Your Indoor Herb Garden
Not much room for gardening? You can always grow a little herb garden on the windowsill of a sunny window in your house or apartment. Keep in mind that your herb plants are going to need a lot of sunlight. If your window faces south, that’s the best. You can also try an artificial grow light, but they can be a bit costly (not only to purchase but also on your electric bill).
Don’t put your herb plants near your heater (maybe this is obvious?) because they will get easily scorched and too much hot air will kill them.
I gave up on bringing my herbs inside during winter months long ago because I never really had good luck. If you are like me, you will drop by the greenhouse or grocery store to get the herb plants you will need over the winter. Just because I do not like mixing my herb plants does not mean that you can’t do it though.
Bringing herbs inside in the winter is a big change for them—some get wiry or spindly. What I mean by that is they grow tall, but do not often get full and bushy is a good thing. You’ll probably want to keep the top pinched back to encourage it to become like a little bush.
With any herb, you’ll want to match the container with the plant and make sure that it can grow in your indoor herb garden. Many herbs have a number of kinds and with some research; you will find the one that will do best in your garden.
Here are some good herbs to start within your indoor garden. You will notice that all four have a number of uses around the house—not to mention that they smell awesome!
- Sage: Like rosemary, the pungent flavor and silvery leaves make sage a wonderful addition to your indoor garden. Here’s some sage advice: lop a few leaves from the lower branches to add them to your next meal.
- Thyme: There are so many tastes and types of the woody perennial thyme that you’ll have a hard thyme choosing just one—that was a joke, in case you missed it. There is also the added benefit that it also smells awesome growing in your kitchen.
- Mustard: If you love spice, you will love mustard. Try some of the different types of mustard, keep in mind that all the taste of the plant is in the foliage and the seeds. You’ll need to cook the leaves thoroughly before eating because of the course texture. Since this one can get pretty big in some varieties, be sure that you’re getting a smaller kind for inside.
- Angelica: I like angelica and because of its beauty and thick leaves it will be wonderful in your indoor herb garden. Trim off a few stemmed flowers for your floral arrangements. Like mustard, it can also get pretty high unless you grow a type that you can maintain inside.
Choose a pot that will provide for good drainage. If you do not, your plant can drown and die. But be careful where you put your containers (you don’t want them peeing all over you countertops, window sills or kitchen table). I love to put my little plant pots on a ceramic tray. This allows my herbs to get plenty of light and acts as a reservoir for the drained water. Using the tray makes it easy to turn the herbs too so that they can get good sunshine.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Mini Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
