Culinary Indoor Herb Gardens
An indoor herb garden is both rewarding and convenient. It allows you to cook with fresh herbs year-round, and you never have to make a trip to the garden in the middle of making dinner. Just snip a few flavorful leaves from a pot on the windowsill whenever you need them. As a bonus, many herb plants are as decorative as they are useful. Does this Spark an idea?
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Selecting the Herbs
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Start with a list of the herbs you already enjoy using and then add a few you would like to try. The extent of your herb garden is limited only by your imagination and the space available. When possible, go with the compact form of an herb. Common culinary herbs for indoor gardening include basil, oregano, dill, thyme, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, chamomile, marjoram, fennel and chives. Calendula, lemon balm, lemon verbena and sweet bay can also grow in containers.
Selecting Containers
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Pots with good drainage are essential, but you can choose whatever style you prefer. Decide whether you'd like a large pot that contains a variety of culinary herbs or a collection of individual 6-inch pots, one for each plant. Pots should be between 6 and 12 inches deep. For fun, repurpose containers you already have, such as a metal mixing bowl, an old pitcher or small buckets; just be sure to drill or punch a few holes in the bottom. Use a large tray or individual saucers to catch any runoff when you water your herb collection.
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The Best Location
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Most herbs are sun lovers; position them in a sunny window, preferably facing south or west. If there is no suitable window available, place a fluorescent light about 18 inches above the plants and turn it on for 10 hours a day. Avoid locating the herb garden near a source of heat. If you plant herbs in individual pots, you can rotate them for uniform sun exposure.
Planting and Caring for the Garden
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The easiest way to start your indoor herb garden is to purchase seedlings and transplant them into pots, but you can start many herbs from seed. Whichever method you choose, use good potting soil. When planting seeds, place them at the depth recommended on the packet. Press them into the soil and water carefully. Keep the soil continually damp until sprouts appear. If you buy seedlings, water them well after transplanting.
Caring for and Harvesting the Herbs
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Water your herb plants weekly or biweekly, waiting until the soil feels dry to the touch. Most herbs do well without rich soil, so fertilize no more than monthly. Harvest the leaves regularly, which encourages your plants to grow full and bushy, but do not remove more than a third of the growth at any one time.
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- Photo Credit basil herb as spice in my meals image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
