A good thing about growing herbs is that they can be done indoors. This way, they can be enjoyed even if you are living in the city and do not have room for outdoor gardening space.
Helpful Tips for Growing Herbs in Containers
1. Herbs ideally thrive in the ground, but with proper choices and the right precautions, they can flourish in the indoor garden. They have to be positioned inside the house where they can grow well.
2. You can combine herbs of different colors to create an atmosphere inside your house. For example, you can get calendula or lemon thyme, herbs with sunny colors for a brighter effect.
3. Let the herbs grow together. They can create a climate among them that will further encourage their growth. They also create a fuller and healthier appearance.
4. Limit the amount of herbs you will plant in a container. It should depend on the size of your container. There should at least be an allowance of four inches square in between each type of herb.
5. Get a clean container to start with the hobby. The container must allow good drainage for the herbs. Use also the type of soil that is porous enough to let water easily go down to the roots.
6. Try to pick commercial potting mix instead of the usual garden soil. They especially contain minerals that can support the needs of your herbs in containers.
7. Check out regularly your herbs, especially if they need some watering. Different herbs will have different moisture requirements.
Just make sure that they do not get too much dry. At the same time, do not drown them either.
10 Herbs to Grow in Containers
There are many kinds of herbs to choose from for your indoor garden. It is best to choose those that can be arranged together. Here are some of them that should be in your top 10 consideration.
1. Silver Plants
Most herb growers would choose according to a color scheme. The herb containers can have an arrangement according to the hue of the plants.
There are herbs that give out silvery hues. They are best for creating an elegant look in the corner of your house and perfect for a garden to be enjoyed in the evening.
You can use artemisias, curry plants and santolinas.
2. Golden Herbs
There are also golden herbs that can add a bright attitude in your mornings. They are perfect for days when the sun shine greets you inside the house.
Your golden garden can have lemon thyme, calendula, nasturtium and even the variegated sage and lemon balm.
3. Blue Garden
If your favorite color is blue, then you can have your indoor herb garden in all blue also. Choose or combine borage, hyssop, rosemary and catmint for that blue collection.
4. Italian Choices
People who love anything Italian can make use of the Italian selection. Sweet basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme and the Italian parsley can perfectly grow together and respond to your Italian needs anytime.
5. Salad Bar
To vegetarians out there or people who simply enjoy salads, planting herbs like garlic chives, salad burnet, celery and rocket will be a good choice. You need not go to the market to enjoy a bowl of salad.
6. Go French
People who enjoy French cooking can also tend tarragon, parsley, sage and chervil.
7. Enjoy the Scent
Some households can make use of a lovely scent to set the mood. Lavender, lemon thyme, pineapple sage and the rose scented geranium are some of the perfect choices for a pleasant garden.
8. Insect Repellent
You can also grow herbs in your container that can function as insect repellents. This is especially useful for a household with kids.
9. Culinary Herbs
It is also nice to grow and tend culinary herbs inside your house. It is like having your own kitchen needs at hand anytime you want them.
Some of these culinary herbs that can be grown in containers are rosemary, mint, chives, or sage.
These are good seasoning for most of your cooking. The lemon balm is also perfect for your barbecue afternoons.
10. Loner Herbs
There are herbs that have to be kept and maintained in their own containers. They tend to overpower other herbs if they are put in a group.
Oreganos, lemon balm or bee balm and even mints are herbs that must be on their own or else they will overtake all the plants in your indoor garden.
Conclusion
Planting herbs in containers will definitely let you enjoy the delight of growing herbs even if you do not have any space outdoors.
If you are a cook or a chef, or just simply enjoy tasty food that is seasoned with herbs, one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family is to begin to grow your own herbs. At the local supermarket, purchasing herbs on a regular basis, especially if you use them frequently, can be very expensive. However, with a simple plan of action, and a few solid tips, you can begin to grow your own organically grown herbs in the comfort of your home or outside if you have the space to do so. Here are three easy steps that you can take in order to begin growing organic herbs without all of the hassle and price when buying them at your local store.
First of all, you will need a few things in order to begin. You can purchase most of these things and use them for years without needing to invest again or at least for some time. Other things must be purchased on a regular basis and they are low cost, especially when compared against the yields that you will have from your organic herbs that will be grown in a natural and healthy way.
You will of course need some organic fertilizer. This can be purchased at your local nursery or if you are an avid gardener already, or someone that does worm composting on the side, you can use some of your freshly produced organic fertilizer for this process. In fact, it would be better if you make the fertilizer yourself as homegrown compost seems to work much better for most people.
If you do not have your own compost pile in your backyard, but you do not want to buy non organic fertilizer, you should probably begin this process well before the planting season begins. The process that I am talking about is creating a compost pile or buying a compost bin so that you can begin to utilize the natural chemical processes that will occur via the composting process or you can procure some red worms and place them in a bin specifically designed for vermicomposting in order for the worms to begin creating compost for you.
Another possibility is that you can use what are called fish emulsions as an alternative to the composting process or purchasing compost outright. Fish emulsions are also a product that you can purchase from almost any horticulture resource or online store and have it sent to your home in no time at all.
You will also need some planting containers, a couple of watering cans that you can use to water your herbal crops, a soil scoop or gardeners hand fork, some mulch and of course the herb seed you are going to use in order to grow the organic herbs of your choice.
Before planting, also realize that some herbs are in dire need of sunlight on an almost full time basis whereas others prefer partial shade. Also, some herbs are suitable for growing in small pots that you can sit in your windowsill whereas others prefer to be planted in larger containers. Your other alternative is to plant them in the natural environment outside but that of course depends upon where you live and the climate that is best suited for each plant. So whether you are growing basil, chives, or parsley, make sure that the place that you will be growing them is best suited for their optimal growth.
The next thing you must do is mix your soil. By taking soil from the ground perhaps from an old garden area and placing it in the pots, you will now need to mix in your fertilizer in the form of compost from either your compost pile or the worm bin, or if you decided to purchase something else such as fish emulsion, simply mix that according to directions into water in order to get the proper mix for your herbal plants to grow. Most herbs prefer to be slightly undernourished than overfertilized.
Once done, plant each of your seeds and make sure that you label what each one is. Make sure that you place each pot or container in the appropriate area so that each herb receives the proper amounts of sunlight once it begins to grow as well as the correct seed germinating temperature. This process to prepare your herb garden should take just a few hours depending upon how many herbs you are deciding to grow and how long it takes you to mix your soil for each potting container. You should also check on the pH of the soil in order to determine if it has the proper balance. There are many pH testing tools that you can purchase on the cheap that will ensure that the acidic and base levels are at the proper level. Most herbs prefer a slightly acidic ph to grow in.
Finally, it is time to write your daily schedule in order to take care of your plants in the seedling stage. By creating a check list of the things you need to do such as checking pH levels, watering, making sure that they are in the proper areas and at the proper temperatures, this will ensure that your herbal crops will grow to completion in record time and you can begin enjoying the organic herbs that you love to eat in no time at all. Also, remember that herbs love to be pruned while they are growing. This will create bushier plants and more herbs to harvest in the long run.
Both Lee Dobbins & Chris Dailey are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lee Dobbins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Diamonds and Install Flooring. Lee Dobbins writes for where you can learn more about. Lee Dobbins's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Chris Dailey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Organic Gardening Tips and Gardening. Chris Dailey is the owner of Super Organic Gardening Secrets, a free online service that provides valuable information on organic gardening and