How to Get Started with Your Own Indoor Garden

So you want to grow some herbs? If you’ve never grown herbs before, it can be a bit intimidating. But what first-time herb growers usually don’t realize is growing herbs is really pretty easy, once you know the basics.

We’ve got 6 tips for you to help keep your herbs alive.

Know your herbs.

Or at least read up a tiny bit on the herbs you want to grow. Different herbs have different personalities and needs, kind of like people. Easy, beginner herbs? Think basil, chives, rosemary, mint. Maybe you are growing herbs for the health benefits. Want relaxation? Try rosemary. Or maybe you want herbs solely for taste, like basil on a pizza or mint in ice water. Whichever your reason might be, take a few minutes to learn about the herbs you are going to grow.

Also consider the season and what herbs grow well in winter, which tend to be herbs that can handle drier air lower light. Some of the best indoor winter herbs are rosemary, cilantro, and chives., but if you want a full winter garden you’ll likely need a grow light – so check out this guide.

Light equals life.

Have abundant, natural light. You can’t go wrong with natural light and lots of it. A good start is choosing a place in your home that gets the most light. Just how much light are we talking about? At least 6 hours each day is the recommended dose. (Hint: Choose a spot in your home facing south). Having a nice amount of light will really make this easier for both you and your herbs.Wondering how to give your indoor plants more light? Check out our guides to checking your natural light, making a light map, and grow lights 101.

Hydration.

For this part, think almost the opposite of what we said for lighting. While herbs do need water, there is such thing as way too much of it.
How do you know how much water to give them? Place your finger in the soil and see how it feels. If the soil is dry, add some water. If the soil is still moist, give it another day or two and check again.

If you are unsure of the right amount to give your plants (or just forgetful) a self watering indoor herb garden is a great option. We prefer self watering planters that use a ceramic wall to separate the reservoir form the soil – these don’t get as boggy as wick based self watering planters so can be used with all plants. 

Drainage.

Use a pot with a few holes in the bottom to help the water drain out. Place a tray underneath to catch the water. Make sure to pour out the water regularly though, to avoid rotting the root. Herbs don’t like to sit in their water for too long.

Flower.

See a flower growing out of the herb? Cut it off. Growing a flower takes up way too much energy for the herbs and will ruin the taste of the leaves. Think of it as this: Your herb needs to focus its attention on growing roots and leaves, not on seeds and flowering.

Heating you indoor herbs.

 If you are growing your herbs on a window during the colder months they can get quite cold! Once herbs get below 60F their metabolism slows way down and they can stop growing. We think the best heater for indoor plants are “heat mats” that are typically sold to help you sprout your seeds – but work well for big plants too.

How We Do It:

At Urban Leaf, our plants water themselves out of the bottle, for up to a month at a time. The biggest choice you have to make with our window sill gardening system is which color bottle you want to use (we highly recommend green or brown).

All you have to do is select the place in your home that gets plenty of light, fill the bottle with water, sprinkle the seeds, and voila! Your garden will begin to grow.

Curious to learn more and start your own herb garden? Check out our shop here.