Fresh herbs can be a great addition to any meal. They taste great, are healthy and can be easily grown on your windowsill or kitchen counter top. Here’s the best way to plant an indoor garden you can enjoy year-round.
Choose Your Herbs
Check your refrigerator and spice rack for your most often used herbs, and imagine how much better tasting your meals would be if you could cut them fresh from your own garden. Cilantro, mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, chives and parsley are good candidates.
You can grow herbs from seeds, but the faster way is to buy seedlings. You can find these at your local nursery or store garden department.
Buy Pots
You can grow your herbs side by side in a large pot, but it’s best if you can dedicate a small pot for type of herb. Label them with a stick or mark the pot with the herb type.
Make sure the pots have good drainage, as most herbs grow best in moil soil. A quality garden soil is all that is needed for repotting your herbs from their plastic holders. Be gentle with your herbs and try not to disturb the delicate root ball when repotting.
Growing Your Herbs
Herbs require moderate watering on a daily basis. With proper drainage, you should not have an issue with over watering. Unlike many houseplants that can be watered weekly, herbs require a bit more water throughout the week.
Trim your herbs with pruning shears instead of tearing them off with your hands. These will leave clean cuts that will do less damage to the plant. Remove leaves from the top of the plant and let the larger leaves at the bottom continue to soak up the sun. It’s best to provide your herbs with plenty of direct sunlight throughout the day, which is why a windowsill is ideal. But if the windowsill is too hot, move your herbs to a cooler area. Experiment with different spaces in your home for best results.