Considerations for Indoor Herb Garden
Do you want herbs year-round? Plant an indoor, winter, herb garden.
Select a container that will hold several plants with similar water requirements, and provides good drainage. Clay, wood or ceramic pots work well. Or, use multiple containers, each with a different kind or herb.
If you have herbs in your garden, fall is a great time to divide or relocate them. Tender perennials such as bay, rosemary, pineapple sage and others will be killed by a hard frost. These are best grown in pots year round. Bring plants indoors prior to frost and set them where they will get maximum sunlight to encourage growth. Perennial herbs such as parsley, sage, mint and chives can be divided in the fall. When dividing these plants, place some back into the garden and pot one or two for your indoor herb garden.
To plant your indoor herb containers, soilless mixes are the best growing medium. Incorporate controlled release fertilizer at planting, and apply water-soluble fertilizer during watering every week or two to insure good production.
Container herbs need maximum sunlight to thrive, which can be accomplished by placing them by a west or south-facing window. Alternatively, using grow lights will assure the plants needs will be met, or suspend two 40w fluorescent bulbs 6-12” away from the plant, lit for 14-16 hours a day. Containers should be rotated periodically to encourage even and healthy growth on all sides.
It is important to monitor indoor containers in order to avoid overwatering that can attract pests and lead to developing diseases like powdery mildew or downy mildew.
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Autumn Gold Landscapes, Denver, Colorado
http://www.autumngoldlandscapes.com/
