosing the best herbs to grow in your Arkansas home can be tedious.
But we have made it easier by finding the best and easiest herbs that can be grown in Arkansas.
Some of the easiest, low maintenance, and best herbs to grow in Arkansas are:
- Basil:
Basil is a flavorful and fragrant herb used commonly in pasta and stews, and gladly, it is one of the easiest and best herbs to grow in Arkansas.
Basil can survive the high summer temperatures of Arkansas and grow lush and flavorful in this season.
The best thing about planting and growing basil is that it can grow in any soil, only needing water once or twice a week. Isn’t that just great?
It doesn’t need special fertilizers and can easily grow in any space, be it a small garden container, traditional garden bed, or even indoors.
It can be harvested throughout the summers, and the harvesting will make the basil grow even lusher.
However, it is a disease-prone herb and cannot survive harsh winters.
- Mint:
Another easy herb to plant that can survive even the harsh winters is mint.
You can enjoy the most fragrant and tastiest mint if you plant mint in early spring or winter.
It is a very low-maintenance herb and does not even need pruning; needs very less water and can grow in any soil, making it the perfect herb for freshers.
It is best to grow mint in garden containers as they are invasive and might damage and kill other nearby plants in the garden,
It is a perennial herb; once planted, you can enjoy it every year with little effort.
- Thyme:
Thyme comes in a lot of variety, making it a versatile herb that can grow in every season and weather.
It is one of the easiest herbs to choose for your kitchen or herb garden as you just have to water it all summer and enjoy the yield with no extra care.
Thyme is not only loved by people, but animals like rabbits, birds, chipmunks, and squirrels also like to nibble on fresh thyme leaves, so use a rodent spray or net to protect your yield.
Thyme does not need much care but what it needs care from are insects because they can destroy the plant if not cared for.
- Sage:
If you are looking for a low-maintenance herb, you can harvest in the summers, look no further than sage.
It is the perfect summer herb that will not just survive the heat but grow even bigger and lush in this season.
It is the best mosquito and bug repellent for your garden and home and is, therefore, popular for kitchen gardens.
You can easily grow it in garden containers and window boxes, but look out for diseases as they are the most prone to diseases in the spring and summer.
Can you grow peppermint in Arkansas?
Peppermint is a member of the mint family and can grow easily in varied climatic and weather.
It is a perennial plant; you can enjoy the peppermint harvest every year without replanting it.
Different varieties of peppermint need varying weather.
You must choose the type of peppermint accordingly because a variety that can survive the heat in summers will not grow in colder areas.
Peppermint plants require little maintenance and can grow in many soil, but the soil needs to be well-drained and should have a pH level near neutral.
What herbs grow well all year?
Few herbs can survive both kinds of weather because herbs are sensitive and can either survive either the heat or the cold.
Thyme is one such herb that you can enjoy all around the year.
It can survive the high summer temperatures and hard winters and still grow perfectly.
Thyme comes in a lot of variety, and most of them can grow throughout the year.
The harvesting of thyme can start from spring and can be harvested till late fall, which means you will have thyme the entire year.
Final thoughts:
Herbs are majorly sensitive plants and need attention to thrive, but some, like mint, thyme, etc., are low maintenance and are the easiest to grow.
Herb gardens must be planned after proper research and understanding of the herbs you want to plant.
Without prior planning, your herb garden may not survive and give no or very little yield.
Arkansas is not a simple place to grow herbs; therefore, starting with the easier herbs is recommended and, later on, expanding your herb garden.
Herb gardens are used not only for culinary and medicinal purposes but also for landscaping and as ornamental plants because of their beauty and amazing fragrance.