Growing an indoor garden of herbs is a very rewarding way to efficiently grow some fresh herbs. When you have an indoor garden of herbs there are a few things that need to be kept under control in order to have the best results. Once this management is achieved you can grow almost any herb indoors even if they are difficult to grow outdoors.

The herbs that will grow very well indoors consist of basil, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, mint, angelica, lemongrass, chamomile, fennel, dill, chives, coriander, fennel, geranium, and lavender. The things that you will need are the herbs, either plants or seeds, a good quality soil or compost, and some suitable containers. Choose a good all purpose compost as your herbs will be relying on it for their nutrition. The containers will be much easier to select. Most home and garden centers and garden nurseries will have a wide selection. You can also use containers that you already have on hand such as an old coffee mug with a broken handle or a small child's pail.

Some of your outdoor herbs can be brought to an indoor garden of herbs for the cold winter months as long you give them the proper sunlight. That means they should have at least eight hours of sunlight in a southern exposure window. If your herbs start growing long stems and leaves (which is often called leggy), or the leaves start to fade or fall off usually means that they are not getting enough sunlight. If this happens or you do not have a southern exposure window you should supplement the growth of the herbs with grow lights. These grow lights are special lights that shine a full spectrum of light that the plants need. You can purchase an indoor herb garden kit that comes with seeds, containers and grow lights or you can purchase the grow lights separately. Be sure to read the directions to see how far above the grow light should be placed above the plants.

Once you have your herbs planted in your indoor garden they will need a little bit of care. You need to water them on a regular basis, but you must be careful not to over-water them. Most of our houseplants are killed because of over-watering. You should not water any more than once a week but it can sometimes go longer than that. You want to check the soil or compost before you water, if it still feels moist do not water. Check the soil again in a day or two.

There are a couple of other factors to consider when growing an indoor herb garden and this is the temperature and moisture in the air. For many houseplants the air inside your house is too dry during the winter months so they will need to have additional moisture. This can be done by misting the plants or by placing your herb containers on a tray that is filled with small stones or pebbles that are sitting in water. When the water evaporates it is adding humidity or moisture around the plants. You will be able to see how dry the inside of your house is by how often you need to refill the tray.

You want to provide the proper air-circulation for your herbs to help prevent disease and to give them a little breathing room. You do not want to place them too close together, squeezed into a corner, or too close to some of your other houseplants. On your nice warm days let them feel the outdoor breeze by opening up some windows. The fresh air will do them some good. You also want to cut them back often. This is done mainly because you want to use their leaves for cooking but it also helps to stimulate the production of their leaves.

Pests can be another problem when you grow indoor herbs. Because of the indoor conditions there will sometimes be large numbers of tiny insects that will appear on your herbs. If you see them crawling or flying around your indoor herb garden pots you will need to prepare a soapy, tepid water bath in a deep bowl or better yet your kitchen sink. By keeping a hand over the bottom of the herb container, tip the pot and twirl it around a few times in the soapy water. The soap in the water will kill the bugs but will not injure the plant. You can also use this soapy water in a spray bottle and spray the herbs until the leaves start dripping. Do not forget to spray under the leaves for that is where eggs and hatchlings are hiding.

Planting indoor herbs does not take any more time or trouble than regular houseplants. You just need to decide where the best location is going to be for them. You can use different areas in your home for growing not just your kitchen. Growing an indoor garden of herbs is a good way to liven up your home plus enhance your meals. When you decide to grow your own indoor herb garden be sure to choose the herbs you like best but do not be afraid to try some new ones.