Growing Herbs in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Herbs are small but mighty ingredients that can pack a punch in summer recipes. As with shopping for any type of produce the best ingredients are the freshest ingredients and herbs are no exception. Fortunately, you can have the freshest herbs on hand by creating a mini herb garden that can fit right in your kitchen.

To have a flourishing herb garden it helps to plant herbs that do well indoors and whose roots do not need a lot of growing room. Common herbs that are easy to grow are lemon grass, chives, mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, cilantro and oregano. During the summer months many farms, nurseries and grocery stores will sell flats of these herbs that are pre-planted and ready to be apart of your herb garden. In addition to buying the herbs, you will need a bag of potting soil and containers (or one large planter depending on your preference) that is at least 6” deep and will fit near a natural light source.

When shopping for planters there are many directions you can go in depending on how you want your garden to look. If you’re looking for an inexpensive route, mason jars are a great potting option (running at about $12 for a set of 6). There are different styles and colors of mason jars that will allow you to add your own style to your herb garden. You can also use ceramic plant pots or you can splurge on a nice planter like the wall hanging planter by Bright Green USA below.

Once you have all of your supplies you can begin planting. To start, fill your planter with 2-3” of potting soil. Then take the ready to be planted herb and gently break up the roots, this will help the plant to adapt to the new potting soil. After the roots are a little loose, insert the plant into the planter and fill the remaining space with potting soil. Finish up the project by placing your planter in the natural lighting area of your choice and giving the plants a little bit of water.

Once the garden is set up, make sure to water the plants once daily and you will be well on your way to having fresh herbs at your fingertips!