How to grow culinary herbs indoors this winter.

 

Growing herbs indoors is a great way to continue gardening right through the coldest days of the season. By growing your own culinary herbs indoors, you will 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 begin to harvest from them. Popular herbs which do well inside are cilantro, oregano, parsley, basil, sage, rosemary and thyme, but most herbs lend themselves very well to be grown in pots and containers indoors.  

 You have many options when it comes to selecting a container for your herb plants. The main consideration is the pot is the correct size for the plants you are growing and that it drains. Over potting herb plants will lead to root problems. Along with the right sized pot, select a potting soil that drains well. The Flower Bin Potting Soil Mix is a good choice. Happy Frog Potting soil also works well. Both contain mycorrhizae for better root development. Choose herb plants which will do well in the light you have available. Growing low light herbs is a good option if you do not have enough natural light or a way to add supplemental lighting. Herbs that do well in low light,  as defined by less than four hours of direct sun daily include chives, lemon balm, tarragon, mint, thyme, parsley. You can grow herbs indoors anywhere they will get at least 6 hours of sunlight, such as a south or west facing window. Your other option is to supplement your natural lighting with additional lighting from a fluorescent fixture or an incandescent bulb. Grow bulbs are available which will fit a standard socket such as a desk lamp. This makes it easy to achieve the light you need to grow herbs indoors successfully.  

 

Herbs with similar water and light requirements can be combined into a single container such as this Bay Laurel, Basil and Parsley combination. There are many attractive clay or ceramic container options to plant herbs in, just be sure the container has good drainage.  Plan to feed your herb plants every other week with a mild fertilizer such as Neptune’s Harvest or Age Old Grow®. Herbs will do best if they are continuously harvested. Apart from cooking, herbs make great house plants. Pineapple Sage will flower, plus many herbs 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.