How to Grow Fresh Herbs All Year Round

Somehow your favorite foods taste better seasoned with fresh herbs than with dried herbs. You can grow your own fresh herbs like basil, chives, lavender, dill, parsley, cilantro and sage on a sunny windowsill in your kitchen. With bright sunlight, florescent lights (for winter herbs), soil, containers and your preferred herb plants, you can grow fresh herbs all year round

Things You'll Need

• Flower pots
• Garden spade
• Potting mix
• Herb plants
• Florescent Lights
• Watering pot

Instructions

1. 

   Find a windowsill with southern exposure.

   Find a windowsill with southern exposure (at least 5 hours of direct sunlight) to place your herb plants and help them grow.

2. 

   Use garden spade for potting mix.

   Fill flower pots with potting mix using your garden spade. Dig holes in the potting mix large enough to plant the herbs up to their stems. Plant each herb by gently turning the herb starter plant upside down and tapping out the soil and root ball.

3. 

   Place a herb plant into potting mix.

   Place each herb plant into a prepared hole in the potting mix. Cover the plant up to its stem with more potting mix and pat firmly.

4. 

   Water plants daily.

   Water the herbs until water drains from the pots. Place potted herbs in saucers on the windowsill and continue to water them daily.

5. 

   Use florescent lights with less than 5 hours of sun.

   Use florescent lights in winter months or when there is less than 5 hours of light in windowsill (or for herbs like basil or cilantro).

Tips & Warnings

• A small metal halide light is great if you need to light a larger area.

• Herb plants do not like to "sit in water," so change the saucer after each watering.

References

• Herbgardenfacts.com:The Window Herb Garden Video
• Jason's Indoor Guide to Organic and Hydroponics Gardening: Growing Herbs Indoors All Winter