Growing Herbs Indoors
Easy Year-Round Gardening
The end of gardening season doesn’t have to mean the end of your supply of homegrown herbs. By growing herbs in containers inside the house, you can keep fresh flavor easily within reach.
Containers for Indoor Gardening
Herbs can be grown indoors in a variety of containers. Terra cotta pots are a popular choice, although look-alike plastic planters will retain water better and are often less expensive to purchase. Another traditional option and one that often works well in the kitchen is a long, narrow window box.
Originally designed for compactly growing strawberries, strawberry pots also make a good home for herbs. Some trailing herbs, such as mint, tarragon and thyme can even be grown in hanging planters. No matter what containers you decide to use, take care when planting more than one kind of herb in the same pot. Be sure to only combine plants that share similar needs for soil, water and light.
The Right Light for Indoor Herbs
An essential ingredient for growing any plants indoors is good light. Your indoor herb garden will need about six hours of sunlight each day from a window facing south or east. When growing herbs in a window, remember to give the pots a quarter turn once a week so that all sides of the plant get exposed to light. This will encourage even growth.
If the winter light where you live isn’t enough, you can also grow your herbs under artificial lights. Full-spectrum plant lights will produce the best results, although cool or white daylight bulbs will also work. Be sure to keep the tops of the plants at least five inches from the lights.
Caring for Your Container Herb Garden
Don’t forget to check the moisture of your herbs and water them when the soil feels dry to a depth of one inch. Many times during the winter, the air in a heated room can become very dry, leading to brown leaf tips, red spider mites and other plant problems. To help prevent these issues, mist around your herbs with a spray bottle once a week. This will help restore moisture in the leaves.
You don’t need to worry about fertilizing your herbs, since they will produce the best flavor if you don’t. Instead, be sure to start your plants in enriched fertile potting soil. Once the plants are established and growing well, pinch the tips off periodically to encourage new growth.
Ideal Herbs for Indoor Growth
When growing herbs indoors, you can start them from seeds or cuttings. Herbs that are good for indoor gardening include:
- Aloe
- Basil
- Borage
- Calendula
- Chervil
- Chives
- Ginger
- Hyssop
- Lemon Balm
- Lemon Verbena
- Lemongrass
- Marjoram
- Mint
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Scented Geranium
- Sweet Bay
- Thyme
Sources:
Lewis, Eleanor. Better Homes & Gardens: Herbs. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Corp., 2002
Smith, Miranda. Your Backyard Herb Garden. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc., 1997
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