Gardening Indoors with Herbs
Monday, March 8th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Not much room for gardening? You can always grow a small herb garden on the windowsill of any sunny window in your house or apartment. Make sure that the window is going to provide plenty of sunlight. A south-facing window is best. If you do not have a good window or location, you can purchase a grow light. This is more costly than light, but whatever works for your herb plants is best!
This may be obvious to you, but don’t put your herb plants too close to your heater or heating/air conditioning vent because heat as well as hot and cool air will hurt your herb plants.
I gave up on bringing my herbs indoors during winter months long ago because I never really had good luck. If you’re like me, you will drop by the greenhouse or grocery store to get the herb plants you’ll need over the winter. Keep the indoor herb plants indoors and the outdoor ones outside.
Another thing to keep in mind about inside herb plants is that they tend to get a little leggy. You’ll know that they have done this because they will get tall without getting many leaves. To help with this, snip off the top of the plant and that can trick the plant into growing more full.
Because you want your herb plants to do well in your indoor herb garden, always try to get the right container for your herb plants. Do your homework and you will find the best herbs for your indoor garden.
Here are some nice herb plants to start within your indoor garden. You will notice that all 4 have a number of uses around the house—not to mention that they smell amazing!
- Sage: Like rosemary, the pungent flavor and silvery leaves make sage a wonderful addition to your inside garden. Here’s some sage advice: snip a couple leaves from the lower branches to add them to your next meal.
- Thyme: With all the tastes and varieties, you may have a hard thyme choosing the right one for your indoor garden. There is also the added benefit that it also smells wonderful growing in your kitchen.
- Mustard: If you like spice, you will like mustard. Try a few of the different kinds of mustard, keep in mind that all the taste of the plant is in the foliage and the seeds. If you love mustard greens, don’t forget to cook them thoroughly to soften the course leaves. Since this one can get pretty big in some types, be sure that you’re getting a smaller type for inside.
- Angelica: This plant is phenomenal in its appearance and its course texture makes it a special addition to your indoor herb garden. Use the blooms in your floral arrangements. Angelica is similar to the mustard plant in size, so look for a smaller kind for your inside herb garden.
You’ll want to get a container that allows for drainage. That is crucial for your plants’ health. But be careful where you put your pots (you do not want them peeing all over you countertops, window sills or kitchen table). All my potted herbs sit on a tray on my kitchen table. The tray keeps them together and catches the draining water. I love using the tray because I can fast move all my herb plants at once, or turn the tray so that my herbs get the best sunshine.
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.
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Possible Related Posts
