how to grow herbs inside all winter€¦ · how to grow herbs indoors all winter. learning to grow...
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© Life is just ducky.com
Mary St. Dennis
How To Grow Herbs Inside All Winter
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How To Grow Herbs Indoors All Winter.
Learning to grow an indoor herb garden is an inexpensive
and rewarding way to enjoy fresh herbs all winter.
Growing herbs inside not only gives you the fresh flavors
you crave right at your fingertips, but fills your house
with fragrance and air purifying properties of plants.
You don’t need a large backyard or the hot days of
summer to grow your own herb garden, you can grow
many of your favorites right on your kitchen counter.
Just because the weather is changing doesn’t mean you
have to give up growing your own herbs. Start an indoor
herb garden and grow herbs all winter long. Even in a
small space you can have fresh herbs for cooking and
making medicine.
Fresh Herbs All Winter
Fresh herbs add so much to every meal and makes all
your food taste so much better. With fall coming on, it is
a great time to think about starting your own indoor herb
garden.
Growing Herbs Inside
The right location can make all the difference. It’s helpful
to have a sunny, south facing window to grow herbs
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inside. Most herbs need at least 6 hours of strong
sunlight per day.
To grow well indoors, herbs need as much natural light as
possible, but in the middle of winter, there just might not
be enough daylight.
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Growing With Grow Lights
If you don’t have a sunny window you can still grow
most herbs, you just need to be a bit more creative.
If your house is rather dark like mine, you will have to
supply supplemental light in the form of grow lights.
There are many to choose from.
You can add a grow light or fluorescent fixture hung over
your plants.
A grow light will give your herbs the light they so crave.
Just rotate your plants every day so all sides of the plant
gets enough light.
Grow lights are not as strong as direct sunlight, so you
will want to leave them on for 14 to 16 hours. You can
use a timer to make sure they are turned on and off at
the right time.
Start Small
As with all gardening and homesteading adventures,
starting slow is good advice. Start with a few easy herbs
and see how it goes. See if you have the right lighting to
make your new plants happy. You can always add more
later.
If you are just starting out here is a nice beginner’s herb
kit.
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Seeds or Plants
Starting herbs from seeds can be a challenge. Some herb
seeds are hard to germinate. It also takes a lot longer to
get herbs that are ready to cut and use if you start from
seeds.
If you start with plants or even start with cuttings, from
the herbs in your outside garden or have a friend that
has what you are looking for, you will be far ahead of the
game.
Know your herbs. Some herbs germinate easier than
others. You can get a pack of basil seeds and grow a
forest of basil, more than you will ever use. But some
herbs have tiny seeds and may not sprout nearly as
easily.
So, if you are new to herb gardening, you may want to
start out with seedlings from your local nursery. Then try
your hand starting from seed just the easiest herbs.
Can You Grow Herbs In Water?
If you have had an outdoor herb garden and winter is
fast approaching you can extend your herb growing
season by clipping stems of herbs and putting them in
vases (or jars – no judgement here) of water.
They will not grow as fast as herbs planted in soil, but it’s
a great way to extend your growing season.
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Choose young branches with new growth.
Cut stems about 6” (15 cm) long and strip the bottom 4”
of leaves from the stem. You don’t want any leaves in the
water. Clip the stem at an angle as it has more surface
area to take up water.
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You will need to clean the vase/jar about once a week as
algae will build up.
Clip each leaf as it grows to full size and that will
encourage the plant to continue to put on new leaves.
Spring, well or rain water works best. Most tap water
contain chemicals and distilled water removes the
minerals that plants need.
When Do I Plant Herbs?
The great thing about growing your herbs inside is, you
can grow them any time of the year. You don’t have to
wait until fall or winter. It’s so nice having them right at
your fingertips all year long.
Container Gardening With Herbs
There are many cute containers you can plant in, but
many of them are so small they don’t leave enough room
for the roots to properly develop. 6-12” is best.
Make sure it is well drained as most plants don’t like to
have their feet (roots) kept consistently wet. Your herbs
will probably not need watering every day. Check with
your finger to see if the soil is dry down to the second
knuckle before your water again. Remember your plants
can droop because of too much water too.
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When I was in high school, my mom and I both went
away on a trip for a couple of weeks. Mom left my dad a
note explaining things that needed to be done. One of
the things she said in the note was “don’t forget to water
the plants.”.
Dad read the note every day and watered the plants
every day. When we got back we poured the water off
from the dead plants…..
The best type of container has drainage holes so the
excess water can drain away. If your container has a
hole, make sure it has a saucer of some kind to catch the
excess water.
Be careful where you put your pot. Even with a saucer
any drips or overflows can result in ruined furniture.
Garden Tower
Another (totally awesome) option, though it won’t fit on
your kitchen counter, is a “garden tower”. You can grow
all your herbs and many small vegetables like lettuce, all
season long in only a 4’ square space.
