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- Zoy
- Aurora, Canada
- Holistic lover, enjoy biodynamic gardening, natural life style and herbal medicine.
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Growing Herbs - Your Indoor Herb Garden Ideas
We believe that gardening is good for our souls, well being and certainly our stress level!
A perfect way to get the taste of summer is by growing herbs indoors during the cold months. Most people don’t realize just how easy it is to have your own kitchen herb garden. It doesn’t matter if you decide to start your garden from scratch or from a handy herb garden kit, you’ll find everything you need to know here.
You also can save money on your grocery bill without compromising on flavor by growing your own herbs indoors during the winter. Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano and marjoram have a reputation for being hard to grow indoors—but it's easy to keep these delicious culinary herbs alive all winter long if you give them the right amount of light, water and humidity.
Now, more than ever before, people are beginning to realize that good health does not refer to an absence of disease. Rather, it is a balance of physical, mental, emotional and social wellness. Herbal health care is becoming increasingly popular because herbs provide natural stimulants that activate the body's own defence mechanisms.
Due to our sedentary lifestyle, processed foods and industrial advances, we have managed to discover a large number of chronic illnesses that were virtually unknown in the past. Medicines used to treat these diseases have side effects. In time, these medicines also become ineffective as the human body develops a resistance to the medicine. After battling it out for many years, practitioners of conventional medicine are finally willing to admit that herbs (medicinal, tea and even cooking) are an effective source of healing.
Herbs from the home garden provide the path to a slower pace of life. What could be more relaxing than a sweetly scented cup of herbal tea. A warm cup of lemon balm tea can make life's troubles vanish, a tall tumbler of an iced peppermint infusion will take the heat out of the fieriest summer day. A sprig of lemon verbena thrown into the teapot with your favorite tea will bring a smile to the faces. Herbal teas can be simple, consisting of one type of herb, or a more complex blend of flavors with many different combinations of tea herbs.
Within this blog, you will find information about growing herbs in the garden and indoor herb gardening, as well as information about growing medicinal herbs. Find out how easy it is to garden when you have the Moon working for you! Gardening by the Moon will help you plan when to sow, plant, water and harvest. There are also sources for getting supplies and equipment for your own home herb garden.
How to Start Your Own Herb Garden
There are tons of different home gardening tips, indoor gardening tips, organic gardening tips, vegetable gardening tips - no wonder you can find it so overwhelming to figure out just which specific tips are going to be most useful. If this is your situation, you should know that out of all of these, there are a few home gardening tips in particular that are going to be useful for you to learn.
Why would you go for an indoor garden?
It will make your house look nice, and you feel good. You'll almost never need to brave the harsher weather elements that nature will throw at you for trying to compete with her. And ultimately in the grand scheme of things, it's good for you.
It's difficult to imagine how indoor gardening could be good for you, but really it has nothing to do with the gardening itself, more with the plants instead. If you hark back to the good old days of high school and peer pressure, you might just remember vaguely hearing something in science class about plants and photo-something-or-other.
Just to remind, it's a procedure called photosynthesis, where plants remove carbon dioxide from the air, and release oxygen into it instead, thereby removing pollutants from our environment. If you're living in a jungle there's not too much of a problem with that, but living as we are in our singular little houses, indoor plants are the next best thing.
A simple and easy place to start with would be try your hand at herb gardening. Simple to grow, useful in the kitchen, and best of all not the prima donna type.
Gardening, of any kind, just doesn't get any better than indoor gardening.
Best of the Primary Home Gardening Tips
- Easy maintenance and low costs are the main advantages of herb gardening. If you opt for indoor gardening, make sure you choose appropriate pots or containers.
- First you’ll want to choose the herbs that you’ll plant. You might have a hard time doing this because of the huge scope of herbs available. When I got ready to start my herb garden, I took a look at the spices in my kitchen cabinet and decide which ones I enjoy the most. I made a list of all the herbs my family and I enjoy and those are the ones I planted in my herb garden. By planting your own collection of these herbs, you can save money on buying them from the grocery store while having the added benefit of freshness. Some of the herbs you might start with are listed in cooking herbs, medical herbs and tea herbs posts.
- When getting started your herb garden, you should remember that the soil should have extremely good drainage. If the dirt gets watered and stays completely saturated, you have no chance of ever growing a healthy plant. One of the best ways to fix the drainage problem is put a layer of crushed rocks at the bottom of the pot or a container you are going to use. This will allow an extra water to escape, thus saving your plants.
