Indoor Herb Gardens!
We cook, we clean, we work, we sleep, we run people to and from appointments and events. And we eat. Boy, do we eat. And as we bring the food prep from the outdoor grill to the kitchen stovetop, we can bring the herb garden with us! One necessity for good cooking is fresh herbs and spices, right?
Indoor herb gardens will not only flavor your food with fresh seasonings, they will fill your kitchen with the aromas of home-grown goodness for your home-cooked meals. So, take a look at these ideas for indoor planters – both DIY’d and purchased from online retailers –to make the most of your fabulous fall and winter menus.
How to Make an Indoor Herb Garden
Herbs are easy to grow indoors, starting with seeds or seedlings – although the seedlings will give you a jump start. If you’re bringing containers in from outside, the garden center folks at Home Depot (about 10 minutes south of Colliers Hill) recommend that you let them weather a few cold nights to toughen them up before you making them transition indoors. You should also quarantine the plants for a few weeks to watch them for diseases.
Herbs like light and need a MINIMUM of four hours of sunshine a day. A bright south-facing window is ideal. And for containers, avoid terra cotta and opt for glazed pots with a saucer to keep water from damaging a windowsill or furniture. Herbs love water, but too much will give them root rot. A few pebbles in the bottom of the pot adds a layer of protection for the roots. Water or mist your herbs frequently – the dry winters here can be brutal (brittle!) on houseplants, and never use garden soil or garden dirt – always opt for well-draining potting soil.
Gardeners.com lists the best indoor herbs to grow as basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay laurel, chervil (essential to Bearnaise sauce), chives (onion-flavored kick to eggs and salads), mint (peppermint, spearmint, chocolate, orange, apple, banana and more). Look there for individual suggestions about what each herb needs in terms of light and maintenance.
Containers to Try or Buy
This might be the best deal on the internet: a windowsill herb garden with 10 non-GMO heirloom herb seed collections and herb pots for $25. The pots are simple, pre-labeled coconut coir with 10 soil disks and the kit comes with two pre-molded trays for optimal water drainage. You might want to replant at some point for more stylish pots, but to get started, this is one way to grow 10 different herbs simultaneously without much fuss!
The Lucky Clover Trading Company has a sweet three-tiered wooden hanging shelf with wire planter baskets that could be a great addition to your kitchen wall space. Made of fir and steel, there’s also a two-tiered version for smaller spaces.
Nothing could be easier than this portable indoor herb garden idea from Better Homes and Gardens. Watch the video tutorial for all you’ll need, from pebbles in the bottom of your glass jars, seedlings, chalk labels and an old milk bottle carrier!
Kits and Herbal Art
For another great herb kit, head to Uncommon Goods for these elegant glass planters. While the clean, simple, see-through containers are minimalist, the simple agro-tech methodology is a hydroponic system that brings nutrients up the plants’ roots while regulating moisture. With these planters you don’t have to guess whether or not you’re watering enough/too much! The kit contains organic seeds (basil, cilantro or parsley), plant food, a coconut husk disk, activated carbon and the frosted glass planter.
Here’s an idea for using porcelain bowls with herbs as wall art. Blogger Jami at Young Wife’s Guide curated 10 different herb containers (some perfect for transferring indoors) including tea cups and saucers, and a one-pot option that would make a great house-warming or new bride gift.
And finally, if you’re short on bright sunlight but long on desire, try this planter with an LED light. Wayfair sells these lighted planters for $37 and you can plant up to three different herbs in them, or, there’s a costlier, streamlined version at Modsprout for $99.
DIY in Colliers Hill
In the master-planned community of Colliers Hill, our gardens are about to wind down and our indoor lives about to begin again. Drive by our amazing new homes built by Meritage Homes, Richmond American Homes, and Century Communities. Explore the amenities and tour the model homes here and find the ranch-style or two-story design that’s perfect for you — priced from the high $300s.
