Last week, we learned a little about Grow Lights. This week, I’ve got the perfect things to use them on—fresh herbs inside for the winter.
If you have less than six hours of natural light, then that’s where you can use your Grow Lights. The lights should be about 2 feet from your plants and on for at least 12 hours (or more) a day.
Growing Herbs Indoors
Here are some herbs to try, along with what they need to thrive:
Basil
Basil is easy to start from seed and what it needs to be happy is to be in a warm and sunny spot.
Chives
Chives grow easily from seed. Because they are perennials, in spring they can be moved outside after all danger of frost is past.
Oregano
Start from seed or take a cutting (earlier in the fall) from a plant in your yard.
Parsley
Starts easily from seed.
Catnip
Warm and sunny is a good prescription for catnip. A piece of advice: you might want to start it in a hanging basket so your cats don’t get into it. Been there, done that. It’s also perennial so treat it like chives.
Cilantro
Cilantro starts well from seed. Unlike parsley and other herbs, cilantro does not grow more leaves when cut so if you think you’ll use a lot of it, you may want to start more than one pot.
Mint
Mint starts easily from seed. An advantage for mint is that around the end of April, you can move your pot outside for the summer, since mint is a perennial.
Thyme, Rosemary, Lavender, Sage
Most Mediterranean herbs are best grown from cuttings from plants in your yard. You can also move them outside in the spring.
Here’s How to Care for Your Herbs
For all herbs, allow the soil to dry out to the touch on top before watering. Do remember that heated indoor air is very drying. Try not to set pots of seedings near heating vents. And, if possible, a light misting several times a day can help.
Wake Up Those Taste Buds!
Growing herbs is a lot of fun in the winter. They’re pretty easy to grow and it’s fun to “wake up” up a meal with fresh herbs.