It’s evident that herbs gardening indoors throughout the entire year is not only convenient but also a happy hobby that you’ll have to always ensure you have fresh herbs for your foods. Indoor gardening is a favorite pastime;
in fact, it is reasonable and beneficial to grow herbs at home, which enlivens the kitchen and life in general. Are you preparing yourself to be an indoor herb garden guru?
Let’s get started!
That said, not all herbs are suitable for this kind of gardening Here is how to choose the right herbs for indoor herb gardening:
Here are the top contenders:
- Basil: This plant need at least 6 hours of light. The most versatile herb that is employed in the preparation of foods ranging from Italian to Thai facility is basil. It is very beneficial in the treatment of ailments and can be grown at the house if ample light is availed to the plant.
- Parsley: Native to bright indirect light but the lower light tolerance is acceptable if other conditions are met. Parsley is perfect for garnishing food and can be used to enhance the taste of foods such as soups, salads, etc.
- Thyme: Requires a large amount of sunlight and the soil should be friable. Because of this it is recommended to be used with strongly scented foods such as meats, stews and vegetables that are roasted in the oven.
- Mint: rhizomes are perfect for growing inside because it prefers a partially shaded location and thrives in a container. Mint on the other side is wild and elasticated but as a container, it is easily contained yet is always within reach because it can be procured easily and used to give that extra spiced taste in drinks and sweets.
- Chives: Described to grow best when light intensity is high and cuttings can be taken from it using pots. Scallions are amazingly useful and very pungent, and suitable for any dish that needs the hint of an onion, from an omelet to baked potato.
- Cilantro: Grows well in conditions that include low temperature and in areas of low light intensity.
- Coriander continues to be among the greatest used in Mexican and Indian foods moreover, if treated adequately, it sprouts indoors without a lot of issues.
Preparations for Having Your Indoor Herb Gardening Materials :
Selecting the Appropriate Containers for Indoor Herb Gardening
Generally, when establishing the best type of container for indoor herb gardening, a number of factors should be taken into consideration.
Here’s what you need to consider:
- Mass is important: Pots should be sufficiently large enough to allow room for root growth, normally, diameters range from 6 to 12 inches. Small pots hinder the growth of roots; as a result, the plants will be less healthy.
- Drainage Holes: Essential to avoid a major problem of indoor herb farming that is water logging or pooling of water. This type of situation in the form of waterlogged soil is the death for your herbs as it causes root rot.
- Material Choice: Terracotta ones are permeable for air but get dry quickly while plastic one are moisture retentive. The genesis of choosing brooms depends on your watering regimes and humidity levels within your home.
Growing Tips Soil and Fertilizer for Indoor Herbs
It is recommended to use a high-quality potting mix; avoid using garden soil since it has a tendency to be too heavy. Some garden soils can setup and sit packed in the container thus limiting root proliferation and leads to poor drainage.
Feed your herbs bi-monthly using a water soluble balanced fertilizer, the same one that was used while transplanting. However, there is a word of caution here: over-fertilizing will produce less tasting herbs.
Light requirement in indoor herb gardening :
A very significant factor that plays a central role in indoor herb gardening is light. Here’s how to ensure your herbs get what they need:
- Sunlight: Many of the herbs should be grown where they can receive lots of natural light. The best location is the exposure of the windows to the south or west since this will give the most direct light during the day indoors. Should you have a poorly lit home, it doesn’t have to be a big issue.
- Artificial Light: If there is natural light, use LED grow lights or fluorescent lights. Approximately position them 6-12” above the plants and leave them switched on for about 12-16 hours. LED is energy preserving as compared to other types of lights, hence it provide light that is in the spectrum that helps the herbs to grow.
Watering Your Indoor Herb Garden
Watering can be either a hero or a villain in your own indoor herb gardening. Here’s how to do it right:
- Consistency is Key: It is very important to regularly check the soil and water it not too little and not too much. Herbs usually like to be watered when they are a little on the dry side rather than being kept in damp soil.
- Check Often: When the content of the top inch of soil is dry, water them. For the appropriate determination of the moisture content of the soil, insert your finger into the soil.
- Thorough Soaking: Water them until the drain out from the bottom of the pot so that the roots can absorb moisture. It also assists in the removal of accumulated salts from the fertilizers as well
Maintaining a Healthy Indoor Herb Garden
Pruning and Harvesting in Indoor Herb Gardening
Regular pruning keeps your indoor herb gardening plants healthy and productive:
Basil: Being a bushy plant, nip off the tips of the branches to promote side-shoots. This will encourage side shoots and discourage the plant from growing tall and ‘leggy’ as the top leaves are the first one to be developed on an auto-flowering cannabis plant.
Parsley and Cilantro: Remove the additional leaves at the tip while allowing the longer stems to continue to germinate. These herbs can be harvested continually, making them not bolt, that is go to seeds.
Thyme and Chives: Said trimming should be conducted quite often to keep the plants as small as possible. The leaves are harvested often and constantly to promote new production and maintain a healthy plant.
Pests and Diseases in Indoor Herb Gardening
Even in indoor herb gardening, you need to watch out for pests and diseases:
Common Pests: Aphids, Spider mites and whiteflies should be watched out for. Sweep or vacuum the infected areas and treat within with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Due to this, the over mentioned regularities should be put into practice in an effort to detect problems when they are still mild.
Prevent Fungal Diseases: The key to maintaining for is the watering of the plant forgetting water on the leaves, adequate airflow should also be ensured. Water the soil directly and note that fungal diseases like ‘Black root rot’ favor stagnant water hence using a fan would be useful in aeration.
Common issues that may arise in indoor herb gardening
Regardless of how much effort one puts in their indoor herb garden there are challenges that may arise.
Here are a few common issues and how to fix them:
Leggy Plants: This is always as a result of low light conditions. Reposition your herbs where they will be exposed to more light or you buy artificial source of light for the herbs.
Yellow Leaves: An indication that the plants are receiving excessive water which is usually a wrong signal. Make sure your pots have drainage and allow the soil to get somewhat dry between watering’s.
Wilting: Damage can be caused by lack of enough water, or too much water being provided to the plant. Observe the health of the plants in terms of the soil and water moisture content and make the necessary changes accordingly.
Why Indoor Herb Gardening Rocks
Here are some perks:
Ideas for Preparing Pesto :
Here are some creative ways to use them:
Conclusion :
