The Best Herbs For Growing Inside Your Home

There are a number of herbs that do quite well growing inside a home and there are a number of them that really do much better being grown outdoors. So in this article we will examine the characteristics of the best herbs for growing indoors. That way you'll have a better understanding of what you want to grow before you head to the nursery or home center.

Herbs for growing in your home must meet a few basic criteria. First, they should be plants that you can easily control their size. For instance, Rosemary tends to become a large bush quite quickly, so unless you have a substantial amount of space and a large pot, it might over take your kitchen in a hurry. Other plants like sage and thyme do quite well in pots and are easy to keep trimmed back to a manageable size.

Next, herbs for growing inside your home should be those that don't require full sunlight. Plants that require partial shade can do well inside homes. If you have a window sill or growing window where you can set your pots, these plants should do well. However, if you don't it doesn't mean that you can't grow herbs in your home. It just means that you need to supplement your plants light with a grow light. While some grow lights can be very expensive, a halogen light bulb will do just as well and is available for a low cost at most discount stores and home centers.

When planting herbs for growing inside your home, you need to be sure that they are planted in high quality potting soil. This is not the time to skimp on a cheap soil. The soil should drain well to avoid drowning your tender herbs. Many of the premium brands of soil contain plant food, fertilizer and other beneficial ingredients to help plants grow well and maintain the ideal pH.

Planting herbs for growing in pots in your home should be done with careful thought toward their planting and watering conditions. Some plants such as Marjoram, Oregano and Thyme need to become completely dry between watering to avoid over watering them. These herbs do best in a Mediterranean climate, so somewhere warmer and dryer is better for them. In the same respect, herbs like Mint and Rosemary like moister conditions and shouldn't be allowed to dry out.

So what are the best herbs for growing inside your home? Well the answer is ANY herbs can be grown inside as long as you take care to give your plants all the essential things that they need. Herb plants do a great job of not only livening up your home and providing cleaner air, as all plants do, they do double duty of adding great fragrance and flavor to meals as well. So before you think it's too much work to grow herbs indoors, take some of these conditions into account and then choose a few herbs to give it a try. You won't be sorry.

Pat McTigue is an herb garden enthusiast. For great information on herbs for growing indoors, visit http://topherbgardensecrets.com/.

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Organic Herb Seeds

Organic herb seeds are herb seeds that are or were harvested or taken from an organically grown herb plant. When an herb plant is organically grown, it means it is grown naturally or without any commercial chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers used in the growth and cultivation process of the plant. Organically grown herb plants are generally healthier for eating because they have less chemicals than that of other plants that were treated during the growth process. Having less chemicals in your herbs means less chemicals in your food, which is believed to promote good health and lessen medical problems.

Before planting organic herb seeds, you need a general understanding of what a seed is. The seed of any plant is essentially what contains the plant's DNA. Seeds have in them everything needed to start a new plant. Organic seeds are especially important because they contain the blueprint and the legacy of an organic plant, which means that the plant that will grow from the organic seed is going to be just as good as the first plant, possibly better, and will remain organic for as long as the new plant is not treated with any chemicals during its growth process. Organic herb seeds are very easy to plant, and will start their lives either inside or outside depending on the type of herb. After a three to six week germination period, the organic herb seeds will begin to sprout. After another week or so, you may transplant the plant if it was initially grown in a container.

Herb plants grown from organic herb seeds, and are maintained as organic herb plants taste good and are healthier than most commercial herbs. During their growth period, these herbs can be harvested for eating or seasoning food. Once an herb plant begins to flower, however the leaves lose its flavor, and sometimes may have a bitter taste. This is because the plant is focusing its strengths on flowering and creating new seeds. If you want to continue harvesting from your plant, you can nip the flowers at the buds. This will not change the flavor of the herb. Some herbs are used for their flowers though, and this may be what you've been waiting for in order to taste this herb. If that's the case, allow your plant to flower.

Another reason to let the flowers grow is if you want to harvest your very own organic herb seeds. Seeds fertilized in the flower, and once a flower has reached the end of its life, it's petals will fall and the seeds or seed pods will be revealed. Watch out for this closely because sometimes seeds drop or blow away in the wind as a natural form of pollination. To harvest your own organic herb seeds, allow the petals to fall, then carefully nip the branch that contains the flower. Shake this gently over a piece of paper and allow the seeds to fall onto the page. For larger seeds, you may collect them with your fingers, just be sure not to crush them. Dry your organic herb seeds out in the sun. Make sure they are completely dry before storing them away, and readying them for next planting season!

Discover the wonders of having a window herb garden. Click on the link for more info.

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Best Herb Garden Secrets

Herbs are the most fascinating member of the plant family. Cultivating a herb garden offers unique rewards for the intrepid hortulan devotee. There are many secretive questions in regard to herb gardening. The best herb garden secret is that herb plants are very easy to grow. Compared to the typical vegetable or flower garden a herb project is very "low maintenance." They require only two things to prosper. One is plenty of sunlight and the other is well drained soil in which to rest their roots. Meet these two requests and herbs can be successfully grown almost anywhere indoors or outside.

Another exciting herb garden secret is that herbs are Infinitely more than just flavoring for great Italian pasta dishes. They present to the gardener a myriad of interesting options in horticultural explorations. You may be wondering if they are so great precisely what are they. The dictionary definition of a "herbaceous" plant is any plant that does not develop woody tissue. The practical definition is any plant that manifests qualities attributed to herbs. Those plants can include trees, shrubs, vines and even elementary plants like lichens, mosses, algae, ferns and fungi. The uses include; culinary, medicinal, aromatic, ornamental and industrial.

The next herb gardening secret is the wide variety of uses herbs provide to mankind. The culinary function is the most widely recognized. The thought of a mouth watering dish of any haute cuisine without some type of herbal flavoring does not compute. The use of herbs in making foods taste better has been practiced by every society in every time period of history. The use of herbs is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament of The Bible. The ancient Romans were great connoisseurs of fine foods and relied heavily on the use of herbs in their cooking. As their influence spread throughout the civilized world they took their herbs along with them. When they invaded the British Isles in 43 AD they brought over 200 herbs with them and most of those herbs are still enjoyed there to this day.

Another herb garden secret is impact of medicinal herbs. The non-prescription medicinal herb market in the U.S. is a three billion dollar business with over sixty million people using medicinal remedies for injuries, illnesses and health maintenance. There are hundreds of medicinal herbs that a gardener can choose to grow in a herb garden. They are Mother Nature's pharmacy. A companion to medicinal herbs are the myriad of herbal teas that also have many curative benefits. Herbal teas originated in the Middle East and the Orient and they not only provide healthful benefits but most are very good to enjoy strictly as a pleasant beverage.

Another fascinating member of the family are the aromatics. Although they are not the most popular selection of herb gardeners they provide the most pleasant fragrances. When they are included in a garden they add a special touch. Strolling through a garden with aromatics included will make one feel they are walking through a country village in Italy. Aromatic herbs can be used for a variety of uses. They make great gifts, perfumes, potpourris and linen fresheners.

SONNY CHENOWETH is a herb expert. For more information on the best herb secrets, visit http://www.herbgardenreport.com.

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