How To Grow Herbs Indoors

How to Grow Herbs Indoors

Growing plants indoors is a hobby for many. People love the character that plants bring to their homes as well as the beauty they add to their living spaces. Plants add a little color to life while also cleaning indoor environments of pollutants.
There are large varieties of plants that can be grown indoors. Many of these are easy to grow, while others can be a little more demanding. People normally choose those plants that are easy to grow and that provide an added benefit to an indoor space. This is where herbs come in.

Growing an Herb Garden

A lot of people, especially those who love to cook, consider growing an herb garden right in their homes. This allows them to have quick access to herbs while cooking, and also adds a little freshness and fragrance to the home. While the best place for an herb garden would be the kitchen windowsill where there is plenty of natural light, there are also other ways you can grow your herbs if your kitchen is a little short on space.
Herbs can be grown anywhere in the house where the conditions can be controlled. While basements have the advantage of few temperature fluctuations, they can be too cold. The same can be said for attics, where there may be enough space to grow a small garden but the usually hot temperature does not do well for the herbs’ growth.
Other spaces like living rooms or dining rooms work well. If, however, you don’t have any space in these areas either, you can also grow an herb garden in a reflective grow tent. This can be a simple closet, or any enclosure, where you can use reflective materials to enhance the internal illumination. This works well for those people who don’t have space in their homes to grow herbs. These also let the grower control the conditions such as amount of light, temperature and humidity.
If it wasn’t clear already, light is the ultimate key to growing a successful herb garden. To ensure the health of your herbs, make sure to provide as much natural light as possible. The ideal way to achieve this is to place the garden in front of a window through which natural light streams in. An herb garden that gets natural light for at least 4 hours every day will thrive in your home. Therefore, the best place to put your herb garden would be a south facing window.
If your house does not receive too much natural light, or you don’t have a space to put your herbs in, don’t despair. As mentioned earlier, herbs are very easy to grow. They can grow even in artificial lighting, although not as good as in natural light. Common fluorescent lights have been used for a long time by people to grow indoor herb gardens. Nowadays, the quality of these lights have increased manifold and they can produce much better results. Fluorescent does produce too much heat either, so keeping them close to your plants to maximize light gain is not a problem.
Ensure Proper Drainage!
Your herbs will rot for sure if left in standing water for too long. You should ensure that the soil or growing mix you are using has good drainage to let the herbs live longer and grow better.
Using clay pots to grow your herbs is a good idea. However, if you are in an area where the temperature is too high or the atmosphere is generally dry, then the clay pots will dry out very quickly. In this case, using a glazed container is advisable.
Soil vs. Hydroponics
Growing herbs in soil is easier than doing so in water. Soil is forgiving if you forget to water it for a day or two, and it keeps the herbs fresh and healthy. All a soil needs to have is good drainage and a pH level of nearly neutral around 6-7, and you’re good to go. Herbs don’t require a lot of fertilizer either, so soil is easily the better choice for people who are just starting out with growing herbs indoors.
Hydroponic systems, on the other hand, are more complicated to deal with. They are only advised to be used by people who know what they are doing, otherwise you will run the risk of destroying your herb garden with the slightest of mistakes. The advantage of using these systems is the increase in the amount of the herbs. They also grow much quicker in these systems as opposed to soil.
If you are Comfortable, they are Comfortable..
Indoor herbs like the temperatures that humans like, between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Just make sure that the herbs are in a place where their leaves don’t touch the cool glass during the night, or they will get affected.
One of the most tricky herbs to grow is Basil. It requires a temperature in the 70s, be it day or night. A slightly extended exposure to cool air and your basil’s leaves will start to droop.
Try not placing your herbs in front of an air conditioner, as the cool or hot air produced by it will affect the growth. That is because the air produced by such appliances is dry, which herbs don’t like. If you have no other option and this is something you have to deal with, then a weekly shower will do your herbs some good.
Growing plants indoors is not as difficult as many people think it to be. Herbs can be grown almost anywhere in the house with the proper conditions. If you are one of those people who love to cook in their home kitchens and like their ingredients fresh and flavorful, then this guide was just for you to help you grow the herb garden that you want.