Easy! Growing herbs in containers, in general can be a wonderfully easy thing to do, and can be done both indoors and outside.
Herbs are great plants to have around - they look and smell wonderful, they provide you with nutrition and even healing. Herbs are usually fairly tough, hardy plants and will absolutely thrive if given the oppertunity to grow in a good soil-based compost with good light.
Kitchen window sills and Window boxes are particularly useful as they can provide you with instant access to fresh herbs for your cooking needs.
Popular Types Ideal growing herbs would include Basil, Parsley, Chives, Rosemary, Sage, French Tarragon and Thyme.You could also add mint (very underated) to the selection. If grown in its own container, mint will not take over a plot as they do if left unchecked. Don't forget there are different types of mint, not just for your lamb! There's applemint, pepermint & spearmint for starters.
Sun or shade? Some herbs prefer full sun, while others appreciate partial shade, so grouping them in the right types will aid your growing success.French tarragon, sage, rosemary and thyme are all sun worshipers, while parsley, rocket and chervil prefer shade in the heat of midday.
Growing herbs in containers Growing them in containers is very straight forward. You can use virtually any type of container you like, as long as it has some drainage holes in the bottom, and can hold enough soil to support the plants.
1. Line the bottom of the container with stones or gravel to assist with the drainage, and the airation of the roots. 2. Add a good soil-based compost - John Innes potting compost is a particularly good one. Try to avoid peat based soil. Soil-based compost is also much better at retaining moisture thus more efficiant at preventing your containers from drying out. 3. Plant your seeds or plants putting the bigger plants to the middle of the container and the smaller ones towards the edges. Make sure you do not overcrowd them. Overfilling with too many plants will put stress on them and impair the growth of your growing herbs.
Watering It's better to water them in the morning to help prevent the
container
drying out through the day, but do keep an eye on your moisture levels. herbs do not like being allowed to dry out. Feed your herbs once a week during the entire growing season, and you will enjoy an abundance of fantsatic herbs whenever you need them.
All Year Round? Some herbs will continue growing throughout the year. You can maintain them by removing any long stems or flowers during the winter months. If they start to go straggly, try dividing them up and re potting them to make additional plants.
