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:  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!

Growing garden herbs is a great way to add an attractive element to your existing garden. Having the right plan will help you to be able to not only grow fresh herbs, but also keep the garden you have. In order to get started with your plan, you need to take into consideration what conditions the individual plants will grow best in. The individual conditions, which will cause a plant to grow well or struggle, include air, water and soil. Giving your plant the best possible conditions will allow you to enjoy the herbs for cooking, aromatherapy or medicinal purposes.

Take light into consideration when deciding where to plant your herbs. You do not want to plant herbs, which require full light in areas where there will be a lot of shade from other plants. The shady spots are better suited to the herbs that will grow best in these conditions. In order to get to know the lighting in your garden, check in a couple times over the course of the day. Take not of which parts of your garden are shaded and which are in full sunlight. This will give you a good idea of where to get started.

The soil for growing garden herbs is important in order to make sure your plants are getting the nutrients they need. One of the most important aspects of the soil is the base. Most herbs will grow well in environments where the soil is fairly loose, well drained and fairly low in nutrients. In order to create a great bed of soil, dig up the garden soil and lay a bed of gravel. The mixed soil goes on top of this. The best idea is to mix the soil you have with potting soil and sand. This combination creates soil that will retain enough moisture and allow the rest to pass through.

Correct watering practices will help the plants to be able to grow. Make sure you never give the plants too much water. If the soil feels moist to the touch, simply spray the leaves with a spray bottle. It is best for your plant to get moisture from leaves as much as from the soil. Touching the soil is a good indicator of whether or not you will need to add any water to your soil. When you press down with your finger, it should feel moist, but should never pool over with water. If you see a pool of water, it means there is too much water.

Wind is an element that is often forgotten when growing garden herbs. The herbs in your garden will respond much better to slightly windy conditions as opposed to still air. If there is not much wind where your garden is, it is recommended to install a fan close to the garden. Set the fan on low and allow your plants to get a gentle breeze a couple times a day for about an hour each. This will simulate the environment they would be thriving in naturally.

With the right planning, your garden will be able to grow better than ever. Make sure you do not obsess over the plans, as gardening should be fun and relaxing. If something does not work, you can always use cuttings or fresh seed in order to plant again and try again.

There is nothing more rewarding as growing herb indoors. Growing your own herbs inside your home is more beneficial than growing herbs outdoors, because you are in complete control of everything. You can control how much light and water your herb plants get. You are also in control of the insect situation, and disease control.

For those of you that are limited in your knowledge of indoor herb growing how to. There are some great guidelines that you should follow.  Here are a few to get you started.

In order to have a good growing herb garden you must start from the very basics. Herbs grow best when they are started from young plants, although, seed will work; they just have to be replanted once they have grown a little. Be sure to get enough of every kind of herb that you want to plant. If you like garlic in your food you may want to pick up some extra plants; the same thing with any herb that you think that you will use a lot of. You will also want to pick up a soil moisture tester to place inside each pot.

Some of the easiest herbs to grow are basil, sweet basil, parsley, garlic, mint, thyme, chives, tarragon, summer savory, rosemary, dill, and coriander. You may want to try some cilantro also. These herbs do not need as much attention or pampering as some of the other herbs.

The most important thing is how to mix the soil. Although there are quite a few herbs which are easy to grow, however, they do not tolerate bad drainage. Remember that you want to purchase some good 10-10-10 fertilizer, some small gravel, sand, along with some good top soil. Next, mix 1 part of sand, 1 part of fertilizer with 2 parts of top soil. Next, before you put any soil in the pot you want to put about one inch of gravel in the bottom of the pot, then put enough of the prepared top soil about three quarters of the way up the pot. Take one of the small plants and put it in the center of the pot and gently put more soil around it. Tap the soil down gently around the plant and water the plant moderately for the first time.

Once all your herbs are potted, the next thing that you will want to do is to place the soil moisture tester in the pot and wait about 10 minutes to get an accurate reading. If the tester says that the soil is dry just water it a little more. It will let you know when to water your plants.

Next is the placement of your herb plants. Mint should be put in its own container as it likes to take over an area, and if you plant it next to another herb it will begin to take over those plants and could even choke them to death. If you have the kind of mint that crawls then a good idea would be to put it into a hanging basket, in a semi sunny area. Your garlic, chives, and bay should be kept in the kitchen window so that it will always be close by and fresh for your food spices; plus it will help keep your kitchen smelling like someone is cooking and that is the mood you want to set for a kitchen area.

An indoor herb garden takes many forms, and growing herbs in pots is just one of many options available to a natural herb enthusiast. Potted herbs are easy to maintain and typically require less maintenance than herb gardens grown outdoors. A decorative hanging basket or window box can also be an attractive addition to your indoor environments. Let’s take a closer look at some of the aspects involved with growing potted herbs.

