You love growing your own herbs and this year you‘ve decided to grow them from scratch. So here you sit, staring into your herb seed pack and wondering just what to do next. Yes, growing herbs from seed is quite a bit different than getting the herb which has already been started and is growing in a pot and then transplanting it into your garden. However, there is nothing more satisfying than growing a plant germinated from seed.

There are some are herbs that will do better when grown from seed than others. If you're just starting out you'll want to pick something like basil, chives, dill, or sage because some of the other types of seeds don't grow as easily. Some of them are hybrids that don't reproduce from seed and others like Rosemary have a low germination rate. So growing from seed can be a little frustrating.

Once you have decided what to grow and have your herb seed, you'll need to decide whether to start them indoors in a container or plant them directly in the garden. Starting them indoors can be a little easier because you have control over their environment and are able to monitor them easier. Then again, starting them outside is quite natural and some plants, such as basil, do quite well when the seeds are planted directly in the ground.

So let's say that you were going to plant some basil. You'll probably want to start them in a pot. Eventually you will remove them to the garden plot. Plant about a dozen seeds in the pot because they're probably not all going to take. This way you will have at least one or two that will grow into big healthy plants. Remember mother nature creates thousands more seeds than ever reach adulthood. Make sure you choose a pot that has good drainage and is large enough for a dozen seeds.

Use good quality soil, but not too much fertilizer because you don't want to burn the seeds. Put the seeds in the pot and just cover lightly with compost. Cover the top of the pot with a plate and water it.

You'll want to take a peek at them daily and make sure the soil stays a little moist but not too wet. Keep them covered until they germinate. Once they do, remove the plate and put them in full sun so they can grow up to be lush hardy plants.

Once your herb seeds have germinated and are well on their way to being healthy plants, you can transplant them to your garden and treat them like the rest of your herbs even if they are a just a bit more special.