Herb Indoor

Growing Your Herbs Indoor

When I was growing up my mother was always a big fan of fresh herbs. We only had a small garden, but our house was full of tiny potted herb gardens and the windows partially blocked with her windowsill herb garden. I can still remember some of the salads that she made using handfuls of freshly grown flavorings (I was one of those rare kids that loved vegetables- go figure!).

Indoor herb gardens are great as an alternative to bigger outdoor herb gardens such as formal English gardens. They have the disadvantage of being smaller, but the conditions are a lot easier to control. Other gardeners like to use a indoor herb garden as one of many herbs gardens to maximize their harvest.

The easiest thing to control with an indoor herb garden is the weather. Outside herb gardens can be troublesome if you live in the northern hemisphere as your garden can be under a couple of inches of snow for much of the winter, leaving your herbs either dormant or dead. Likewise hot summers can make herbs such as herb garden cilantro bolt. Bolting plants can leave your harvest inedible.

Filling your garden with ornamental herbs (Herbs selected for eye-pleasing as opposed to taste reasons) can also make a great addition to any house. Not only can many ornamental herbs also be eaten, but they also add some life to your house.

Many herbs can be grown indoors, but as a general rule the following herbs grow well indoors:

  • Dill
  • Basil
  • Sage
  • Oregano
  • Fennel
  • Thyme
  • Mint
  • Chives
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary

The first thing that you have to consider is whether your plant needs sunlight or shade. Amazingly some herbs will do really well in the shade, whereas others need lots of sunshine. If your plants need a lot of sunlight (Most do!) then they should be planted in the southern end of your house, in the part of your house that receives the most sunshine.

The next part is to chose the container. You will want to choose a container that confirms to the space where you intend to put it. Containers for the windowsill will tend to be light, long and not very wide. If you intend to put your plant in your living room, you may want to buy one for aesthetic  reasons as much as practical ones. If you just want to grow herbs for your own cooking, then you can improvise containers from yogurt tubs or leftover ceramics. If you are artistically-minded you may want to create some original art on your pots or have fun with young children painting one.

You will likely need to add some kind of fertilizer, although this varies somewhat plant-to-plant. Remember to check whether the fertilizer is suitable for use on edibles if that is how you want to use it- some are not!

Water then becomes the most important thing. You will of course need to make a schedule as it can be difficulty to remember. A simple way is to choose the same day every week and water the plants constantly on that date. Many people also add perlite to their soil to reduce water loss.  The problem most people have is either not watering enough or watering too much. If you stick a finger a small way into the soil and it feels moist you should wait another day or two before watering. A lot of gardeners mist their plants if the soil feels wet (Leaving a thin mist of water using a spray bottle on the leaves for it to be slowly absorbed), giving the plant a little water over a long time.

Growing herbs indoors can be one of the most enriching activities you can take part in, not only do you get flavorful herbs, but you also make your house look more beautiful. What could be better than that!