One thing that I have really loved about starting to grow our own food is having an indoor herb garden. It’s so easy to start and has made such a huge difference in our cooking. I can’t tell you how awesome it is to be able to grab a sprig of fresh basil for a meal. And nothing compares to the taste of fresh cut herbs! Want to start your own indoor herb garden? Here are a few tips on how to start an indoor herb garden!
-Pick your herbs – I started small and picked a few that I knew and already used regularly. Parsley, sweet basil, oregano and dill. Not sure where to start? Try whatever you reach for the most often in your spice cabinet! You can find packets of herb seeds at your local garden center or places like Home Depot and Lowes.
-Plant them – Plant your seeds according to their instructions on the packet. I used larger pots so I was able to plant quiet a few and knew they would have enough room to grow. We planted ours the same way we planted our indoor vegetable garden. The kids really love to get involved, which is awesome!
-Find a sunny spot – Find a nice windowsill to set your pots. We have the perfect window above our sink that houses our herbs. It’s also out of the way of the cats and kids. Plus, it makes for easy watering!
-Water accordingly – Make sure your little herblings have a good dose of water. I don’t water everyday because sometimes they don’t need it. A good test to see if they need soil is to scratch the diet and if its moist under the top layer – they should be fine. This fun tip came from one of my favorite books – Backyard Farming on an Acre of Less by Angela England. [I highly recommend this book for any gardener!]
-Prune them – This is the best part! Once your herbs start to grow into nice leafy plants you can start using them! If your herbs start to take over, prune then down and save the leaves. [I had pruned my basil two weeks ago in the picture above!] You can dry them or freeze them for later use.
And there ya go! Easy, right? If you start today you should be able to use fresh herbs in a few weeks. [Woohoo!]
Want more posts like this? Check out:
- How to start a vegetable garden indoors
- How to transplant seedlings
- How to make a pallet wood planter [for free!]
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Crystal says
I’ve been wanting to try and grow a few herbs inside the house, but just haven’t convinced myself to do it because I kill all plants/flowers. I’m getting closer to attempting it. Thanks for the information and tips.
Kelley says
You can do it! Seriously, if I can.. you can! haha!
Ai Lin @ Nomsies Kitchen says
I was just researching how to grow herbs indoors earlier today and I am sure glad I found your post. I don’t know why my herbs always die on me. I have never attempted planting from seeds before though, so I will try that this time round. Thank you!
Kelley says
Awesome! I’m so glad the tips are useful. Let me know how your herbs from seeds go!
Heather {Woods of Bell Trees} says
“Herblings” that is such a cute name for them! hehehe I have mint allll year EVERYWHERE but come winter it’s all gone. We spent 3 bucks on a little tiny bunch and I forgot to put it back in the fridge! Ugh. Yes NOTHING compares to fresh herbs. I was watching a cooking show the other day and they suggested using dried cilantro..I started yelling at the TV that it has no flavor! LOL I need to get some glazed pots I used unglazed terra cotta last time and they got funky being indoors. This is the encouragement I needed to get back to growing herbs indoors! Thanks!
Kelley says
Dried cilantro?! Whats the point! Some herbs are good dried but fresh is best. Especially cilantro. My mint is sprouting up and I can’t wait to grab a fresh leaf! Good luck on starting up again! 🙂