Growing an indoor herb garden

Starting, growing and keeping an indoor herb garden in winter in Ireland

Fresh herbs can add goodness, color and taste to any food, and they are so easy to grow and maintain. If you already have herbs growing in your garden and want to bring some inside for the winter, just grow them in pots or re-pot them from your garden to bring them inside. They are very easy to start from seeds. The only thing is that you will have to wait a bit longer to use them. 

If you wonder how to grow herbs, they obviously require at least 4 hours of sunlight per day. Place the potted herb plant by a sunny south facing window in your house to get more light in the winter or you could use a grow light to meet their lighting needs. Make sure you the soil does not dry out and the leaves do not get burnt out by too much sun.

It is essential to plant the herbs in a well drained soil. If the soil or the compost you use hold too much water, it can cause the roots of your plant to rot. The pot you use for your herb plant needs also to have a drainage hole so the excess water can run out and only water the herb plant when the top 1.5 cm of soil is dry to the touch.

Be mindful of using clay pots, since they let water evaporate quickly and that can dry out the plant very easily. With winter heating in the houses, the soil will also dry out quicker. Do not place your herb pot near a heating unit. Be sure to keep an eye on your plant soil in the winter.

If you are bringing your herbs from the garden and already have houseplants, it is a good idea to quarantine any herbs brought in for a few weeks to avoid spreading pests or diseases. As any potted plants, it is good to feed your indoor herb plant with an organic or natural fertilizer such as liquid seaweed so it can boost the plant and give it plenty of nutrients.

Check out the Sow Diverse selection of herbs HERE.