How to Grow Window Herbs

Fresh herbs indoors

Fresh herbs often come with a high price tag at the grocery store. Growing your own herbs in the window gives you access to fresh herbs year-round for a significantly lower price. Herbs don't take a lot of space and easily grow inside with plenty of sunlight. This makes fresh herbs a possibility for anyone, even those without outdoor garden space. The time and effort required to get the herbs going pays off when you enjoy your own herbs in your favorite dishes.

Things You'll Need

• Pots
• Potting soil
• Perlite
• Gravel
• Herb seeds
• Plant stand
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Choose the herbs you want to plant. Common herbs you can grow at home include oregano, sage, basil, parsley and mint. Choose the herbs that you are most likely to use in your everyday cooking.

2. Purchase pots for your herbs. A long, rectangular container works well for a window sill. You can also choose individual pots.

3. Mix two parts potting soil with one part perlite to use for planting the herbs. Add some gravel in the bottom of the pot to provide drainage. Plant the seeds at the depth recommended on the seed packet. Each herb has slightly different planting requirements.

4. Choose the window you want to use as your herb-growing location. A south or west window is ideal because it provides plenty of direct sunlight for the herbs. If the window sill isn't big enough to accommodate the pots, place a plant stand in front of the window or build a shelf that goes across the window.

5. Monitor the moisture level of the herbs. Too much water will kill the herbs, but you don't want them to dry out too much either. Water the herbs when the surface of the soil is dry.

6. Rotate the herb containers so the plants get equal exposure to the sunlight on all sides.

7. Establish a monthly fertilizing schedule for the herbs. Once a month is usually sufficient. Fish emulsion is a good fertilizer for herbs. Look for it at a local plant nursery.

Tips & Warnings

• Try a few of your favorite herbs to practice your herb-growing skills. Add more herbs once you become more proficient at indoor gardening.

References

• West Virginia University Extension: Growing Herbs