Indoor Herb Garden

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You can take care of your health by sowing indoor plants. And among indoor plants the best option could be indoor herb garden. It will help you in decorating your room. Growing indoor herb garden is not a tough job. It needs the same ingredients as that of the outdoor garden. Adequate sunlight and well-drained soil is a must for gardening indoor herbs.



General tips on indoor herb garden

Location - The light requirement of different herbs vary from one another but most of them need the warm sunlight. While gardening herb indoors select a window facing south or west direction. During winter time fluorescent lamps can provide the required light.

If you are planting annual herb then they can be kept indoor for their whole lifetime, as they are short-lived. Perennial herbs should be placed outdoor during summer as they live for some years. Don't keep it under direct scorching sun but keep it in a sheltered place. You can also soak the pot till the rim in the soil. But as the frost begins bring the herbs indoor to prevent the loss of leaves and the damage of plant. Mild frost is helpful for mint, chives, and tarragon. It gives a rest period for the plant and rejuvenates it.

Soil Preparation - The best soil for indoor herb plants is a mixture of sterilized potting soil and coarse sand or perlite. To retain the sweetness of soil add one teaspoon of lime per 5-inch pot. Put an inch of gravel at the bottom of the pot so that the water is drained thoroughly.

Watering - Each herb has different water requirements. Plants that are growing, plants that are sown in clay pots, or in hanging baskets require large quantity of water. The herbs can be kept together on a tray filled with moistened pebbles to keep them in a humid condition. Don't keep the roots of the plant wet all the time.

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Growing Culinary Herb Garden

If you are a health-conscious then here is something for you. How about trying natural spices and flavor in your delicious dishes. In these modern age growing culinary herb garden will not only suffice your addiction but it will also give you a sound health. So harvest some cooking herbs and see the health of your family expanding in itself.


Parsley

Culinary herbs can also be called as cooking herbs. Their leaves are used for cooking either fresh or after drying up. Cooking herbs have a tender flavor and are not as strong as that of the spices. For the beginners harvesting cooking herbs the best type of herb to sow are the basil, chive, dill, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme.

Environment for growing culinary Herbs
To grow culinary herbs it requires well-drained and moist soil though moisture of the soil differs from types of herbs. Like Sage, rosemary, and thyme requires little moist compared to parsley, chervil, and mint, which requires more moisture in the soil.

Some names and growing procedures of culinary herbs
One of the common culinary herbs is Basil. It is sowed in late spring after the frost has passed out. It takes 8-14 days time to sprout out from the seeds. It requires full sunlight and the soil must be well drained and moist. The spacing of basil plants from one another should be 12 inches and 24 to 36 inches between each row. If you are growing it for dried leaves or oil it should be trimmed before the flowers come out of it. The common insects for basil are Japanese beetle, Fusarium, and powdery mildew.

You can design your herb garden with Chives or Allium schoenoprasum. This culinary herb needs darkness, moisturized soil and the temperature should be of 60F to 70F. It is better to sow these cooking herbs somewhere indoor and then transfer it after 4 weeks after the seeds had germinated. You should plant the herbal seeds ½ inch deep in pots. They also require adequate sunlight and well-drained soil. There are not much serious diseases but it can be infected by downy mildew and rust. Chive seeds breeds and germinates thus increasing in number day by day.

Another common culinary herb that can design your herbal garden is Rosemary or Rosmarinus officinalis, is a tender perennial, hardy to zones 8 to 10. The seeds of Rosemary should be fresh and not more than two weeks old. You can also sow the cutting of the already grown-up rosemary plant. From the edge of the branch cut a piece of 4 inch. Don't remove more than 20% of the branch tip at one time. This cooking herb should be planted under proper sunlight in well-drained and acidic soil. The growth of rosemary plants is very slow and it can be sowed anytime throughout the whole year. The common disease of rosemary plants is aphids, spider mites, scale, mealybugs, root rot, and botrytis.

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