5 Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden
For the past few years, we’ve grown an herb garden both indoors and just outside the front porch. It has been so much fun learning about each plant and has definitely changed the way we flavor our food. Having a small kitchen garden readily available really helps to add fresh flavors to our meals each night and has forced this picky eater to try new things.
Do you guys watch the show Fixer Upper? Me too! I’m totally obsessed! I don’t know if you guys have noticed it or not but it seems like Joanna is always finding a cool way to add herbs and flowers to each room. I love the kitchen herb garden she created on a recent episode. She is seriously so creative and watching the show has me finding more ways to enjoy plant life around the house.
We’ve learned a lot about growing herbs through trial and error. While I’m not a gardening expert, I’ve definitely come to understand what keep these awesome plants going.
Here are 5 Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden…
Select the Right Plants and Soil – use quality plants and nutrient rich gardening soil from the beginning.
Select the Right Pot – while I prefer terra cotta pots because they breathe better, I also understand they can dry out faster than plastic or glazed pots. This helps to stay aware of each herbs watering and feeding cycle.
Proper Drainage is Key – make sure your container has a hole in the bottom and drains well. This means putting thick moss, gravel, small river rocks or Styrofoam peanuts in the bottom for optimum drainage. Herbs do not like their feet to be wet and poor draining soil can lead to root rot.
Don’t Over Water – over watering is one of the biggest mistakes I think most people make with herb gardens. An easy way to test if your plants need water is to put your index finger into the soil. If the soil is dry its time to water.
Let the Sunshine In – herbs need at least 4-6 hours of light per day to stay healthy. If you don’t have a lot of light in your kitchen, try placing the plants in a south or west-facing windowsill. Keep in mind as the temperatures rise so does the heat coming off the windowsill. If you’re in a hot, humid or dry climate your herbs will probably not appreciate staying in the window sill in the summer months so make sure you place them a few feet back during this time. Also, you’ll want to provide a way to protect the surfaces you put your herb garden on like a saucer under each plant.
There are so many ways to enjoy herbs in foods, flavored waters, teas and body scrubs.
I hope these tips have helped! I’m definitely looking forward to the basil getting a little bigger. Pesto here we come!
See you guys back here tomorrow. I’m making Rosemary Herb Bread in a Flower Pot!
Many blessings,
CoCo
Hey CoCo – these are fantastic tips. We love cooking with fresh herbs too…it really does improve and enhance the flavor of our food. We are getting ready to make a strawberry and basil cocktail…we will let you know how it goes!
Make one for me, that sounds so good! Hugs, CoCo