5 Easy Tips for Growing a Fabulous Indoor Herb Garden

Indoor gardening

You don’t have to have a big garden or even warm weather outdoors to grow your own herbs. You can grow herbs indoors year-round!

herbs in pots in windowsill

There's nothing like the flavor of fresh herbs. They're the all-important ingredient in Patty's Bone Broth Recipe and Basil Pesto. With an indoor herb garden, you can have the harvest you need even when it's -2ºF outside. 

 

With a little attention to detail and planning, these simple tips will ensure you can enjoy the scent and fresh taste of herbs all year round. 

Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden

#1 Choose the Best Seeds

It's important to start with reliable seeds for indoor growing. Our herb seeds have high germination rates. Some of the best indoor herbs are kitchen staples:

#2 Provide Adequate Light

Once you've got the right seeds, light is the next most important factor for successfully growing herbs inside. If your herbs don't get enough light, they might not survive. Even if they do, they won't thrive. They run the risk of growing spindly and tasteless as they expend all their energy in trying to grow towards the light. For these reasons, light should be your first priority.

 

Maybe you've got a sunny south-facing windowsill you're planning to use for your herb garden. That's a great start. Unless it gets a full 6-8 hours of strong sunlight, it won't be enough. Don't worry, though. It's easy to provide the light needed.  

 

You don't have to invest in fancy grow lights. Light is light, after all. Cool fluorescent lights placed 6-15 inches away from your plants will be perfect. For every hour of natural sunlight that your plants need, provide about 2 hours of artificial light. That works out to be around 14-16 hours. And don't forget to rotate your plants occasionally so they get even exposure!

rosemary, oregano, and thyme in indoor pots
Rosemary, oregano, thyme - Our favorites to grow indoors

#3 Optimal Temperature & Humidity

You should also consider temperature and humidity when creating an indoor herb garden. Herbs do best around 70ºF

 

Don’t dry your plants out by placing them too near a radiator. Keeping your plant pots together can create a little extra humidity, as well as keeping your herb pots on a tray of stones filled with water. This will help your herbs stay lush and tasty.

#4 Water & Drainage

Herbs need good drainage for healthy growth. Make sure your pots all have drainage holes, and opt for clay pots whenever possible. The clay is more porous so that water and moisture don’t stay trapped. Plant your herbs in a medium with good drainage, and only water when the potting mix starts to dry out. If you’re growing rosemary indoors in a pot, take special care not to let the growing medium dry out completely.

#5 Fertilizing Your Herbs

Fertilizing will help your indoor herbs to grow, but be careful not to overdo it. Over-fertilizing an herb is much more damaging than under-fertilizing. A low dose of water-soluble fertilizer no more often than every two weeks should be sufficient.  Any more than that, and you risk damaging the flavor profile of your herbs. No one likes tasteless herbs!

See how easy it is to grow your own indoor herb garden? With a little practice, all of these tricks will soon seem like second nature. You’ll never go back once you get spoiled on having a sunny taste of zesty herbs at your fingertips year round!

 

You can find more helpful indoor gardening tips in our Planter's Library

 

Written by Teresa Chandler


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