Provide a grow light and give your garden tower a
quarter turn every day and you will have herbs and
vegetables all winter long.
How To Grow Herbs Indoors?
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Besides sunlight, what do your plant need in order to
grow?
Soil – A good quality purchased potting mix that drains
well is a better choice than dirt out of your garden. Plants
grown inside are more susceptible to soil borne diseases.
Leave about an inch of space at the top of your container
for watering.
Container Gardening has step by step photos on
transplanting your seedlings into a pot.
Water – Well water or spring water are better choices
than tap water that contains chlorine. Bring it to room
temperature so you don’t shock your plants.
Fertilize – A little liquid fertilizer, diluted once a month is
a good idea. Fish emulsion or liquid kelp are great
organic fertilizers, but you may not like the smell. There
are plenty of not so smelly alternatives, but they may not
be organic.
Worm casting tea is also a good option that your plants
will love and probably is not as smelly.
Heat – On a window sill in the middle of winter it may
not be warm enough for many of your herbs. A seedling
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heat mat may be an option to keep them warm enough.
Some must have heat in order to germinate.
One other consideration for growing inside is how large
your plant is going to get. Some herbs are just not great
candidates for growing on your kitchen counter just due
to their size. Consider what space you have for growing
your herbs in choosing which to grow.
Pruning And Using Your Inside Herbs
Once they start growing, prune often. Herbs respond
wonderfully to frequent pruning. Regular pruning makes
your herbs bushier and encourages it to grow more.
Harvesting also delays blossoming. When your herb
blossoms, it puts its energy into making the flower at the
expense of the herbs flavor.
Pruning also helps control the size of your herb.
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Grow What You Love
When you start any kind of garden you should consider
whether you will use it or not.
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I will not eat tarragon. I truly loth the herb. So, I don’t
grow it. But if you and your family like it, by all means it
should be growing in your kitchen.
If you like to cook Italian then basil, rosemary and
oregano should be on your list. If you like to cook
Mexican dishes then try cilantro, parsley, mint and
marjoram.
But some herbs do grow better indoors than others.
Below is a list of some that generally do well inside.
Grow And Use Herbs In Your Kitchen
Soft leaves like basil you can just cut up the whole leaf
and stem, but many herbs like rosemary and thyme need
to have the leaves striped from the stem. A simple herb
stripper will do the trick very easily.
If you would like to learn more about herbal medicine,
check out The Herbal Academy. This is my Honest
Review.
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Culinary and Medicinal
Many culinary herbs are also medicinal. So, every time
you eat them you are getting some of the “good for you”
properties.
Herbs contain minerals, phytonutrients and many also
have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. You can
grow herbs right on your countertop for great taste and
many of your family’s minor illnesses.
Others are just medicinal. The best advice I ever got
about medicinal herbs is, “start with one”. Learn all you
can about one herb. How to grow it, how to use it, what
are it’s “good for you” properties. Then learn about
another herb.
Here are a few herbs that work well for indoor
growing.
Aloe Vera – Medicinal -Start with a plant. It will multiply
and fill whatever size pot you give it – wonderful for
soothing and healing burns.
When I was in school, I burned my hand quite badly in
shop class. The teacher ran my hand under water while a
student ran to the science lab where there was an aloe
plant growing. My teacher slit a leaf open and laid it
along the side of my hand over the burn. My hand never
got infected and it healed very quickly.
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I’ve grown aloe plants ever sense. It works wonders on
most acne too. It was part of the beauty regimen of
Cleopatra.
Aloe is one of the easiest plants to grow. To tell when it
need water, squeeze the leaf. It is like a filled balloon. It
will be firm when it has enough water and gets sunken
when it needs water. Does better than most herbs in
moderate light.
Warning: If you are allergic to latex, do not use
aloe.
Basil – Culinary - Easy to grow from seed, but needs
bright light and warm temperatures. A cold window sill
will not make basil happy.
Most commonly used in Italian cooking, it is also used in
Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese cuisine. Famous for
making pesto. There are many different varieties.
It has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Chives – Culinary - Easy to grow from seed. It needs
bright light and cool to moderate temperatures. It likes
moist soil.
Chives add the pop of color and flavor to your cooking.
You can even eat the flowers of this plant.
Chives are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, minerals and
antioxidants.
Cilantro – Culinary – Easy to grow from seed. Prefers
full sun and well-drained soil. Let it partially dry before
you water again.
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Perfect for those who like to make Mexican, Caribbean
and Asian dishes.
It’s a great source of Vitamin C
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Dill – Culinary - Most dill gets very large so choose a
dwarf or container variety. Easy to grow from seed. Dill
doesn’t grow back after harvesting so plant again.
Used in Greek cooking and is a must when making
pickles, and a favorite of mine, okra pickles. It makes a
wonderful dill infused vinegar.
Is a good source of Vitamin C and folate as well as
several minerals.
Holy Basil (Tulsi) – Medicinal - It likes warm
temperatures. It grows from seed, but only if the soil is
warm enough. It likes moist soil and bright light.
