Growing Herbs Indoors For Beginners
Growing herbs can be a fun and delicious way to get started in gardening. Herb gardens are relatively simple to establish and maintain. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be growing like a pro in no time!
Select your location wisely when growing an indoor herb garden; it is critical to choose a sunny spot with plenty of light. A south-facing window would be ideal, but if that isn’t possible, any other room in the house should suffice (as long as there is plenty of light!).
How To Grow Fresh Herbs Indoors - ULTIMATE Beginners Guide
How Do You Keep Herbs Alive Indoors?
Growing herbs indoors is so easy! If you have a little space, some sunlight or artificial light and water in the form of soil, then you are all set for growing your own healthy herb garden. The key to success with indoor gardening is balancing light and moisture; if it’s too dry, give them more humidity by watering often but not over-watering them (that will lead to rot). In order to skip all of the fuss when trying out this new hobby, consider purchasing a hydroponic set up at your local store, garden centers, or Amazon that does most of the work already.
Perennial herbs are great for first-time gardeners who don’t have a green thumb and want to grow herbs and kick start their indoor garden adventures. They require the least amount of maintenance and can be grown indoors or outdoors with ease! Some good perennial options include mint, parsley, thyme, basil–basically, any herb you might use in cooking will work well as a perennials plant because they’re hearty enough to survive without too much tender loving care from their human overlords. Did I mention that growing your own food is THE BEST?!
Tip: Check-in on them every few days to see how they’re doing. Watering requirements differ from plant to plant. Sun- Almost all herbs prefer direct sunlight, so place them near a sunny window, and they should be fine!
Do Herbs Need Full Sun?
As an avid gardener and novice herbalist, it is essential to understand what requirements your herbs have for sunlight. Not all plants require the same amount of sun: some need six hours or more per day while others can tolerate less than that. Full-sun tolerant plants include rosemary, lavender, basil; moderate light tolerance includes chamomile and thyme; shade tolerates are oregano and sage, which do not like too much direct sun but will grow in a place with indirect light as long as there’s enough moisture around them.
If not most herbs, some need full sun (6-8 hours per day); those who prefer 4 – 6 hrs. Moderately lit areas should go for basils & roses up north where days are shorter. Shady areas suit the most, rosemary & oregano, while lavender likes shade.
Tip: Don’t wait for everything to come together. There is no substitute for growing experience so just grab some indoor plants or herb pots that thrive indoors, and you are all set!
How Do You Harvest Plants Indoors?
Harvesting is a somewhat lengthy process. You will need to cut your herbs when they are dry; this means that if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain, they must be harvested when they are dry. You can tell that the herb is ready to cut when you feel it snap off of the base of the plant instead of bending with ease or if you are able to pull some leaves off without any effort at all.
The best time for harvesting herbs would be in the morning, around 10 AM. How do you know which herbs to harvest? It’s honestly up to you when you want to pick them all. If they are all drying, go ahead and cut off the whole bunch once or twice a week (but not all at once!).
Use your nose as well as your eyes when determining if something needs harvesting. If it smells like it is rotting, then it is probably time for harvesting. Watering plants that need watering every few days will help cut down on rot during harvest season; however, this water should be less than what would normally be applied during the growing season so that the herbs dry out enough before you bring them into the house again–letting them get a little crispy around the edges is perfectly fine!
How Do You Store & Preserve Herbs?
Once you are done harvesting your herbs, it is vital to keep them fresh as long as possible. Since many of the most popular kitchen herbs used today have a very short shelf life, they should be stored right away. To store fresh herbs that you’ve brought indoors from the garden or freshly picked off a plant for drying:
Get some paper towels and wrap two layers around freshly picked leaves (which will help prevent moisture loss). Place these in a brown bag immediately after harvesting. You can also remove the stems or use them with their stems on; however, if you use plastic storage bags, remember to prick holes in the top before closing so air can circulate freely. Keep them in the dark place at room temperature (if your place is warmer than 65 degrees F, then refrigerate them), and they will last up to two weeks.
You can also freeze and dry your herbs (if you have a lot of them or don’t use them fast enough; if you are freezing, just wash the leaves well, pat dry on paper towels and place in a freezer bag–you can do this with fresh or dried herbs).
When drying herbs, tie the stems into small bunches with raffia, string, or rubber bands as many times along the stem as it is thick; hang upside down from a line in a dark room that’s just above freezing for 24 hours before tossing into an airtight container. You can also bundle branches together (after cutting off any dead tips), so they can dry together; you could also bundle the stems and hang them upside down in a big paper bag for 3 weeks. Make sure to check regularly, so there is enough air circulation (if your herb leaves feel sticky or if they start growing mould, it’s time to toss ’em out), but don’t use heat such as a fan, open flame, or light bulb — this changes their flavour!
Also, drying herbs work best with seeds that have fully matured. Basil leaves, for instance, are usually dried before they ripen; the flower has been pollinated and developed seeds, so if you want to try this method, be aware of those factors when determining if your plants need to be harvested and dried now or later. Once you have dried your herbs on the stem, remove the leaves and separate them into small pieces: put either in a paper bag or plastic container (make sure it’s airtight) to store for up to a year.
New herbs are simply washed, dried thoroughly immediately after harvest and then either frozen or dried so they can be stored until you’re ready to use them!
Can You Grow Herbs Without Soil?
