A Season for Herbs- Growing herbs indoors

Is there anything better than fresh herbs?  I feel rather domestic every time I snip off a leaf or two and add it to a simmering pot of something delicious.  The best part about herbs is the fact that they can be as happy indoors during the bleak wintery months as they are during the sultry summer.  Make an indoor herb garden as a perfect gift for a fellow gardener {or cooking enthusiast} or make one for yourself to brighten up your kitchen until the tulips start to bloom and we’re back to work outdoors.

Step one for the perfect indoor herb garden is finding the perfect container.  The first qualification for us was the adorableness of the container itself.  We found this rustic Agrarian box at Williams-Sonoma {check it out on our Gifts for the Gardener pinterest board here}.  A container depth of at least 6” is required for healthy rooting.  We know that the regular watering will break down the wood overtime, but since the box will be inside with relief from all the elements it should last a few years.

Finding potted herbs in the dead of winter can be a challenge.  We’ve had success at our local high-end garden center as well as the organic grocery store.  We also divided the parsley plant that has been roughing it outside in the garden.  Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano made the cut for our container{we’re still on the hunt for a decent basil plant, so we left a space in our box}.

We weren’t willing to drill holes in our Agrarian box, so we came up with an alternative form of drainage.  By placing medium sized pebbles in the bottom two inches of our container, then covering them with a porous material, we keep the majority of our dirt from sifting to the bottom.  We used no-slip matting {the stuff you put under rugs and what not} for our rock covering.  The small holes will allow the water to drain through while still holding the soil in place. 

Remember that since there are no drainage holes, over-watering will cause water to pool in the bottom of the container, drowning the roots of your herbs and smelling awful   The idea here is to water in smaller increments so that the soil is moist, not wet.

Make sure to use a high quality soil, we love Fertilome’s High Performance Blend.  A good soil will help keep your herbs moist, reduce waterings, and allow for healthy root growth.  As you plant your herbs, gently massage the roots of plants that are a little too root bound, like the rosemary pictured below.