Indoor Herb Garden

By providing a few basic conditions, you can easily grow a large selection of herbs indoors, on a sunny windowsill or under plant lights.

Even in winter, when most garden centers are closed, you can find small herb plants that are ready to transplant at many home improvement and grocery stores. If starting from seed, check the expiration dates and only buy fresh seed packets.

Growing Conditions

Light - Any south or west-facing window will provide at least a few hours of direct light to your herb garden.

If you prefer, you can place light fixtures over your plants and use plant grow bulbs to provide additional lighting. These bulbs are available at most garden centers and home improvement stores.

Try to duplicate the conditions of your outdoor herb garden by providing six to eight hours of light daily, whether natural or artificial.

A sunny kitchen window is the ideal place for growing culinary herbs, because you'll be able to snip off pieces as you cook.

Moisture - Keep your indoor garden away from drafty windows and heat vents, as these will dry the plant out too quickly.

Indoor air is usually on the dry side; if you have an indoor fountain, place it near the potted herbs and run it a few hours a day to provide additional moisture.

You can also place your pots on trays of pebbles and add some water to the trays. Misting the plants daily is another option for adding moisture to the air.

When the soil feels dry, generously water the plants until it runs out the bottom drainage hole. If the planter has no drainage hole, add a layer of gravel and water carefully to avoid soggy roots.

Soil - Use an organic potting soil that drains well for your indoor herb plants.

You can create your own mix by adding two parts houseplant potting soil to one part perlite or sand to improve drainage.

Containers - You can use any type of container to grow herbs. There are pots that hold an assortment of herbs at different levels, sets of pots attached to a holder for easy movement of the herbs, or individual pots for each herb you're planning to grow.

Its best to keep plants that have the same water needs together if you're putting several plants together in a single, large pot.

You can grow many herbs in hanging planters, window boxes, or recycled coffee cans and coffee mugs, which work as decorative items as well if your indoor herb garden is in your kitchen.

Herbs to Plant

Depending on the amount of space you can allot to your indoor herbs, select those you'll use most during the winter months.

You can bring the potted plants outside during the spring and summer and add additional plants to a garden bed.

The most popular culinary herbs to grow indoors include basil, dill, parsley, chives, sage, thyme and rosemary. You can also add lavender, chamomile and mints to this collection.

Growing herbs indoors can extend the growing season of your potted herbs and add planted decoration in your kitchen windows.

Whichever herbs you choose to include in your indoor herb garden, you'll enjoy the aroma and fresh flavor they add to your favorite dishes throughout the year.