You can have all sorts of containers – varied pots, galvanized steel or tin pails, old cook wares from casseroles to bowls, including the broken ones, old tires and just about any empty container you have.

When you have the containers and the herbs, you can start your petite home herb gardens. The containers will have to cleaned thoroughly, the same goes for brand new pots. They have to be dirt free so as to not allow early formation of moss, molds and unhelpful bacteria.

Below are two ways you can utilize the container gardening technique.

Indoor Herb Garden

Most annuals are suitable for indoor gardens. Some of these are basil, anise, borage, geranium, chives, and rosemary. They are low maintenance. They just need well tilled soil, minimal exposure to the sun and regular watering. Place them near window sills and door openings. However, each plant has different tolerance with sunlight. Full sunshine is needed by some plants once in a while, like geraniums. It would be great to have a schedule posted on when you will be taking your herbs outside. When growing herbs in pots indoors, it would be best to choose the lightweight ones, so whenever you need to bring them out, you can easily carry them.

Also, there are several ways to minimize space consumption. You can hang your pots with plastic or metal chains if your windows have railings. You could also place the containers on one side of your counter top or where it is most accessible to you when you are cooking.

For aromatic herbs, place them in tables where the most traffic in your house goes through. It will also work as a great centerpiece for your dining table. Why not use aromatic herbs instead or potpourri in your bathroom. You will notice that the scent of the plants goes off when your steam goes off as well. This is due to the reaction of the herbs’ essential oils reacting to some heat. Having a small pot of aromatic herb will also be good to help you relax before you go to sleep. The lavender would be a popular choice.

Outdoor Herb Garden

An outdoor garden is usually associated with vast lawns and wide-stretching backyards. It is still possible to have a nice outdoor garden even if your outdoor is as small as your storage room. Most perennials and evergreens grow best in outside environments. They will need all the sunlight they can have.

You can use old tires and variedly sized pots to create a tiered outdoor garden. Put the biggest pots on the bottom and pile up to the top having the smallest pots. This will allow your herbs the right position to grow. Just be sure to take note that it is not necessary that the big pots contain the big plants. You could have the herbs with small root growth in clusters for more thickness. Choose deep pots for those with sporadic and expansive root growth. Have them placed in the middle of the tier. You can use any pot to contribute to the aesthetics of your outdoors.

With the container technique, having diverse herb gardens is truly possible to work for your comfort and convenience.

Here are some key points explained in establishing an indoor garden.

Knowing the easy-to-grow indoor herbs

Annuals are the best type for indoor gardens. Since they have a limited lifespan, they cannot be exposed to continuously changing weathers. Their roots usually have small growth; which is why they cannot stand the outside environment. They can be easily uprooted and their leaves would easily wither.

Some varieties of basil like Thai, Holy Basil or Tulsi and lemon, chives, scented geranium, lavender, rosemary, sweet woodruff and lemon verbena are some of the annuals appropriate in indoor settings. These could grow in small pots and could survive without constant exposure to sunlight. However, some may need to be taken outdoors once in a while. These would be further explained in the succeeding parts.

On the other hand, some perennials could also survive in indoor environments. A seasonal outdoor exposure is something they need.

Having the right locations

Window areas, door openings, atriums and any area inside your house with natural lighting or close proximity to outside ventilation are the most suitable places for indoor herbs. In the kitchen, put them near the windows that should always be left open or at least ajar. Just a few hours under ample sunlight could make your plants healthier.

If you are into aromatic herbs, you most definitely want them placed in various parts of the house. But do make sure that you take them outside for at least one to three hours daily. Too much sunlight will cause their roots to dry up and that would result to frequent wilting of the leaves.

Perennials could also stay indoors but as much as possible expose them to sunlight regularly. Put them in places where there is most sun exposure. If you happen to have limited spaces near the open areas, another option is to use chains to hang them.

Taking care of the herbs – on watering, pruning and soil maintenance

Indoor plants need as much water as outdoor plants. They can be watered every other two days. Drowning the soil will make it too soggy to absorb other nutrients from the soil.

You can also do occasional pruning. Do not take out the drying foliage immediately. Letting them fall on the pot would make them possible fertilizers. However, if there are too much falling leaves, you have to remove some of them. They may be too moist, thus killing the roots.

Your soil should have regular peat moss or compost supplements. At least every three months, make it a point to dig up an inch from the surface and put in a new batch. This is also a basic in growing herbs in pots.

Before annuals die, start repotting so you would not have to start planting all over. Trim off a healthy part of the herb. Each cut piece should have some roots and foliage already this will make it easier for you to grow them.

Now these three easy key methods would ensure you of a flourishing indoor herb garden all year round.

Annuals like basil, cilantro, and summer savory will not survive a frost.  each year, these types of herbs need to be planted from a seed or a young herb plant.  Perennials like sage and winter savory can survive colder temperatures and will return year after year.  Herb garden plants that grow leaves in their first growing season, flowers and seed in the second, then die. are called biennials.

Biennial herb garden plants like parsley, angelica, or caraway should be sown in late spring directly into the garden.  You should first work the soil by making it into a fine texture and making it slightly wet.  Then the seeds should be sown in shallow rows making the soil firm on top of them.  Fine seeds can be planted in a mixture of sand which will allow them to spread more evenly.  You can also cover the bed with wet burlap or paper in order to keep the soil moist during germination.

Herbs are also grouped into the categories for which they are used.  perhaps the most useful to herb growers are culinary herb garden plants.  There is a wide range of uses for herbs in cooking.  Because of their strong flavors, herbs like chives, thyme, basil, sage, savory, and marjoram are generally used in small quantities to add flavor to different types of food.  A very famous herb that is used mostly as decoration is parsley.

Aromatic herbs have pleasant smelling flowers or foliage.  Oils from aromatic herbs like loyage, mint, and rosemary can be used to make different types of perfumes, toilet water, or other various scents.  Parts of aromatic herb garden plants used intact can also be used in the home to scent linens or clothing.  They can also be dried and made into potpourri which will enable them to be able to retain their aroma for a long period of time.  Lavender and lemon verbena are great herbs to use for potpourri.

Some herbs are also used for medicinal purposes.  For centuries herbs have been thought to have the ability to cure the body.  Present medical knowledge recognizes that some herb garden plants are beneficial to one’s health, others are overrated.  Herbs used for medicinal purposes should be used carefully.  Some herbs are harmless but others can be dangerous if eaten.

Some herbs are not used for their flavor, power to heal or fragrance.  Some herbs are also used for their beauty.  Ornamental herb garden plants have brightly colored flowers and foliage.  Many of them come in white or light-colored flowers like valerian which has delicate  crimson flowers, and borage and chicory which has attractive blue flowers.

While herbs can be categorized into these different categories of uses, many herbs have multiple purposes.  Mint may also be used as insect repellent or as flavor enhancer.  Whatever the reason you have an interest in herbs, by understanding herb garden plants you are able to pick the herbs that will be most useful to you.

Buy Non-Hybrid Heirloom Seeds for healthy, good tasting, and continuous harvesting of your favorite herbs for many years to come.

For Food Storage Secrets for All you favorite herbs, click here.