Growing an indoor organic herb garden provides you with the very freshest flavors for your culinary delights. Fresh herbs have much more aroma and flavor than dried herbs. When you pinch off leaves, you will fill your kitchen window with the scent of each herb you grow. Indoor herb gardens need minimal maintenance and are within easy reach to pluck a few leaves for flavoring dishes. You can make certain your herbs are organic by either planting herb seeds or purchasing organic plants. You can grow herbs indoors all year round, even when temperatures outdoors fall, and you have no weeds to pull.
Choose healthy green plants that are labeled as organic herbs, or choose seeds for each herb you want to grow. Plant established herb plants in organic soil in individual pots for each type of herb. This allows you to move one particular herb to a different area to change the lighting or air circulation requirements without disturbing the others.
Sprinkle herb seeds on top of organic soil in a pot. Press the seeds slightly into the soil, and sprinkle a light additional layer of organic soil on them. Water the soil thoroughly, and place the pot in a sunny windowsill.
Herbs do not like to have wet feet. Plant your herbs in pots with drainage holes in the bottom. When the soil is dry to the touch on the top layer, water them. You can place them in the bathtub, kitchen sink or outside to add water until it runs out the drainage holes. After the herbs have drained, return them to a sunny window.
Herbs, as a whole, require at least six hours of sunlight per day. Windowsills that face south and west are ideal for the maximum amount of sunlight per day inside your home. If you do not have windows facing in these directions, you may hang a grow lamp over the herbs to help them flourish. Herbs grow best in temperatures from 65 degrees to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fertilizing your herbs once a month keeps them healthy and growing continuously. Mix water-soluble organic fertilizer in a milk jug and store it with the lid on. When the soil is dry to the touch and needs water, pour the fertilizer on the plants in lieu of watering them once a month.
Choose which herbs you want to grow indoors by the type and usage.
Herbs that are used in Italian dishes such as pasta sauces and soups include basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. These herbs are also useful as a rub on meat dishes.
Cilantro gives Mexican dishes an authentic flavor.
Borage has a cucumber flavor and is a great addition to salads.
Soups and stews are jazzed up with a few leaves of chervil, chives, parsley and savory.
Garnishes include spearmint, peppermint and parsley. Spearmint and peppermint flavor fresh fruit and fruit drinks. Parsley is often used on a plate of food as a garnish.
Fennel has a licorice flavor for cheese spreads, breads and vegetable dishes.
Caraway seeds are used in recipes for cakes, salads, cheese and breads.
Sage is a staple in stuffing and dressings; it adds a slightly bitter taste and complements the other ingredients.
Fresh herbs add much more flavor to dishes than dried herbs. You need only a third of the amount of fresh herbs as dried herbs to add the same amount of flavor.
Indoor plants grow toward the sunlight and bend in that direction. Turning your herb pots every few days allows the plants to grow straight. Plant tips that touch a window can burn from the heat.
Cool drafts in the winter can kill some herbs. It is best to place indoor herbs in an area that is not near a door that is opened often.
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