A Kitchen Garden Indoors

In order to grow a kitchen garden indoors, you need to provide all that Mother Nature does for the outdoor garden such as water, light, soil and nutrients. Before starting that kitchen garden you must determine how much sunlight comes through your kitchen window during the course of the day and then select the proper plants or herbs for that particular amount of light. The windows that are south-facing will get the most amount of light while windows facing north will receive the least amount; west and east facing windows will fall somewhere in between. If there are large trees, roof over-hangs or tall buildings outside those windows it will limit the amount of light that comes inside.

Culinary herbs are some of the most gratifying plants you can grow in an indoor kitchen garden. The aroma of these herbs, or should I say aromatherapy at its finest, can liven up your home and the flavor of them will enhance the food you enjoy. Rosemary, for example, all you need do is brush by the leaves and that aroma fills the entire room. Select about four different herbs that need the same light requirements to start your garden. They can be planted in one large container or each of them can have a separate container. Just remember that you will be clipping the herbs often and they will remain small; if one of them goes to seed or dies just plant a replacement.

No matter what style container you choose for your indoor herb garden, be it rustic, formal or just colorful, bear in mind the container needs to have drainage holes. The majority of herbs need to have good drainage except for mint, they like it wet. Choose containers that already have those drainage holes unless you are willing to drill holes in the bottom. If you place your herb containers on trays filled with small pebbles or stones the excess water will drain from the plant and it will add humidity into the air while the water evaporates. Your indoor air is drier than the outdoor air, particularly in a kitchen, and this could damage the herbs. Because of this fact, it might be a good idea to always have about a half inch of water in a gravel tray that sits near your herbs so the humidity level will rise to benefit them. You can also leave extra water in the pebble trays under each herb if you prefer. When you plant your herbs, fill the containers with a good potting soil, do not use garden soil because you may end up with insect eggs or spores in your kitchen. Organic all-purpose potting soil is best because it is lighter and drains well.

You only want to water your herbs when the soil feels dry when you touch the area. Sometimes it will help if you insert your finger maybe a half inch in the soil because sometimes the top of the soil can be drier than the soil underneath but be careful too much water may sometimes be worse than a small amount of water. Watering needs can vary as the seasons change and as the temperature indoors change. Since container plants are fairly small and hold less volumes of soil they have a tendency to dry out quicker so pay close attention to the watering needs of all your herb plants.

Sooner or later regular watering of your herbs will percolate away the majority of the nutrients of the soil. Feed your herbs, with organic liquid fertilizer that has been diluted to half its strength, about once a month. Many organic fertilizers have a strong smelling fish emulsion base, so it might be a good idea to fertilize your container of herbs outdoors. If you add more than than the recommended rate it may cause fertilizer burn and it could kill the plants. Container plants do not have any protection from over-fertilizing because of the smaller amounts of soil mixture.

Watch your plants closely, if there is something wrong they will let you know. If they begin to wilt, check for dryness of the soil and watch for insect pests. If the branches are thin and begin reaching for the light, move it closer to the window for more sunlight or you may have to move it to a different window. If you find pests such as aphids, take the plant to the kitchen sink or outside and spray the leaves with a soap solution of 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dish soap mixed in 1 cup of water. Spray this solution on every five days until there are no more signs of pests; do not forget to spray the undersides of the leaves, this is where hatchlings and eggs will usually hide. In order for your herbs to receive the needed light on all sides it is necessary to rotate the containers occasionally.

Growing a kitchen garden of herbs is an efficient way to grow fresh herbs and can be very rewarding. They will not take any more time or effort than a regular indoor plant or houseplant as long as they are in the best location for that particular herb. You can use many different areas of the home to grow and nurture herbs that have different needs. You soon will enjoy delicious herbs with very little effort in your very own kitchen garden.