- Ensure that the soil is of very good quality. In fact, if the purchased soil has organic matter added to it, so much the better; the herbs will grow faster. If you feel that soil quality does not matter, then you should not worry about the quality of your herbs either!
- Indoors or outdoors, no plant can live without sunlight. Most of the herbs need to be under direct sunlight; so placing them near windows is best. But it would be wise to keep the plants a few inches away from the window and not in direct contact with the window glass or window sill. During winter months, the temperature near the window is much cooler than the temperature a little inside the room.
- The plants in your indoor herb garden need trimming from time to time. Otherwise, they may become too big for the containers or pots. Trimming should be done with a pair of sharp scissors, never with a knife. A knife can damage the plants because a pulling motion is used.
- When you are ready to begin planting your herbs, you might be tempted to buy the more expensive plants from the store. However, with herbs it is much easier to grow them from seed than it is with other plants. Therefore you can save a bundle of money by sticking with seed packets.
- One of the often overlooked gardening tips by the new gardener is not paying attention to the proper time to begin seed starting. One of our tips is gardening by the phases of the moon. Gardening by the Moon is another option to introduce into your gardening to give you a bit of an edge when failure is NOT an option.
There is nothing like fresh herbs and especially, if you are the one that grew the herbs. So if you enjoy herbs or gardening, or both, then you should probably consider setting up an herb garden. It might require a little bit of work at first to set it up for optimal drainage, and pick what herbs you want to grow. But after the initial hassle, it’s just a matter of harvesting all your favourite herbs
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Genus of Aromatic Herbs
Thyme is a widely used culinary herb. There are several varieties, but the most popular is common thyme. The common name is Thymus, a genus of aromatic herbs or shrubby plants of the Mint Family, long cultivated and valued as both ornamentals and sweet herbs. It is a small, perennial shrub, native to the Mediterranean. They have small lavender or pink flowers.
Thyme is a widely used culinary herb. There are several varieties, but the most popular is common thyme. The common name is Thymus, a genus of aromatic herbs or shrubby plants of the Mint Family, long cultivated and valued as both ornamentals and sweet herbs. It is a small, perennial shrub, native to the Mediterranean. They have small lavender or pink flowers.
We find this fragrant herb in all sorts of recipes from meats and vegetables to sauces and breads. Thyme is considered “necessary” in clam chowder, bouquet garni, and herbs de Provence. In the European Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares.
Thyme herb is an easy plant to grow in a pot. It is very hardy and will grow under most conditions. A sunny location is best and good drainage is vital as thyme is somewhat susceptible to root rot. Regular pruning promotes growth so as you take cuttings for the kitchen consider shaping the plant as you go.
Culture
- Seed Spacing 4 to 5 seeds per inch at 1/8" depth
- Seed Germination 8 to 20 days.
- Plant Spacing Thyme plants should be spaced 18 to 24 inches (45 - 60cm) apart.
- Soil Requirements Light, well-draining, poor to fertile.
- Sun & Lighting Thyme grown outdoors prefers full sun.
- Water Requirements Average water needs. Water on a regular schedule, do not overwater.
Thyme herb in its fresh form adds flavour to a recipe as well as making a lovely garnish. Thyme is slow to release its flavors so it is usually added early in the cooking process. Before adding fresh thyme to a dish, the greyish-green leaves should be stripped from the woody stem. These stems smoke pleasantly when tossed onto the coals while barbecuing. Related Articles:
Aromatic Festive Looking Mediterranean Herb
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Did you know that what catnip is to cats, anise is to dogs? For humans, Anise seed has a sweet, licorice flavor and is used to intensify sweetness in cakes, pastries, and cookies.
Anise (Pimpinella anisum) also known as anís and aniseed is native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, where it is grown as a cash crop. You can also find Anise growing wild in the fields. It is related to caraway, parsley and dill. Although Anise name does not have a particular meaning, this plant is associated with health and is said to aid digestion. Anise is one of the oldest known herbs, having been mentioned in ancient Egyptian records. It has been cultivated for much of recorded history. Hippocrates recommended anise for coughs, and the Roman scholar Pliny used it as a breath freshener.
Anise herb grows about 18 inches tall and is branchy, erect, slender and cylindrical. Its stem leaves are more and more finely cut toward the upper part of the stem, near the top of which they resemble fennel leaves in their finely divided segments. The Anise plant has lacy leaves; the upper leaves are feathery, delicate, and pinnately divided. Leaflets may be toothed or toothless. When in bloom, Anise provides a profusion of flowers. The small flowers are white to yellowish white with petals that are held in compound umbels that give way to seeds containing tasty anise oil. The roots of anise are white, spindle-shaped and rather fibrous. The brown fruit (aniseed) is ovate, downy, flattened, and 1/8 inch long.
