How To Grow A Kitchen Herb Garden Without Killing Anything
Tips that will help your herb garden flourish!
Growing Your Kitchen Herb Garden
What's better than having an endless supply of fresh herbs right there in your kitchen? Not much! We've come up with a guide for growing a kitchen herb garden that will both vastly improve your culinary prowess and give you a great new hobby. It might seem difficult to plant, maintain, and harvest an herb garden right there in your kitchen, but you'd be surprised! By the end of this guide, you'll be eager to begin your own kitchen herb garden to incorporate into your life.
1. Make Sure You Have Enough Light!
One of the most important things about having an herb garden in your kitchen is making sure your kitchen actually has enough light. Most herbs need a solid 4-6 hours of light each day, though it's important that you read the tag that comes with your plants when you buy them. The best place to put your kitchen herb garden is in your windowsill or close enough to the window it will get light. If your plants don't get enough light, getting a grow light is another option. Also make sure you rotate your pots around every few days so your plants don't begin leaning toward the sun.
2. Choose Which Herbs You'd Like to Grow
There are hundreds of herbs out there to choose from, so it can probably be a little intimidating at first. One easy way to narrow it down is to consider which herbs you'd most like to use in your cooking and which herbs grow best indoors year round.
Some good options include:
• basil
• rosemary
• bay leaves
• thyme
• sage
• chives
• oregano
• lavender
3. Select Your Containers
There are a wide variety of containers you can choose from. When it comes to indoor plants, many people choose looks over the integrity of the container, but the truth is that you can have both! It might mean you have to decorate the containers yourself, but it is worth it if it keeps your plants from dying!
Choose containers that are well-draining. That means they need to have some sort of drainage holes at the bottom. If the holes are large, place a rock over the hole so all the water doesn't drain from the bottom at once when you water the plant. It's also important that you don't overcrowd your plants by putting too many in the same container. Remember that your plants are going to grow and you'll end up transplanting them much sooner if you do this!
4. Watering Your Plants
Like with most plants, it's important not to over water or under water them. Either will eventually kill your plant. It shouldn't take you too long to notice when your plant are particularly thirsty for water or if they've recently had to much water. Most gardeners develop an eye for this. Herbs typically need the soil to stay at least slightly damp, though it is important to read the tag that comes with each individual herb because their needs are different. The hotter it is, the faster the soil will dry out, so keep in mind you'll probably end up water your plants more in the summer.
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