There are many benefits to growing an indoor herb garden. It can be a rewarding first experience for beginning gardeners, or an excellent solution for any gardener with limited planting space. It is also a fun and efficient way for home cooks to keep fresh herbs at their fingertips.
There are several key considerations to keep in mind when growing your indoor garden. The most important step is to choose a location that gets plenty of sunlight. Ideally, you will find a spot by a window with eight or more hours of direct sunlight a day. If your herbs develop long stems and leaves, discolored leaves, or leaves the fall off for no apparent reason, they may not be getting enough sunlight. If there is no better location available, you can augment the sunlight with grow lights available at you nursery, or with florescent shop lights kept 4 to 6 inches above the plants.
Once you have spot picked out, decide which herbs you want to grow. Look through nursery catalogs, consult nursery staff, or simply pick herbs you enjoy. If you are unsure, oregano, chives, mint, rosemary, basil, parsley, and thyme are all good bets. They are all commonly used in popular recipes and produce pleasing foliage and fragrances. As and added bonus, they are all hearty enough to be likely to transplant well outside, if you choose later to do so.
Many people enjoy Italian food so much that they spend their efforts on a specialized Italian herb garden. That’s something for you to consider.
Your garden center staff can assist you to pick the correct kind of containers. You’ll require 6 to 8 inches across, and at lest 6 to 8 inches deep. You could also select to make use of a larger container and group the plants into 6 to 8 inches apart. Drainage is definitely an very essential consideration. Location screen mesh across the drainage holes on the container, and location containers inside a tray gravel-filled tray. The nursery staff may also assist you to choose a potting mix that drains well and is approved for use with edible plants.
Layer potting mix into the bottom of the containers. Carefully set the plants into the potting mix at the depth they were growing in the nursery pots, and water them. It is essential that you do not over water your herbs. A thorough watering no more them twice a week should be plenty. If you like, you can supplement the potting mix once or twice a month with a fertilizer approved for use with edibles.
Before you begin to harvest you herbs give them a chance to develop new growth. Harvest by clipping the outermost leaves and sprigs when you plan to use them. Avoid over harvesting so that the herbs will last as long as possible.
You may encounter a couple of pitfalls with your indoor garden. Indoor air lacks the humidity of outdoor air and you may need to provide the herbs with added moisture by misting the leaves or adding water to the gravel-line drainage tray. You also may encounter a problem with insects. If so, fill a spray bottle tepid, soapy water and spray the leaves and stems. The soapy solution will kill off the intruders without harming the plants.
If you follow these guidelines, you should be able to enjoy all the benefits of fresh, home-grown herbs, while basking in the accomplishment of successful gardening. Whether you consider yourself a gardener who cooks, or a cook who gardens, you will undoubtedly be pleased with you indoor herb garden.
