Kitchen Herbs That Love To Grow Indoors

If you like use herbs for cooking, then you probably love having indoor herbs growing right in your kitchen window sill. But how do you know which ones grow easily indoors? Here are my favorite kitchen herbs that love to grow indoors:

Basil

Basil is a favorite for cooking and it grows quite well in the kitchen because it likes the heat. You can start them from seed or use a starter plant. Keep the herb bushy by pinching off the top set of leaves on each stem. You can grow three or four basil plants in the same container and they will do quite well and provide you with enough basil for seasoning and salads. If you want seeds for the next year, put your plants back out in the garden in spring.

Dill

Dill is great for pickling, but it also tastes wonderful on eggs especially if you can snip off a few fresh sprigs of dill from your very own plants growing on your kitchen windowsill. Sow the seeds in a large pot and don’t bother to thin them out. Dill makes a great looking plant and even produce yellow flowers.

Mint

Mint is another one of my favorite kitchen herbs, however it doesn’t like the heat so much and it needs to be kept at around 65° and not so much in the hot sun. So you want to keep it away from the stove and not right in the window sill as it prefers filtered sun for part of the day. Nothing beats using fresh mint leaves to garnish desserts or to drop into your tea.

Parsley

Another standard cooking herb, Parsley is actually the oldest herb known to man. It loves to grow in a sunny window but you must make sure that the roots do not dry out so water carefully and check the soil often. Parsley prefers a cooler temperature and doesn’t do well if the soil is fertilized.

Thyme

Well, you can’t talk about growing Parsley indoors without talking about Thyme and this herb will thrive growing on your windowsill. You can start from seed, and stick it in a sunny window as this herb likes a lot of sun.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is one of the most fragrant herbs and would be wonderful in the kitchen as it will make your work area smell good and the leaves themselves are great to use in a tea. When grown in pots indoors, the stems hang down over the sides for an interesting effect.

Growing kitchen herbs indoors is a great way to have fresh herbs on hand for your cooking as well as medicinal purposes. Just make sure you water carefully and don’t let the pots get to dried out and you’re sure to be successful!

Growing A Container Herb Garden

Growing a container herb garden has many advantages over regular outdoor gardening. The greatest advantage of an herb container garden is that you have the option of bringing your herbs indoors during wintertime. One of the most important things about container herb gardening is that you must make sure you keep the soil moist (but not too wet) and that you place the containers where they can get the right amount of light for the herbs they contain.

In nature, the soil regulates the amount of moisture and the nutrients provided to herbs but when you grown them in a container you have to make a bit more of an effort to insure your plants get everything they need.  One thing is critical - you must know the light, water and fertilization need of the herbs you plan to grow.

Many herbs are flexible when it comes to the shape and size of container they will grow in - an advantage to anyone with an interest in container gardening. Two examples are basil and rosemary. Both are equally at home in traditional planters or hand-painted teacups. Thyme, dill, sage, lavender, and mint can all be grown in containers as well.

Begin with seeds of good quality because they can spoil just like other natural food products. The airborne spores can attack and there are a wide range of organic compounds that oxygen reacts with. To get them and to keep them fresh is easy, but you need to check the dates on the package. It is also necessary to throw away any wet seeds.

Not only does your container herb garden need the correct soil and moisture balance , but it also need to be placed in an appropriate location. Plants may need full sun or partial sun. For example, Basil thrives in warm soil and dry air and struggles in the cold. A window would be a great place for a Basil plant, but be sure that the windowsill does not get frosty or icy in the winter time.

In the Northern Hemisphere’s most populated areas sunlight comes in at a more southern angle. Sun-loving plants should be placed in areas with southern exposure. Remember, your herb container garden doesn’t have to be all in 1 spot so place your pots accordingly.

Proper preparation and maintenance of the moisture content of the soil is very important for container herb gardening. A mix of both sandy and clay soil is best. Clay chips do a great job of retaining moisture, but in a container, they can absorb and hold water for long periods resulting in their job being done too well.

One thing to remember about container herb gardening is that you must water your plants carefully. Root rot due to excessive moisture is the most common issue found among container plants. Some plants are fine if they remain wet at all times, but herbs are more comfortable if things are kept slightly dryer. Sage much prefers dry soil, while peppermint prefers moisture.

It is important to remember that having the soil moist does not mean it should be soaking wet.  Feel the surface of the soil in each pot in your herb container garden with your thumb. If it feels a bit springy, that’s moist while dry soil will feel hard to the touch. The most accurate way to test the moisture level under the surface is with a moisture gauge, but you can also use a toothpick inserted into the soil. Pull it out again to see if you have dry or moist soil under the top layer.

With a little bit of planning, you will find that growing a container herb garden is quite easy and you will be well rewarded with fresh herbs for your kitchen!

Making A Potted Herb Garden

Making a potted herb garden offers a number of benefits that outweigh those of outdoor gardening. It will let you bring plants indoors for the winter, or grow plants in your house all year long. When growing an herb garden in pots you have complete control over the soil quality, amount of water and sunlight.

There is a lot more to growing an herb garden in a pot than just throwing in the seeds and watering. You need to do your research on moisture, soil and nutrients before you begin because in a controlled environment Mother Nature isn’t going to do it for you. With a little research you will find that many herbs, including sage, mint, dill and basil will do well in pots with the proper care.

Make sure your seeds are of the highest quality, because seeds can spoil just like food. Check the dates on the packages, and make sure you avoid using any that got wet. Air has spores that will invade the seeds and oxygen will react with them as well.

Just because you making a potted herb garden rather than a backyard garden doesn’t mean your plants can’t grow outside. Since your herb garden in pots is portable, they can be moved from inside to outside when they would benefit more from the sunlight if needed. Try to plant groups together in the same pots according to how much shade and sunshine each group needs.

Properly maintaining the soil is a big key for your plants to prosper. The moisture content needs to be consistent to meet the plants requirements. Although lavender needs a lot of sunlight, the soil needs to be kept dry. Using clay chips in the pot can help hold the moisture in, but it needs to be monitored or it will stay too wet. Mixing in some sandy soil with it will help make the soil content the best.

Rotting roots is a very common problem for plants in containers. Some plants can tolerate being wet a lot of the time, but most of the herbs out there will want dryer soil. You can check the soil to see if it’s moist - not too wet, not too dry - by pressing your thumb on the soil surface. When it’s moist, it will be springy, and if it’s dry, it will be hard. To check the soil beneath the surface, use a toothpick or a moisture gauge to see whether the soil is dry or moist.

Making a potted herb garden will allow for fresh herbs year round. Herbs for cooking, for example, will get use even out of season. In the summer the pots can stay outside, and in the winter your herb garden in pots can decorate your kitchen windowsill.