Growing Herbs Indoors – Part One

Sanford Kirkland Dec 7, 2013 · 5 min read

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Introduction

This is the first of several blog posts about growing herbs indoors. Typically many people turn their attention to growing herbs inside in the late summer or early fall. That’s because winter is coming and fresh herbs from the outdoor herb garden will not be possible in most parts of the country during winter months.

Also, an indoor herb garden may get thought about at other times as well. For example, if you’ve just moved into an apartment or condo and you would love to have some fresh herbs handy.

In both cases, growing herbs indoors and creating an indoor herb garden appears to be the solution to your needs. So how do you get started? The first step is to draft a plan for growing herbs indoors. And that is what this blog post is about.

Planning is the Key to Your Success

There are five key elements that you need to consider when you plan to grow herbs indoors.

The first element is where are you going to grow your herbs?

You need to select the place in your home, apartment, or condo where you are going to grow your herbs. Normally, a sunny, south-facing window or location is ideal because it would get the most sunlight just about any time during the year.

However, some herbs do not require as much sunlight as others. Therefore, these herbs may be grown in a window or location that has partial shade each day. They may be placed in an east or west-facing window.

Be sure you know what the specific lighting needs are for each herb plant that you will grow.

In some residences there may not be a south-facing window. Perhaps, there is not enough available sunlight coming through a south-facing window because there are some trees or permanent structures blocking the sunlight for a major part of the day. Or it may be that your residence does not have any windows that face south. Hence you simply do not get enough sunlight throughout the day.

The second element is what do you need for growing herbs indoors?

There are the various things that you need in order to grow herbs indoors. You’ll need to make a check list.

Here is a list of what you will need:

· Several planters of various sizes because some herbs grow larger than others;
· Dishes or trays of various sizes to go under the planters to catch the water; draining out of them;
· Potting soil in which to grow the herb plants;
· One watering can;
· Two sprayers, one for misting and the other for fighting pests;
· A small trowel;
· Some fertilizer or compost, preferably organic;
· Some dish soap that can be used to stop/prevent insect infestations;
· And some pest and fungal control, preferably organic.

If you don’t have a ready-made place where you can put your potted herb plants, you may need the following:

· Shelves;
· A rack;
· Or a table.

And if you know you won’t get enough sunlight, then you will need the following:

· A grow light or lights;
· And an automatic timer to turn the grow light(s) “on” and “off.”

On the other hand, you may be planning to grow your herbs hydroponically, in which case you’ll need the following items:

· A hydroponic planter;
· Hydroponic baskets for your plants;
· Planting media (used with the baskets for planting seeds);
· Covers for the baskets to hold in moisture while the seeds sprout;
· Nutrients (for the water in the planter tank);
· Two pumping systems (one for water, the other for air);
· Grow lights;
· And an automatic timer to turn the grow lights “on” and “off.”

The third element is how are the herbs you grow going to be used?

Here is where you start to make a list of the herbs you might grow. However, before you make a list of the herbs, you need to have headings that indicate how they will be used. The headings should be labeled Culinary, Medicinal, Tea, and Aromatic. The reason for this exercise is to learn how you plan to use the herbs that you may grow.

The fourth element is what herbs you plan to grow?

Next you refine your list to include just the herbs you would like to grow indoors. Each of these herbs should fall under one or more of the four headings – Culinary Medicinal, Tea and Aromatic. For example, basil and mint can be placed under both the Culinary and Aromatic heading. Keep in mind that you may have quite a large list when you’ve finished.

The fifth element is which herbs will you actually grow?

Refine your list even further. If this is your first time for growing herbs indoors circle three or four herbs on your list. It is good to start small. Then, gradually build the number of different herbs you grow. This will make your growing herbs indoors experience easier.

When I started, I began with four herbs. They were bay, thyme, basil, and chives. Gradually, I added French tarragon, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, sage, and oregano. And I now have lemon verbena, lemon grass, and stevia added to the mix. Chervil and marjoram are two more herbs I plan to add in the future.

Now that you have completed planning your indoor herb garden, you are ready to locate the herb plants, get them potted and begin growing your herbs. In Part Two we’ll learn how to get your indoor herb garden started.

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