Whether you have a green thumb and love gardening or are a novice wanting to start small, you can grow herbs! Growing your own herbs saves you money, enhances your cooking, and may improve your health.

This article gives four great reasons to start your herb garden today as well as ideas for growing herbs in small spaces.

Herbs for Health and Enjoyment

1) May improve your health – Herbs don’t just taste great, they’re full of antioxidants, flavonoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and nutrients linked to numerous health benefits in dozens of published studies.

“There is now ample evidence that spices and herbs possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, anticarcinogenic, and glucose- and cholesterol-lowering activities as well as properties that affect cognition and mood,” reads an overview of studies in the National Library of Medicine.

2) Enhance your cooking – We often share recipes from the Mediterranean Diet because health care providers recommend it for heart health, preventing illness, and overall wellness. Because this style of cooking relies on herbs rather than salt for flavors, aromatic herbs are vital to Mediterranean cooking. For amazing home-cooked dishes featuring fresh herbs, we recommend “Good Food, Great Medicine: A Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Guide,” by Miles Hassell, MD and Mea Hassell and this fabulous resource from the Food Network.

3) Save money and waste less – Recipes typically call for a couple of tablespoons of fresh herbs at the most and then the rest of the herb bunch wilts in your fridge. You can propagate many culinary and medicinal herbs in water and grow them hydroponically or transplant them into soil.

4) Easy to grow anywhere – You can grow herbs just about anywhere, regardless of your space. Hanging planters, stackable planters, wall gardens and fish-tank topping gardens are just a few ways to grow herbs in small spaces and add color to your home or balcony. This article offers some good indoor growing tips for beginners.