By Adrian Kohrt
Winters in Fairbanks are long. When the leaves are blooming down south, we look out our windows and see piles of snow. You can bring the outdoors in and save money by growing your own indoor herb garden. To purchase fresh herbs, it costs $3 per container and they only stay fresh for a short amount of time. If you grow your own herbs, you are saving tons of money and adding beauty to your home.
The first step in creating an indoor herb garden is choosing the container. You want to do one of two things: Either use a pot for each individual herb or pick out a planter box that will easily fit into your windowsill. The pot, cup or planter that you use should be at least six to eight inches deep. Most herbs have shallow roots, but mint and thyme tend to spread, so a wide pot is good to select if you are going to use one planter. Another benefit of choosing a large pot is that it is capable of holding larger amounts of soil, which means you won’t have to water it as frequently.
Once the container or containers have been selected, make sure to provide good drainage for your plant. Look at the bottom of the container for drainage holes. If there are not enough holes or the hole is not big enough, add more. Also, make sure you have a tray underneath the planter to catch the water.
The next step in building your indoor herb garden is to choose the proper soil. This is one area where you do not want to skimp on the quality of the soil. It is best to buy a good quality soil that is fertile and light.
Choose seeds to grow the herbs that you use the most. You want this to be as practical as possible, so that you use the herbs you grow, which will save you money.
Herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cilantro and sage will do well if your window is exposed to at least five hours of direct sun. If exposure to the sun is less than this, plant parsley, lemon balm, fennel, chives, chervil and mint.
Now that you have your seeds planted, consider their watering needs. Water the plants more frequently in the summer, less so in the spring and fall. To ensure that you are growing healthy plants, fertilize your herb garden on a regular basis. Remember to use nitrogen rich fertilizers, as this will promote more leafy growth in the herbs. If you have a compost pile, you can always use compost in your herb garden.
To ensure that your herbs aren’t growing too densely, harvest them regularly by frequently picking the leaves. This promotes abundant and healthy growing herbs. It is also important when herbs flower, to pick the flowers off once they die out. This will prevent them from seeding and encourage longer growing times.
Herb gardens not only look nice in any window or on any shelf, but they provide good flavor to add to your foods. With the proper care, these plants save you money and brighten up your home. Enjoy your new herb garden.
For more tips and tricks, visit balconygardenweb.com.
Adrian Kohrt is a family nutrition coordinator for Cooperative Extension Service, a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For questions, she can be contacted at amkohrt@alaska.edu or 907-474-7930.
