Everything you need to know about growing herbs at home
Using fresh herbs in cooking, rather than the dried store-bought ones, make all the difference to cooking. You can just pluck some right off the plant and add to the dish, instantly altering the taste. Growing your own herbs at home has a lot of advantages, the most important one being, you will have fresh herbs all year long and do not have to spend any money buying them. You do not need a large sprawling garden to grow them instead you can do so indoors in containers and enjoy the wonderful smell they give out. You can grow them on a window sill or in some secluded space. Whichever method you choose, it is low maintenance and a wonderful activity to keep you engaged in. Although growing herbs at home is more or less straightforward, there are a few important aspects which you need to know before you go about creating an indoor garden. Read on to know the basics of indoor herb gardening:
1. Space
Before you begin, you should figure out how much space you plan to use. Only then can you assume how many herbs you can plant in that space and the size of containers that can be used. Overcrowding them would only cause hindrance, both to you and the plants. Also figuring out where to keep what herb is important as some of them need more water, some of them more sunlight and some greater root space. Grouping them as per their growing requirement and the space available is the first and foremost step towards having your own indoor garden.
2. Placement
Where you place the herbs matters because they need light to thrive. Most herbs require at least 5 hours of sun light each day and others can manage with just sufficient amount of any good light source. A sunny window would be apt if the sun light is not too harsh. If that window doesn’t receive direct sunlight, then place them out in the sun for a few hours whenever possible, and then transfer them inside under artificial lighting. With so many varieties of fluorescent lighting available specifically for illuminating plants, there is no need to worry about artificial lighting. Just place the plants strategically under these lights and they would instigate the growth. Also rotate the plant containers regularly, so that all sides of the plants get enough light and can grow equally in all directions
3. Soil requirements
Although soil requirements can vary, it is ideal if you use organic soil compost which is better for your health, as well as it supports the environment even when grown indoors. Getting good quality compost will do the trick usually, but if you can mix some sand into the potting soil, it would work out to be even more habitable for the herbs. Drainage is also important because stagnant water can harness its growth. So placing gravel at the bottom of the container before loading it with soil, can help drain off excess water.
4. Temperature and humidity
Herbs thrive in indoor atmosphere pretty well and problems arise only when it becomes too hot and dry. Keeping the normal room temperature to about 70C is the best during day times and at night, the dropping temperatures are alright because the plants are inside and as far as it doesn’t reach freezing point, they will be fine. Humidity levels, at best, should be kept at about 30 to 50 percent and this can be done by just keeping a bowl of water next to the plants. The water that evaporates will keep the plants nice and moist. If the plants are next to a window, leave it open for a short while so that they can breathe well. However, keeping them next to a direct draft for longer periods of time, especially during winter, can harness the growth.
5. Watering
The most important thing to understand about water is that over doing it or under doing it will kill the herbs. Watch the plant carefully and when they begin to wilt, it means it is ready to be fed with sufficient amounts of water. Check them daily for soil moisture and if it is too dry, then water them with room temperature water. Spraying some water on the foliage will also help them thrive better by removing any dust or dirt accumulated on its leaves.