Tulsi is often made into a tea. Used for aiding digestion,
reducing stress and cold symptoms. Though it is usually
used medicinally it can be used as an herb in cooking.
Lemon Balm – Medicinal & Culinary – Lemon balm is
easy to grow as it doesn’t need as much sun as many
other herbs. It may be hard to find the plants in some
places, but it’s not too hard to start from seed. The most
important thing to know is the seeds need light to
germinate so don’t cover them with soil and use a dome
or something to keep them from drying out while they
germinate.
Lemon balm tastes so good and is so good for so many
things, I can’t begin to mention them all. Start by making
tea. Both hot and cold are wonderful made from lemon
balm. It’s in the mint family so it grows about the same
way.
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Mint – Culinary - This is actually best grown in a pot as it
can quickly take over a garden. Once it is established, it
loves to be harvested. Mint needs full to partial sunlight.
Peppermint does not grow true from seed. If you plant
mint seed you might get the flavor of any in the mint
family. It does grow true from cuttings so it is advised
you buy mint plants so you get the kind you like.
Used in Thai and middle eastern dishes. It is wonderful
made into a tea hot or iced to calm an upset or gassy
stomach.
Oregano – Culinary – Oregano likes bright light and
warm air. Make sure the soil drains well and don’t over
water. Easier grown from seedlings or cuttings. Seeds
may take too long.
Oregano has properties that help prevent inflammation
and boosts the immune system, so use it liberally in your
cooking and in your salads.
It is also used In Italian, Mexican and Greek cuisine.
Parsley – Culinary – Easy to grow as long as you don’t
overwater it as it is prone to root rot. It likes a lot of sun.
It’s easy to start from seed, but may take a while to get
to the harvest stage.
Parsley is a very nutritious herb. In fact, I was told once,
that I should eat the parsley that was on my plate for a
garnish, and throw the rest of the food away, because it
was the most nutritious thing on my plate. I wouldn’t go
that far, but it can sure boost your nutrition in the dead
of winter when there is not much else growing.
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Try making a pesto with it or half and half with basil.
Parslied potatoes are a favorite of mine.
Rosemary – Culinary - Rosemary likes high humidity,
high temperatures and moderately dry roots. It takes a
long time to get started so it might be best to start from
a plant. The same rosemary plant can grow for years.
Wonderful used to cook root vegetables and any meat. It
is said to improve memory just by smelling the leaves. It
is wonderful in the kitchen to run your hand over and
enjoy the aroma.
Rosemary also boosts the immune system. Some people
have gotten relief from migraines using rosemary.
Sage – Culinary – Choose a dwarf variety to grow inside.
Sage likes full sun. It is drought tolerant and slow
growing so start with plants.
Sage has a strong flavor so use sparingly. It is great to
season sauces, is a must for making sausage, goes well
with squash and don’t forget stuffing. It makes a
wonderful herbal tea. It is the perfect addition to a
holiday meal as it aids digestion.
Sage has both antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Steam inhalation helps break up respiratory congestion.
Tarragon – Culinary – Tarragon needs partial sun, warm
temperatures and well-drained soil. It is a very easy herb
to grow.
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It is a very good source of vitamin A vitamin C, and
several minerals. It has anti-bacterial properties and is
basically just good for your body.
It is often used in chicken, seafood, vegetable and egg
dishes.
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Thyme – Culinary - The seeds are tiny and need light to
germinate, so it’s easier to grow from plants. Thyme likes
a lot of sunshine and a little water.
It goes well in so many things. It is wonderful in stocks,
soups and sauces and goes well with many other herbs
as well.
There are many varieties, my favorite is lemon thyme,
which goes well on fish or vegetables and just about
anything else you put it with. Used in French and Middle
Eastern cooking.
Thyme is the best thing I’ve found for a sore throat. Used
to treat upper respiratory ailments. Make a tea and drink
it.
Tip: If you are using fresh herbs in a recipe that calls for
dried herbs, you will need to use three times the amount
of fresh herb in that recipe.
Ways To Use Herbs
You are likely to end up with more herbs than you know
what to do with. There are many ways to use your herbs.
You can cook them, dehydrate them, infuse them in oil,
vinegar or honey. You can make them into tea. And don’t
forget all the creams, slaves and other beauty products
that are enhanced by a few herbs.
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They even help clean your air, just by growing on your
kitchen counter. How’s that for hard working herbs?
Whether you like to season your dishes with fresh herbs,
have a refreshing morning tea or extend the healthful
benefits of herbs to your family, having your own indoor
herb garden can be a very rewarding experience.
Do you want to learn more about starting and herb
garden? Check out my course A Beginners Guide To Herb
Gardening.
Visit the blog at Life Is Just Ducky.com and check out
more gardening and backyard homesteading articles.
Happy Gardening!
I believe everyone can grow at least part of their own food! Let me show you how.