Wouldn’t it be nice to have a small indoor herb garden right in your kitchen? Snipping off a few leaves whenever you need them for cooking will surely be easy. Depending on what herbs you use the most, you can grow different varieties of these aromatic flavor boosters. Some herbs like basil, thyme. sage , chives, parsley and cilantro can be added to so many dishes. For tea lovers, mint and pineapple sage are great for brewing tea.
Due to the small space inside a pot, small herbs like chives, parsley, cilantro (coriander), thyme, mint, basil, and tarragon are the best to grow indoors. However, other woody herbs like rosemary and sage tend to grow bushy so they need a lot more room to grow.
What You Need for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden
First, plant your herbs in small individual pots, no smaller than 5-6 inches. This will ensure there is ample room for roots to grow. Next, start them from seeds or plant small seedlings. Buy small seedlings from a nursery or home improvement store if you don’t like to wait for seeds to germinate. Personally, I prefer planting young seedlings over growing from seeds because I can use the herbs right away.
Another good thing to do is to drill holes (if there is none) in the bottom of the pot for drainage. Also, to avoid cracking, put a small piece of masking tape on the bottom of the pot before drilling. Use potting soil to fill in the pot. Don’t worry about adding fertilizer because herbs can thrive without it. Remember that herbs like sun so make sure to place them next to a sunny window. Then water them moderately when the top of the soil feels dry. Place pots in the sink when watering and let them drain. To protect the surface, use a drip tray. Finally, when you are ready to use the herbs, make sure you cut no more than one third of the plant to avoid shock.