You do not have to begin your herb garden from seeds, but if you want to get a head start on the season and lengthen the time you will have for harvesting your herb plants, start from seeds. You can purchase seeds in a package or use ones left over from last year.

Not all herbs do well from seeds, so read up on your herbs before you invest in seeds, pots, sod and the like.

Before you plant your seeds, you’ll need to soak your seeds in water for a few hours. This can give them the energy they need to get started. You can also pre-sprout your herbs by soaking them, folding them up in a moist paper towel and then sealing your seeds in a freezer bag. Keep the bag at room temperature and out of direct light until you find sprouting seeds when you open the paper towel. Once your seeds have germinated, you are ready to plant them in some rich, moist soil.

Do your homework before you plant your seeds or begin the germinating process, because some seeds must be scarred before planting (as in the citronella herb) or need to be heated before they can sprout (as in the chili pepper plant).

It is important to control your seeds’ growing environment once the sprouting process starts. The germinating process can be as short as five days, such as some kinds of basil, catnip, chives and parsley, or as long as 36 days or more, as in hyssop.

Your seed pots should contain a special seed-starting sod mix that comes with both vermiculite and sphagnum moss for best results.

Although there are a number of many wonderful herb plants that you can grow from seeds, here are some of my favorites:

• Caraway: If you have got some caraway in your kitchen spice rack, simply sprinkle a couple of them into a container, cover with earth and water—how easy could that be? All you have to do is add a few seeds to a container and cover with a thin layer of dirt and a small bit of water. Caraway only takes a few days to grow. Then you can transfer your herb to a larger pot or garden bed. Use caraway to add something extra to your Oktoberfest meals and also your curries.

• Lavender: There are a number of kinds of lavender to choose from. My vote goes to the one called Lady because it develops pretty fast. This fragrant type of lavender can certainly grow on you.

• Nasturtium: These small flowers of joy are severely under-rated. Not only are they brilliant, they’re edible too. Even better, you can easily raise nasturtiums from seeds! Soak these seeds overnight before planting for the best results when you plant them in your well-drained sod. You can even grow the mature plant indoors, and for extra color you can try as a bonus in your salad greens.

• Shepherd’s Purse: Although many folks believe shepherd’s purse is a weed, this tasty plant has a delicate peppery smell and the flavor is a fantastic addition to any salad. As an added bonus, the fresh leaves are wonderful for a heavy dose of vitamin C and A. It’s not complicated to raise. Fill your seeding pot almost to the top with sod and then add several seeds, cover with more dirt and add water. Before you know it, you have got your own shepherd’s purse plant.

And those herbs are just a handful. Some other nice herb plants include anise, hyssop, basil, German chamomile, fennel, lemon balm and sorrel.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Mini Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.