Kitchen garden 101: Tips to create your mini green corner
What's the story
Creating an indoor herb garden can be quite rewarding, particularly for those looking to enrich their wellness journey.
Growing herbs indoors not only gives fresh ingredients for cooking but also adds to a calming, therapeutic environment.
For novices, starting an indoor herb garden might seem intimidating, but with the right tips, it can be a piece of cake.
Here are some must-know tips to help you grow your own indoor herb oasis.
Herb selection
Choosing the right herbs
Choosing the right herbs is essential for a successful indoor garden.
As a beginner, you should choose easy-to-grow herbs like basil, mint, parsley, and chives. These herbs flourish indoors and need less effort to grow.
Take your cooking habits into consideration before deciding which herbs to grow.
Further, make sure that the chosen herbs have similar light and water requirements for easy maintenance.
Light needs
Understanding light requirements
Herbs require sufficient light to thrive indoors. Most herbs need six to eight hours of sunlight every day.
Keep your herb pots near south or west-facing windows so that they can receive enough natural light.
If natural light is inadequate, you can also use LED grow lights as a substitute for light.
Adjusting the distance between the plants and lights ensures they grow well without burning.
Watering tips
Proper watering techniques
Watering is crucial for growing indoor herbs.
Overwatering may cause root rot while underwatering can lead to wilting or stunted growth.
Regularly check soil moisture by inserting your finger about an inch into the soil; if it feels dry at that depth, it's time to water your plants thoroughly until excess drains from the bottom of pots.
Soil choice
Soil and pot selection
Choosing appropriate soil and pots is key to successful herb gardening indoors.
Use well-draining potting mix made for container gardening instead of garden soil, which may compact easily inside containers causing poor drainage problems over time, making them unhealthy.
Choose pots with drainage holes at the bottom, so that excess water can escape, preventing root rot problems usually caused by improper drainage conditions inside containers for growing plants like these ones today.