Showing posts with label organic herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic herbs. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 May 2009

Organic Herbal Gardening Without A Garden

Working on organic herbal gardening inside a building is a great way to provide your family with fresh produce and also with beautiful greenery. In fact the sweet-smelling herbs not only look and smell good; they are also great for adding flavor to your cooking.

Organic herbal gardening in the house has certain advantages over outdoors growing. You are much less season-dependent, and you can have a plot of plants that is just the size you need it to be within constant reach of your kitchen.

As for the plants that you can grow, most herbs that will grow in a garden will also do well indoors. Don’t worry about having to exclude your favorite flavors, but focus instead on the combination of herbs that you would prefer to grow.

For instance, for a fragrant note you can grow angelica, bergamot, catmint, chamomile, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, and mint. This organic herb garden is also a great organic air freshener, ideal for indoor gardens in small flats.

Another thing you should focus on quickly is the kind of containers that you want to use for your plants. Not all plants grow equally well in small pots, so you should have an awareness of the minimum pot size for your chosen organic herbs.

Make sure that you don’t get any tiny pots meant for growing from seed, unless that is your original intention! In fact, better to get slightly bigger pots if you have the space in your growing area.

Container size is important, so begin with those that are a bit larger than those in which the live nursery plants were purchased. This will give your plants room to start growing. Once your herbs are stabilized and growing well, transplant them into larger containers. This is important to ensure growth and so that nutrients make it from the soil into the plant.

Of course, organic herbal gardening indoors calls for using organic soil. Your soil should have a pH of about 7, as herbs prefer a more alkaline soil. If yours is too acid, you can add some calcified seaweed. Make sure that only organic fertilizers make it into your soil.

The next crucial step is to think about the lighting. You should put the plants next to a good source of natural light, possibly a southwards-facing window. Don’t automatically put the plants in full sunlight, as some grow better in a shadier spot. You may want to experiment with electric grow lights if there isn’t a lot of light where you live, but this isn’t usually necessary.

You will find that indoors organic herbal gardening is both useful and pleasant. Herbs are generally easy to grow, and require little safeguarding. Simply give them the right food, water, and sunlight, and you will have lots to cook with.

Monday, 17 November 2008

Organic Herb Gardening Indoors

Organic herbs are the perfect recipe for your indoor garden. Most herbs are small and will grow very well in pots or window boxes that you can place in a sunny spot in your kitchen, living room or bedroom.

Others, like bay, need a larger pot but will happily grow indoors and provide a beautiful leafy corner in your home. With the wider spreading large herbs like rosemary and lavender, you may be able to find dwarf varieties that will grow in pots on the window sill.

Even if you have a big garden outside, there are advantages to growing your herbs indoors. First, you do not have far to go when you want to add a taste of your favorite herb to a dish that you are cooking. You do not have to brave the cold or wet weather, either. Just pluck a few leaves and throw them in the pot.

Second, some herbs such as mint can be invasive and take over your whole garden if you are not careful, popping up all over the lawn and overwhelming their smaller defenseless neighbors. You have to grow them in a pot if you want to be able to control them at all, so you may as well have them in the house where you know they cannot cause any trouble.

Growing herbs in the house will also bring their fresh natural fragrances into your home. It is like having your home permanently scented with essential oils. You can put plants that smell good together into the same room. Almost every herb can find a place in your house.

Lavender is traditionally used around clothes and in the bedroom. Stronger smelling herbs that you often use in your own cooking will be best in the kitchen, both for convenience and to give the room the scent of your own cooking. Some plants will prefer the damper atmosphere of the bathroom, some will like to be where it is warm, others prefer cooler spots and part shade.
It is fun, too. You will naturally take good care of the plants because you will see them every day.

If you have kids, you can involve them in the process and have them look after some of the plants or help you water or pick them. You may find that your cooking becomes more adventurous as you are tempted to use more of the new and different herbs that you are growing.

And since you are growing them in the house, why not go organic? This is the best solution for all of your food and it is easy enough to do. Most of the pests and airborne diseases that can plague your garden plants will not be found in the house. So all you have to do is buy organic herb seeds and potting soil, avoid using chemical fertilizers, and you have your indoor organic herbs.