Most Anise is produced in Spain but additional sources include Turkey and Egypt. Spanish Anise is considered premium due to its better flavor, bolder appearance and higher volatile oil content.
Anise is an ideal herb to grow in a pot. This member of the parsley family should be sown where it is intended to grow as its long taproot does not take well to transplanting. Anise seeds will germinate more rapidly if sown near coriander.
Culture
- Type Annual.
- Height 18 to 24 inches.
- Maintenance Easy.
- Pot Size 10" diameter, 10" depth pots, or larger.
- Seed Germination 7 to 14 days.
- Seed Spacing Sow at 1/4 inch deep and cover lightly with soil.
- Plant Spacing Place anise plants at least 6 inches apart.
- Soil Requirements The soil should be deep, light, fairly rich and slightly acid.
- Growing Mix Mix 1 part garden soil, 1 part coarse sand or perlite, 1 part moist peat or humus (leaf mold) and a light dusting of lime.
- Fertilize Add a general purpose fertilizer once or twice a season.
- Sun & Lighting Full sun.
- Water Requirements Dry to Moist. Water the anise only a couple of times during the week; do not overwater.
Anise today is widely used for its aromatic, culinary and medicinal qualities. Anise seeds are used as a flavoring in breads and cakes, sweets and creams, in a marinade for fish and to flavour liquers and cordials. Leaves and flowers can also be used as a garnish. Use the leaves throughout the growing season to add to green salads.
Anise may be used for its aromatic qualities in oil and potpourris. Crushed seeds are added to sachets. The leaves and seeds taste good with shellfish. The liquorice flavor complements eggs, fruit, cheese, pastries, cakes, and cookies. The leaves are dried for herbal teas. The seed is used whole or ground.Try adding some anise seeds to cream cheese or cottage cheese. You can make your own anise seed oil that can be used much like an extract in baked goods. Simply combine about a tablespoon of anise seeds in a glass bottle with about a half of a cup of olive oil, and let it rest for a week or so before using.
Anise has been used for many years to disguise the unpleasant taste of medicine. A refreshing herbal tea can be made from the dried leaves and this is supposed to be an aid to digestion as chewing the seeds can cure hiccoughs. For treating indigestion pour one cup of boiling water onto ½ teaspoon of seeds and leave to stand for five minutes before drinking.
Cosmetically a good face pack can be made from ground anise seeds. This will fade freckles.
Anise herb is thought to ward off evil and sleeping on a pillow containing anis seeds will prevent nightmares. A sprig of anise hung on the bedpost will reputedly revive departed youth.
What is Aniseed?
Aniseed, sometimes spelled as anise, anis or anise seed, is considered a spice with a sweet licorice-like taste. It is known for its flavor, which resembles liquorice, fennel and tarragon. Both seed and leaves from the plant pimpinella anisum carry the licorice taste.
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Immune System Booster
Astragalus is a perennial plant from the pea family that has been used in Chinese medicine for years. Other popular names for the Astragalus plant are milk vetch or huang-qi. As an adaptogen, the astragalus herb is known to boost the immune system and is used for many bodily ailments. Chinese Milk Vetch, Astragalus membranaceus, is native to China. In the past decade, it has become a popular medicinal plant in North America and has recently been planted in Saskatchewan.Culture
Pot Size 6" wide and 10" deep container.
Seed Germination 16 to 20 days. Seeds may be slow to germinate.
Growing Mix Mix two parts organic potting soil and one part coarse sand or perlite.
Fertilize All-purpose organic fertilizer. Use only a very mild fertilizer and apply it at half the suggested application rate.
Sun & Lighting Full sun to Part shade.Astragalus requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day but eight hours a day is best.
Water Requirements Average water needs; Water regularly; do not overwater.
Uses
Astragalus Root is an energy tonic is a mild stimulant that combats fatigue and prolonged stress. It is used to increase metabolism, stamina, strength and vitality. Taken as a tonic, astragalus is believed to build stamina and vitality. Astragalus plant has a reputation for improving overall health by helping the body to fight off viral and bacterial infections responsible for causing colds, the flu, bronchitis, and sinus infections. As an antioxidant, it helps to counteract cell damage caused by unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals.
Sometimes it is used in cooking to fortify soup stock.
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