Plant Gardens 101

An indoor herb garden takes many forms, and growing herbs in pots is just one of many options available to a natural herb enthusiast. Potted herbs are easy to maintain and typically require less maintenance than herb gardens grown outdoors. A decorative hanging basket or window box can also be an attractive addition to your indoor environments. Let’s take a closer look at some of the aspects involved with growing potted herbs.

Potted plants, or all plants for that matter, require three basic ingredients to thrive – controlled sunlight, good soil, and an adequate water supply. Fresh herb gardens are no exception. Proper placement and regular care will ensure your plants thrive and produce regularly. The amount and variety of the herbs you grow will allow determine how they should be lit.

Where would you place potted herbs to offer the best sunlight? Find a room with a window that faces south or west. These directions give the most favorable light. Some people utilize supplemental lights like fluorescent grow lamps that offer more consistent, even lighting for potted plants. These lights work well in isolated, temperature-controlled areas, if there is indoor space to set them up properly. (more…)

The herb garden you’ve carefully tended has yielded great results, and now the plants are thriving. The question is how do you harvest and utilize the herbs you’ve grown? Here are some ideas on how to get the best use from your plentiful home herb garden.

First, hearty plants need to be harvested. How do you know when herbs are ready? Depending on the herb, a good general rule is to harvest plants just before they start to flower. In the case of lemon balm or mint, for example, you can trim the plants pretty close to the roots, since they will come back quickly over time. (more…)

Yes, the growing season has been lovely, relaxing and rejuvenating. Now fall is fast approaching. So what does a good herb gardener do right about now?

This is the time you can spring into action, harvesting the herbs you have, preserving them for winter — and transplanting those you can to keep them growing next year.

Propagating New Plants
After successfully growing herbs all summer, you’re ready to create new plants. There are three main methods you can do this: ·dividing the roots of the existing plants ·taking cuttings of the herbs in your gardens ·healing in or layering.

Root Division
This is a simple approach to creating more herbs. With a spade or shovel, work the roots loose from a clump of the densely growing herbs. Take this grouping out of the ground and separate the plants, starting at the roots. You want to do this rather carefully. (more…)