Growing a herb garden without soil, or hydroponically, is like planting your own little space station. Make sure that the place you’re going to plant it gets enough natural bright light – if not, use an LED grow light! You’ll need water too to keep the soil consistently moist; luckily, herbs are very adaptable and can usually be grown indoors or outdoors with no soil at all. This would make for a great starter gardening project because they really don’t require much care – just potting mix, some good sunlight every day (or artificial lighting), and regular watering when Needed.
Which Herbs Grow Best Indoors?
I love having these herbs in my house. Basil, cilantro and chervil are all easy to grow indoors! You can make a whole garden of them by cutting off the tops from one plant at about an inch long or more and putting it into the water with some soil so that roots form. Mint is also very hardy, which makes for a good starter herb if you’re looking to try your hand at gardening outside in pots on patios or balconies (or small gardens!). It’s great because they’ll take over without any worry as mint has no trouble living between cracks of sidewalks where other plants might not survive due to lack of light- but be careful when planting it outdoors; it grows outwards like crazy, making it difficult if not impossible.
Which Herbs Are Easiest To Grow?
If you’re ready to start growing your own herbs, then it’s time for some good news! The best part about cultivating them is that they are relatively simple. All you need is enough sunlight, good drainage and the right amount of water, as well as a few other things like repotting on a regular basis if necessary. Don’t be discouraged by how small they might seem in their original container – once given the room needed to grow, most plants will double or triple in size without much effort at all!
How Much Water Do Herb Gardens Need?
To get the most out of your garden, you should make sure to water it regularly. There are a few ways that this can be done, and there is no wrong way so long as plants stay moist in any event! Checking how wet your soil before watering saves both time and money by not having to over-water or under-water. After checking for moisture levels, give only enough water until dampness appears, then let them dry off with some help from running faucet waters (which helps remove excess dirt!).
Plants need to be watered regularly and fertilized every three weeks. The next step after successfully watering your plants is providing them with fertilizer when it infrequently rains on the leaves, which can lead to nutrient deficiency if left untreated. You should water more often if they are becoming dry, brown or brittle; overwatering may cause yellowing of the plant’s leaves or mould in pots where the soil has dried out before a period without rain.
Plants need water, but if you overwater them and there’s a lot of fungus on the roots, they might die. Make some space around their roots to get air in as well as dead leaves that may be aiding in the spread of disease. Remove any root rot with fungicide before it gets too out-of-hand!
If your plants are getting watered way too much and have lots of fungi infecting their soil, then make sure not to kill them by creating more room for air circulation between dirt particles at either side or below each plant; this will also reduce leaf decay which can lead to further spreading of harmful bugs like mould because decaying vegetation is an organic material great for supporting microbial growth due to its high nitrogen content such as bacteria found living.
I have a confession to make: I’m not the best gardener. Sure, plants are great for decorating your living space and can be healthier than any faux plant you might buy at Target – but my green thumb is just okay! Luckily, there’s an easy solution that will ensure I never kill another houseplant again…
The secret? Make sure they’re adequately watered from day one, with suitable natural light. And don’t fertilize them until it looks like their soil has dried out enough to where water isn’t soaking up anymore. Ensure the drainage holes in potted herbs is sufficient for the potting soil to be just about moist. These rescue techniques have worked wonders on many other (wo)men in similar situations; nothing short of watering adequately seems to work well with herbs because they require more TLC than most other types of flowers, outdoor plants or vegetables.
Tip: Don’t skint on perennial plants as they add decorum to your herbs growing indoors. Read herb care magazines available in your local garden centre. I know! it sounds old school, but the tiny tidbits you gather in indoor herb growing from various articles is just so much worth it
Is It Essential To Keep Them In Pots?
It may be an extra expense, but containers can make growing herbs indoors much easier. A container will help control the amount of water given and prevent pests from getting inside and making a mess of your garden! If you don’t want to deal with watering so often, you can get self-watering containers that will trickle water into the soil for you. These aren’t necessary, but they can help beginners who don’t want to end up overwhelmed by an excess of watering tasks.
Pests are the bane of many gardeners’ existence. With herbs, this problem usually comes in the form of slugs, snails, or fungus. No matter what your indoor herb garden’s size – be it a small pot on a desk or an entire room with multiple plants – these pests can make quick work of your fresh herbs if you’re not careful!
If an infestation is discovered, there are both natural and non-natural ways to deal with it. For creatures like slugs and snails, a simple beer trap works wonders! You can use almost any container with their favourite food in it (slugs love damp paper/wood; snails enjoy rotting fruit) along with some strong-smelling bait that they’ll find irresistible. If you don’t have the time to make something or purchase one already made, many types of vegetation like mints or dark berries work well as attractants too. Be sure to check on them regularly so you can refill the container when needed for multiple uses!
Tip: Place plants in separate pots to have good air circulation, and new growth is actively encouraged.
Final Thoughts
Final ThoughtsGrowing your own herbs and greens has never been easier with these helpful tips. A little mint leaf in your morning tea can help you get a day started on the right foot, while adding bay leaves to baked pork chops will give them an extra punch of flavour that’s sure to impress any guests at dinner time! Plus, it gives everyone more variety when cooking, which is always fun for the family. And if all this isn’t enough motivation, knowing that what you’re eating was grown fresh by yourself? That feeling of ownership should be wonderful and satisfying no matter where you grow your plants; even inside window sills are perfect places for growing small crops like basil or cilantro -all thanks to our many years of experience as gardeners ourselves!
There are plenty of indoor herb garden kits available if you are stuck and do not know where to start
