Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow at home. All you need is sunlight, water, and soil. If you live in an apartment, you can still grow herbs indoors.
So whether you're interested in growing herbs for cooking, ornamental, or medicinal purposes, here's everything you need to know about planting herbs at home.
Choose Your Herb Garden Location
Most herbs require good sunlight. They thrive well in moderate temperatures and soil with good drainage.
While growing them indoors, Choose a sunny spot near a window. Avoid areas that receive harsh direct sunlight.
Choose container
You can grow herbs in any container. But terra-cotta pots are best as they provide good aeration to the roots. Herbs are an excellent choice for container gardening.
Soil
Avoid using compact soil as it doesn't provide proper drainage. Instead, choose well-draining loose soil with organic matter. Water logging is a problem while growing herbs, and it reduces the flavor and aroma of the herbs.
Plant Seeds
Place seeds in the center of the potting mix. Cover the seeds thinly with potting mix. You can also use cuttings to grow some herbs like thyme and Rosemary.
Watering
Overwatering will kill the herbs. So always check the moisture content in the soil using your finger. Water only if the topsoil seems dry.
Harvesting
Timely harvest is necessary to encourage further growth of the plant. While harvesting, snip off the tip of the shoot. Also, remove flower buds when you find any on your plant. Because once the flowering starts, the leaves and flavor of the herb reduce.
Choosing the herbs
There are hundreds of herb soy can choose from. We have listed some of them below according to their growth and light requirements:
Annual herbs
Dill, chamomile, coriander, borage, stevia, and basil, are some of the annual herbs.
Perennial herbs
Thyme, oregano, Lemon Verbena, Sweet Marjoram, Lemon Balm, Fennel, Sage, Mint, Lavender, Garlic Chives, and Rosemary are some of the perennial herbs.
Mediterranean herbs
Some Mediterranean herbs are Rosemary, basil, lavender, oregano, sage, and thyme. They require bright sunlight to grow well.
Herbs for semi-shade spaces
Dill, parsley, fennel, tarragon, chives, peppermint, and chamomile.
Next step
Gardener services
Landscaping services
Online nursery
Organic pesticides and fertilizers
Extra reading
13 Fresh Herbs to Grow in Your Kitchen Window
Planting Herbs in Containers: Oregano, Chives, Thyme, Mints, Basil, Sage, Rosemary, Lavender
Herbs that you can grow at home
Happy Gardening!
Dr. Vandana K.