Most seasoned chefs know how important it is to use fresh herbs whenever possible. They make a dish burst with flavor! The problem is that once you buy fresh herbs, they need to be used quickly or else they go bad. Instead of buying the cut herbs in the store, try growing them indoors instead! Here is some advice that will help you easily and painlessly start an indoor herb garden.
Think About the Herbs You Want
Do you like to use fresh herbs when you cook? Do you prefer fresh herbs in your tea rather than dried ones? Before you get started creating your herb garden, think about which herbs you really want. Herbs like parsley, chives, dill, basil, cilantro, oregano, and mint are good candidates for your herb garden because of how versatile they are. Not only that, but the dried versions of these herbs don’t taste nearly as good as their fresh counterparts. However, it all depends on your cooking style. You wouldn’t want to care for a plant that you’ll never use.
Look for Full Grown Plants
You don’t need to start your herbs from seed yourself in order to enjoy an indoor herb garden. In fact, starting plants from seed can be rather tedious because depending on the quality of the seeds you could only end up with a handful of plants strong enough to survive past the seedling phase. When you purchase a plant that is already full grown, you know that the plant is strong enough to survive. Before you add these plants to your garden, make sure that you read the pamphlet that comes with it to make sure that you understand how to care for it.
Give Them Plenty of Light
When you start your indoor herb garden, it isn’t enough to just place them on a table and forget about them. Plants need plenty of natural sunlight and over time, herbs that are stuck indoors could begin to look sickly and eventually die. Your best bet is to find a sunny corner of your home such as a windowsill or a table near a large window. Turn the plants every few days so that all parts of the plant can get enough light. Most herbs require sunny locations in order to thrive. If you don’t think they’re getting enough natural sunlight, consider positioning them under a grow light.
Don’t Be Afraid to Use Them
Another thing that will help keep your indoor plants strong and healthy is to constantly use them. When plants are neglected, they eventually start flowering, which means that the plant has determined that it’s time to reproduce. With some herbs, such as parsley, once they begin to flower, that means they’ll eventually start to die off. To prevent this from happening, you need to constantly cut away at it. Don’t worry if the plant looks sparse – more stalks will shoot up from the soil and eventually the plant will look stronger than it ever was.
Growing herbs indoors makes these plants easily accessible when you need them for recipes. All you really need to do is make sure they get enough light and give them enough water to thrive.