Potted plants, or all plants for that matter, require three basic ingredients to thrive – controlled sunlight, good soil, and an adequate water supply. Fresh herb gardens are no exception. Proper placement and regular care will ensure your plants thrive and produce regularly. The amount and variety of the herbs you grow will allow determine how they should be lit.

Where would you place potted herbs to offer the best sunlight? Find a room with a window that faces south or west. These directions give the most favorable light. Some people utilize supplemental lights like fluorescent grow lamps that offer more consistent, even lighting for potted plants. These lights work well in isolated, temperature-controlled areas, if there is indoor space to set them up properly.

In terms of soil quality and chemistry, fresh herb gardens thrive in soil that isn’t too rich and has adequate drainage. This is achieved by combining sterilized potting soil with a mixture of perlite and coarse sand, in a two-to-one ratio. There should also be a base amount of gravel in the bottom of each pot to allow water to drain easily from the soil.

Adding a small amount of lime to potting soil also helps balance the pH level for optimum growing conditions. A teaspoon of lime in a five-inch pot is a good rule of thumb.

 How you water your herb plants also makes a differencein how well they thrive. Some people utilize a spray bottle to mist the leaves of herbs and keep the surface soil damp without drowning the soil with water. This helps avoid over-watering the plant or drenching the roots of the plant with too much water. Consider how water is distributed to herbs in outdoor gardens through rainfall.

 Growing herbs in pots indoors also gives you the opportunity to move perennials outdoors in the summer, while keeping the more delicate annuals mostly inside. With only a few exceptions, as in the case of herbs like tarragon, chive, and mint, all of which can tolerate an early mild frost, most herbs should be taken indoors before the first frost in winter.

Some herbs do better in pots or containers than others, and the variety you choose to grow will determine the strategy you use to bring the best results. Some of the more popular choices for container herbs are things like marjoram, lemon balm, chamomile, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Mint can be a little tricky, since it tends to dominate the soil and reproduces quickly. In these cases, a little extra maintenance may be required to isolate certain plants and keep your containers under control.

With proper pruning and regular maintenance, growing herbs in pots yields wonderful results. Some trial and error is necessary to learn the best techniques, and most herbs do best when they are repotted and harvested regularly. Herb gardening is a rewarding experience that offers fresh ingredients for your favorite meals and provides a long-lasting hobby for years to come.

 

Growing herbs in pots allows you to have your favorite herbs close at hand. With the proper care, you will be able to enjoy these herbs year round. An early frost will not damage your plants, as they will be inside. Having the ability to control climate and humidity allows your herbs to thrive. Following some very simple steps will help your herbs to fulfill their true potential. No matter what skill level gardener you are, herbs are a very forgiving plant. There is no reason you should not be able to grow the herbs you use most often.

Soil is an important factor for any plant. When growing herbs in pots, you are allowed complete control over the soil. Not being at the mercy of weather conditions allows you to make sure your plants grow easily. One thing to keep a close eye on is what kind of soil you are using. Using pure potting soil is a mistake. This is because potting soil has too many nutrients for herbs. You can control this by mixing potting soil with sand. The added benefit of the sand in the soil is it retains more moisture. Layering the bottom of your pot with pebbles will also help the soil not to become water logged.

Water is a key factor to any plant. Herbs benefit from having the right amount of moisture. By misting your plants, you will help the leaves to soak in more water. This is important as plants are designed to absorb water through leaves as well as from roots. Plants, which have to absorb all their water from the soil, will struggle to survive. Make sure you check the soil before adding any water to a pot, as it should only be moist to the touch. If a puddle forms where you press down, your plant is drowning and needs to have water drained from the pot.

Sunlight is another of the highly important elements to growing herbs in pots. Picking the right place for your herb to grow is highly important. The best place for your pot is in a windowsill that faces either west or south. This allows your plant to have the right amount of sun. If this is not possible, you can buy a lamp designed to give plants artificial sunlight. Another option is to allow your herbs to spend some time outside every day. Perennials especially benefit from time outside. Make sure you do not give your herbs more sun than they need or the leaves will turn brown.

Wind is taken for granted when planting outside. When growing herbs in pots inside, plants are usually robbed of wind. Putting the pots outside will give them the wind they desire. Another way to give your plant some wind is to simulate it with a fan. Set your fan on low and direct it towards the pots. You will notice an improvement in plants that get a light wind.

Pruning is very important to the health of your plants. The added benefit of pruning herbs is you get to use what you cut. Growing herbs in pots is popular among those who use them the most. Proper pruning practices cause your plant to produce more. Do not be deterred from pruning for fear of wasting herbs. These can be dried, frozen, or given away to friends. Herbs can also be used in recipes for future dates. Freezing pesto is a great way to use an overabundance of basil.