Want to have your own fresh herbs to pick from a garden, but live high up in a downtown apartment or in a townhome with a pocket sized yard? We have just the solution for you… start growing your herbs in pots! Yup, with a sunny window or balcony, you can have fresh, organic herbs right at hand to clip and use for all your gourmet cooking and refreshing herbal teas.
Just imagine… it’s close to dinner, and the pasta is cooking. You step out on the balcony and clip a few fresh basil sprigs for your special recipe pesto. Blended with a little extra virgin olive oil, some fresh garlic and parmesan cheese – yum!
All you need is a little imagination, a few containers, and your carefully selected seedlings from a reputable nursery, herb farm or farmers market grower. Then just supply the 3 necessary requirements:Â a well-draining soil, a few hours of sunlight and water. It is really easy to control all these essential elements when you use containers for planting. All plants need light for photosynthesis (remember that term from school?), so place your potted-up herbs on a sunny windowsill or a south or west facing balcony. If you face east or north, don’t despair You can always supplement the light with a high-intensity grow light and still have those fresh herbs to enjoy.
So the soil in your containers drains well (herbs hate soggy soil, and will die on you), put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the pot before you add the soil. Use a sterilized potting soil, mixed with some perlite to keep it loose and light. After you have potted up the starter seedlings, get a plastic or metal tray, and put a shallow bed of gravel in it. Place your plants on the gravel, and add water to the tray. Your plants will now have their own instant humidifier. A weekly misting with clean water will make them grow even better.
As far as knowing when your herbs need watering, it is really simple. Just poke your finger about an inch into the soil. If it is dry, water the plant. But… never overwater. If you check them frequently, you will soon know just how often they need watering. Occasionally, you may want to add a little liquid fertilizer to the water(something natural, like a seaweed extract), but most herbs don’t need a lot of feeding.
The advantage you have if you are growing herbs in pots is the freedom to move them around, indoors or outdoors. They can be placed close to the kitchen, or right on the kitchen windowsill, where they are handy for cooking. You can move them to get the best light, or be near the water faucet. You can keep your herbs indoors all year, but many of them will definitely do better in an outdoor location. Give them a summer outside, and bring them inside in fall.
Soon, you will have pots of fresh herbs you have carefully chosen and cared for. Use them frequently so they keep a compact shape and stay lush and green. Use your branching herbs, like basil and oregano, by pinching back the growing tips. This encourages even more growth. Use outer leaves of parsley and coriander. If you find you have more than you can use, freeze or dry the excess. Enjoy!
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