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indoor herb garden, anyone?

taresa514 Apr 2, 2008 01:15 PM

I've been reading a lot lately about small, indoor gardens (in pots or window planters) and would love to try my hand at one. I have a small condo with big window sills and a decent amount of light.
Does anyone have an indoor herb garden? Can you recomend some hardy herbs? Any other tips???

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  1. GarlicandGinger RE: taresa514 Apr 2, 2008 01:21 PM

    I grow herbs on my roof deck (no window space and not a lot of light in my apt.) and I always try to keep the following on hand: Rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon, chives, basil, oregano, mint.

    That right there should account for about 80-90% of your herb needs. I usually just buy parsely at the store. Rosemary is super low-maintenance and keeps in almost all types of weather. thyme, tarragon, oregano are a little bit more maintenance and I don't recommend keeping the thyme next to other herbs as it'll overtake them in no time. Mint is another "weedlike" herb that can get out of control, so keep that in its own pot too. Basil grows best in a lot of light and a lot of heat. It really starts going around June-July-August.

    Have fun!

    2 Replies
    1. re: GarlicandGinger
      taresa514 RE: GarlicandGinger Apr 2, 2008 02:09 PM

      Thanks for your help! I love rosemary and basil, but don't cook with a lot of thyme, so would shy away from that. chives are a great idea.
      Did you see that post on apartment therapy's "the kitchen" a while ago? It got me all worked up about an herb garden :)

      1. re: taresa514
        Gooseberry RE: taresa514 Apr 5, 2008 02:41 PM

        garlicandginger gives good advice, especially that you give mint its own pot. When buying your herb plants, don't be afraid to taste the leaves first. For example, I adore marjoram, but I know by tasting leaves before buying that I prefer the flavour of variegated and golden marjorams.

        and I'd recommend that you don't necessarily decide against a herb based on whether you've bought it in the past. For example, I never cooked with lemon thyme until I planted some in my herb pot; it was my favourite thing all of the summer. Now I try to try one new herb every season; some are winners, and those that are not usually look pretty so not a total loss.

        And don't be afraid to cut your herbs; the more you trim, the more new growth you stimulate. Especially stuff like chives.

        Good luck - after one season with my pots, I can't imagine not growing my own herbs.

    2. yamalam RE: taresa514 Apr 7, 2008 01:57 PM

      Before you invest in a bunch of pots and such, try and time how much direct sunlight your window gets. I thought mine would be fine, but it actually only gets 4 hours at best, and that's not enough for my basil, mint and parsley. They are turning yellow and dying. So sad.

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