How to Grow an Indoor Herb Tea Garden

Herbal tea is enjoyable any time of the day.

The varieties of herb tea, used in folk remedies and as alternates to regular tea, hold a wealth of flavor options. If you don't have room to plant outdoors, begin an herb tea garden indoors, via container gardening. Herbs used for tea, in fact, are easier to successfully grow than some vegetables.

Things You'll Need

• Potting soil
• Gardening containers
• Small Stones
• Trays
• Adjustable light fixture
• Full spectrum light
• Herb seeds or transplants

Instructions

1. Find which window of your living space will have the most amount of sun during each season. Plan to move your herb tea garden as the sun light quality changes.

2. Consider what flavors of herb tea you find the most pleasing for drinking, and the ones you think sound interesting. Examples of herbs used to make tea include peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint, catnip, ginger, lemon balm, thyme, dandelion and holy basil. Search medical report sites such as PubMed for herbs proven to have medicinal value.

3. Compile a list of the plants you want in your indoor herb tea garden. Study the most effective way to plant each herb you choose.

4. Obtain a container that is appropriate for each herb you have chosen. Consider plant container choices such as window boxes, hanging baskets or even teacups.

5. Place the trays in the location with the best sunlight, if using containers that have a drain. Place the plant containers on the trays. Place small stones on the bottom of each planter and set more stones evenly across the trays. Fill the plant containers up with the potting soil until around 2 inches to ½ inch from the top. If using containers without a drain, don't use the trays.

6. Plant seeds in accordance with the seed packet directions. Transplant already started plants into containers and add additional soil if necessary. Water the soil, making it saturated but not so much that the soil turns to mud.

7. Water each plant according to the specific method suggested for it, as may be found from a garden center, online, in gardening books or on the back of a seed packet. Use the full-spectrum light if necessary, for cloudy days.

8. Separate the seedlings, after the seeds have sprouted, to the proper spacing when they reach the height mentioned on the seed packet for transplanting.

Tips & Warnings

• If desired, pick containers that complement the colors of the plants, and arrange the containers so that everything harmonizes, including the décor.

• If you use porous containers, such as clay containers, you will need to water your herbs more often.

References

• West Virginia University; Container Gardening; John W. Jett
• Virginia Cooperative Extension; Herbs; Diane Relf and S.B. Sterrett; May 200
• "Herbal Teas: 101 Nourishing Blends for Daily Health and Vitality"; Kathleen Brown, Jeanine Pollak; 1998