Thursday, December 15, 2011
Gardening For Fun & Food: Growing Indoor Herbs Gardening For Flavor, Aroma, ...
Gardening For Fun & Food: Growing Indoor Herbs Gardening For Flavor, Aroma, ...: Winter is approaching rapidly, soon we'll inter in the new year of 2012, and in many places is already showing its cold face, with fury. No...
Growing Indoor Herbs Gardening For Flavor, Aroma, And Healthy Living
Winter is approaching rapidly, soon we'll inter in the new year of 2012, and in many places is already showing its cold face, with fury. Not to worry too much about it, because as it comes so it goes! Winter has its charm and in many ways it can be pleasant at times, too. If it's not too cold.
But sooner or later the winter nostalgia will hit us, and makes us think of the wonderful activities and time we spent, and the fun we had in our gardens and backyards.
Looking through the window while the snow flakes are falling down in bunches, is a unique experience to have from the warmth of your home in front of your fireplace.
How about moving the garden (in a way) indoors for a while and grow some wonderful vibrant, fragrant, aromatic, tasty and health beneficial herbs.
Herbs gardening in containers, is a lot of fun and it is not hard at all. There are so many choices, but you can choose the ones that you like the most.
Some herbs that you would like to spice your favorite dishes and salads, and enjoy a wonderful difference in in the taste of your cooking.
A few herbs that comes to mind would be Sweet Basil, Parsley Plain Italian, Arugula, Cilantro, Dill, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, garlic chives, onion chives, and many others that you prefer.
All these herbs can be started in some 4.5 to 6 inch plastic containers, square or round. They don't take much room and can be grown close to a window sill to get at least 8 hours of day light. The more light the better.
For a successful batch of potted herbs indoors, you'll need some good fine potting soil preferable with some micro-nutrients blended in, and rich in peat-moss.
Fill up the pots and leave about 1 to 1.5 inches from the top of the pot, and sow the seed throughout the surface of the soil in the container.
Cover the seeds with a thin layer of the same fine potting soil, and water thoroughly with a fine mist. Set them close to the outside light in the window. Keep them watered but not soggy, until the seeds sprout out.
Once the little herbs are sprouted, water carefully as not to bend them to the soil. Just keep the water flow in a corner of the pot and let it flow slowly until all the surface is wet.
The little pots should be full of little herbs, and as they grow, start pinching as much as you'd like for fresh use. By harvesting the herbs as you need them, you'll encourage growth and thus enjoy them all winter long, and well into the Spring, until you can move them outside.
It's such a wonderful feeling to be able to harvest at will whenever you want from your own kitchen window sill. Don't pinch no more then about one third of the tips of the herbs.
If you prefer, you can plant different kinds of seeds of your choice, in a rectangular box that would fit just right in the limited space you might have.
As long as they receive the adequate light, water and air circulation they will thrive.
For a more abundant herb crop, you can use some organic fertilizers, preferable the slow released kind, that will not be too strong on the little tender herb plants, and thus avoiding to burn them.
As I've explained above, I think that it is better to sow the seeds all over the surface of the potting soil in containers. I had a great deal of success whenever I planted herbs by using this method. If you sow just a few seeds they are not likely to do that well.
Just try it once and you'll understand my theory. The little plants kind of hold each other up, and grow more robust by competing with each other. Not to worry, they'll get along just fine!
So as you can see, indoor herbs growing is easy, and you'll have fine flavor, aroma, and healthy living too. Spice up your favorite dishes and salads and enjoy your food to the maximum.
I hope that this little article about growing herbs indoors is helpful to you, and will give you some useful ideas.
Until next time, Happy indoor gardening,
Mike Borlovan
But sooner or later the winter nostalgia will hit us, and makes us think of the wonderful activities and time we spent, and the fun we had in our gardens and backyards.
Looking through the window while the snow flakes are falling down in bunches, is a unique experience to have from the warmth of your home in front of your fireplace.
How about moving the garden (in a way) indoors for a while and grow some wonderful vibrant, fragrant, aromatic, tasty and health beneficial herbs.
Herbs gardening in containers, is a lot of fun and it is not hard at all. There are so many choices, but you can choose the ones that you like the most.
Some herbs that you would like to spice your favorite dishes and salads, and enjoy a wonderful difference in in the taste of your cooking.
A few herbs that comes to mind would be Sweet Basil, Parsley Plain Italian, Arugula, Cilantro, Dill, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, garlic chives, onion chives, and many others that you prefer.
All these herbs can be started in some 4.5 to 6 inch plastic containers, square or round. They don't take much room and can be grown close to a window sill to get at least 8 hours of day light. The more light the better.
For a successful batch of potted herbs indoors, you'll need some good fine potting soil preferable with some micro-nutrients blended in, and rich in peat-moss.
Fill up the pots and leave about 1 to 1.5 inches from the top of the pot, and sow the seed throughout the surface of the soil in the container.
Cover the seeds with a thin layer of the same fine potting soil, and water thoroughly with a fine mist. Set them close to the outside light in the window. Keep them watered but not soggy, until the seeds sprout out.
Once the little herbs are sprouted, water carefully as not to bend them to the soil. Just keep the water flow in a corner of the pot and let it flow slowly until all the surface is wet.
The little pots should be full of little herbs, and as they grow, start pinching as much as you'd like for fresh use. By harvesting the herbs as you need them, you'll encourage growth and thus enjoy them all winter long, and well into the Spring, until you can move them outside.
It's such a wonderful feeling to be able to harvest at will whenever you want from your own kitchen window sill. Don't pinch no more then about one third of the tips of the herbs.
If you prefer, you can plant different kinds of seeds of your choice, in a rectangular box that would fit just right in the limited space you might have.
As long as they receive the adequate light, water and air circulation they will thrive.
For a more abundant herb crop, you can use some organic fertilizers, preferable the slow released kind, that will not be too strong on the little tender herb plants, and thus avoiding to burn them.
As I've explained above, I think that it is better to sow the seeds all over the surface of the potting soil in containers. I had a great deal of success whenever I planted herbs by using this method. If you sow just a few seeds they are not likely to do that well.
Just try it once and you'll understand my theory. The little plants kind of hold each other up, and grow more robust by competing with each other. Not to worry, they'll get along just fine!
So as you can see, indoor herbs growing is easy, and you'll have fine flavor, aroma, and healthy living too. Spice up your favorite dishes and salads and enjoy your food to the maximum.
I hope that this little article about growing herbs indoors is helpful to you, and will give you some useful ideas.
Until next time, Happy indoor gardening,
Mike Borlovan
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