The Basics Indoor Herb Gardens

The Basics Indoor Herb Gardens

There's nothing like a few sprigs of fresh herbs to turn a normal home cooked meal into something special and the good news is that indoor herb gardens are easy to grow! The herbs you buy at the market can be hit or miss in their quality and the only way to be sure to have a fresh supply is to grow them yourself. Fortunately it’s easy to grow a large variety of herbs in a small garden or even right in your kitchen windowsill.

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Indoor herb gardens can be started in two ways. You can either purchase seedling herbs from a nursery or garden center or begin your own directly from seed. Both ways are relatively simple, but beginners sometimes have better luck with seedlings.

Seedlings can generally be left in the containers they come in for the first season. Depending on how much you use them and how quickly they are growing, subsequent seasons will require you to either put them in a larger pot or transplant them to your garden. Herbs enjoy loose soil so be careful not to pack them too tightly if you need to transplant. A little mulch or a few wood chips will ensure that the herbs have the proper soil aeration they require.

When the herbs begin to outgrow the pots they are in, you can separate them into several different plants. Herbs are hearty plants and are very difficult to damage. This will greatly increase the amount of herbs you have. If the herbs are already growing in an outdoor garden, you can just as easily separate a small amount and move it to indoor herb gardens or planter for convenient year round use.

A small number of herbs are not well suited for indoor herb gardens. This should be clearly stated on the seed package. A nursery or gardening center should also be able to tell you which ones work best indoors. As a last resort, the Internet contains tons of information about herb gardening. Just be careful not to overwhelm yourself. The truth is that most herbs will grow very well if you simply throw a few seeds out your back door and wait a while. In a month or so you will likely have quite an herb garden growing right there in your lawn. If you’re not careful, the herbs can quickly take over.