Indoor Herb Growing Tips
Thursday, March 11th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Herbs are basically grown for what they can do to food. From ordinary dishes to fanciful ones, culinary herbs really transform bland to delicious. For this reason, people have been growing kitchen herbs to spice up their daily cooking.
Herbs have really several varieties. Among all these, growing kitchen herbs that are most common will be most appropriate. There are those you can frequently add to your dishes. Take basil for instance, a staple herb in any garden. It is popular in pesto pasta, as the main garnish. It is also added to soups and salads, and has a sharp, distinct taste that just go well with any tomato dish. This herb is a tender annual, and is very susceptible to cold. It has to be indoors during winter. It definitely loves the sun and can be planted through its seeds.
Another sun-loving herb which loves rich soil is chive. Chive is a hardy perennial that can be planted in the fall or spring. When planting, keep each herb 9-12 inches apart. Add in mulch to ward off weeds. Chive has dark green leaves with a weak onion taste, which makes it a fine addition to baked potatoes and dips.
Dill has a slightly bitter and strong taste that is often garnished to fish, meat and poultry. Leaves and seeds of this plant can be used as seasoning, and they also compliment soups and salads. To plant this herb, choose a sunny spot with a sandy or loamy soil. Make sure the soil is well drained, and plant dill in early spring. Keep a distance of 9 inches for each plant, and sow the seeds in a 1/4 inch deep soil. Make the soil a little acidic, with a pH of 5.8 to 6.5.
Fennel is closely related to dill, and has a sweet flavor. It is also a good garnish to fish and meat, soups and salads. The seeds have sharper flavor though. Plant fennel in a rich and well drained soil during early spring with more space between each plant. Place them one and a half feet apart. Dig a small hole that is 1/4 inch deep and sow the seeds. This herb prefers full sunlight, and a little acidic soil. However, do not let the pH level go below 6.0. Do not interplant this herb with its relative, dill, as they may cross pollinate.
Another herb that must not be missed out is parsley. This has been used for ages in special cuisines and even in ordinary stew. It can also spice up salads and omelets. Though it prefers full sunlight, it can live in partial shade. In planting parsley, it is advisable to buy young seedlings from the nursery. Transfer your tender plants in mid spring or mid summer.
In growing kitchen herbs, it is best to just focus on what you can frequently use. You will have more fun cooking up what you have personally nurtured.
Herb gardening is a great way of getting more out of your home space, the kitchen is just one way to start growing herbs.
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