How to grow herbs indoors this winter.

  

   

Growing herbs indoors this winter is easier than you think. You'll be rewarded with fresh cooking herbs you grow and harvest yourself, as well as the color and aroma herbs bring to the table. Here are some tips to help you grow healthy herbs indoors successfully.

Start with quality herb plants. You can grow herbs from seed, but it takes time for them to reach the point when you can harvest from them. Popular herbs which do well inside are parsley, basil, sage and thyme, but most herbs lend themselves very well to be grown in pots and containers indoors.  You can grow indoor herbs anywhere they will get at least 6 hours of sunlight, such as a south or west facing window.

Or supplement your natural light with additional lighting from a fluorescent fixture or incandescent bulb. Kits such as Jump Start® are easy to set-up, come with a full-spectrum bulb and the bulb height can be adjusted quickly, as plants grow.

These incandescent bulbs kits are convenient, because they clip on to a shelf and can be swiveled to point light directly at your plants.

Herbs with similar water and light requirements can be combined such as this  cutting celery, red veined sorrel and sweet marjoram combination.

There are many attractive clay or ceramic container options to plant herbs in, just be sure the container has good drainage.

Along with regular watering, feed your herbs every other week with Age Old Grow®. Herbs will do best if they are continuously harvested.

Apart from cooking, herbs make great house plants. Cinnamon Basil and Spanish Lavender will flower, plus many have relaxing fragrance, even when they are not blooming. An indoor herb garden allows you to enjoy the flavor and fragrance of fresh herbs year round.