How to Have Fresh Herbs – Year Round!

Grow Your Own Fresh Herbs – All Year Round!

Herbs are more than just a garnish. Herbs give meals flavor and provide proven health benefits. Growing your own herbs will save you money and supply fresh flavor all year round. In a previous post, I talked about some different ideas to help you create an indoor herb garden. But you may be wondering which herbs to choose and how to help your herb garden grow. In this post I’ll give you a few tips to help your indoor herb garden thrive, as well as the herbs to choose for success.

Fresh Herbs Need Proper Care

Herbs grow easily in containers. It doesn’t take much room to grow several different types of herbs inside. You’ll need area by a sunny window and a container with proper drainage. If your pot doesn’t have a drainage hole and tray, provide a layer of gravel where the water can drain away from the roots.

When first starting out, you might want to try seedlings instead of seeds. But if you decide to start with seeds, indoor herbs can germinate in 7 to 10 days and start to grow in 3 to 4 weeks with the proper care.

Even without a sunny window, you can still grow herbs. An HID growlight can supplement the light your herb plants will need. One important thing to remember is not to treat herbs like a house plant. While you can water houseplants once or twice a week, herbs require a little bit of water each day. But be careful not to over water because the roots will rot.

Easy Herbs To Grow

If you’re new to gardening or haven’t tried planting herbs before, it could be tricky to choose the herbs you start with. Below are the best ones to try first:

Basil

Basil is an easy herb for your kitchen garden, but it does need bright light. According to GardeningKnowHow.com, Basil plants require 6-10 hours of light per day, preferably from a southern exposure. The soil needs to be kept moist but not wet to avoid root rot.

Mint

One of the top herbs you can grow indoors is mint. Mint is not just for cooking, it’s also great for adding flavor to smoothies, infused water and homemade juices. It’s useful in natural cleaning supplies, can be used for aromatherapy and room scents, and is excellent for homemade body products as well. When growing mint indoors, make sure you have a large container since it grows very quickly. You need a good amount of sun and should keep it moist at all times.

Parsley

This herb is perfect for adding a subtle flavor to your dishes. Parsley can easily be grown indoors from seed, although it does take a few weeks for the seeds germinate. Parsley is a slow grower, so don’t be surprised if you have fresh mint well before you have fresh parsley. Sow the seeds on the surface of the soil.

Chives

Chives is one of the easiest herbs to grow inside since you don’t need constant heat and sunshine. You should still keep the chives container near a window that gets some sunshine, but don’t stress too much. Use a nice clay pot with proper drainage and good soil. Keep it more damp than wet in order to help the chives grow.

Grow Your Own Fresh Herbs

Why should you grow your own herb garden? Besides the taste and health benefits of fresh herbs, it’s also convenient. You won’t need to go the store for just a few sprigs of basil, tarragon, or parsley, or pay the high price charged for fresh herbs. With an indoor herb garden, you walk over to your herb plant and simply snip off what you need. You save money, time, and your kitchen will smell amazing!

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This post is presented as informational entertainment and not meant to diagnose or treat any illness or disease. Always consult your medical professional before adding new routines or anything new to your diet.

Many thanks for the beautiful stock photography to:

cottonbro from Pexels

Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

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