Growing Herbs in Pots
Herbs in Pots
Herbs are some of the most adaptable plants on Earth. While many people love to grow herb garden plants, there is no reason why herbs grown inside your house should be any less successful. To start to grow herbs inside all you will need to get you started is a sturdy pot/ container/ window box or hanging basket. Some people also buy prepackaged herb garden kits which save a lot of time, especially if you are new to this activity.
The most important thing is to find a spot where the herbs can get the biggest amount of sunlight possible. Sunlight, along with having a good soil and water are the three most important ingredients for growing herbs.
A little preparation now can reap huge rewards in the future. You need to find out which spots in your house get the most sunlight. Usually a window in the south or west of your house is the best. There is some variation in the amount of sunlight different herbs need, but as a general rule most need a sunny location. If you can’t get enough sunshine to the herbs it is worth considering buying a fluorescent lamp, these are also known as ‘grow lamps’ and can be bought at most D.I.Y. stores.
Getting the Right Soil and Watering Your Plant
Just as diet is important for professional sports people, soil is very important for plants. The soil needs to be well drained and not too rich. The best ratio is one part course sand or perlite mixed with two parts sterilized potting soil. To set up your herbs properly for maximum growth take your container and put a layer of gravel about a inch deep at the bottom. This is important as this gravel will provide the herb with the drainage that it needs. The next part is to add the soil.
A great technique for indoor plants is to add a teaspoon of lime for every 5 inches that makes up your pot. This extra bit of sweetness will really help your herbs to grow rapidly. You also want to make sure that you re-pot the herbs every year or so, to ensure that everything is kept in optimum condition.
Finally you need to add water to help them to grow. As a general rule herbs grown indoors need more water than those grown outside. A lot of people drench their poor herb in so much water that it damages its health! Poor thing! A far better technique is known as ‘misting’ whereby you use a light spray to cover the herb with a thin ‘coat’ of water. You may also want to moisten the pebbles with a little water to keep the humidity up. These techniques should supplement, not replace, your watering routine.
Summary
If you want to grow perennial herbs (Dill or rosemary for example) indoors you will find that alternating between periods indoors and outdoors will increase their growth. As a general rule put these plants outside for the summer, then bring them indoors before the first frosts start. This is not a golden rule as some herbs actually benefit from a frost (Rosemary, tarragon and chives being three good examples). These herbs actually go into a dormant period in the cold, from which they emerge with hardier growth. On the other hand if you are growing annual herbs (Chervil or Perilla for example) they will grow perfectly well if you keep them entirely indoors.
Some herbs will always do better than others indoors, but all herbs can be grown indoors. The best thing is that indoor herbs gardens are easily maintained and readily available whenever you are cooking. The herbs found in an Italian herb garden are especially well suited for this purpose. The best thing about using these herbs in your cooking is this kind of periodic pruning actually encourages the herb to grow more! So eat them, make a herb cellar with them and make friends by giving them to your neighbors. I have included some great tip for using herbs from a home herb garden if you want to learn more. With these tips, you will soon have healthy, tasty herbs that everyone will want!
