How to Grow Culinary Herbs Inside

Having fresh herbs throughout the year is a huge advantage when it comes to cooking. However, if you live in an area with long or cold winters, you may not have the option of growing herbs outside.

You can choose to grow your own fresh herbs inside though, throughout the year. Here are a few tips on how to grow your own herbs easily.

Have a Light Source

Light is essential to plant growth, so you'll need an abundant and intense source. Commercial fluorescent lights are a reasonable option and fluorescent grow lights have been shown to improve plant growth. More serious gardeners who want a high output use T5 lamps, which are a type of fluorescent light system.

You can also choose High Intensity Discharge lights which work well for leafy herbs, although they will need to be tailored well to the area of the plants. Finally, LED grow lights have become more popular although they are expensive for a casual grower.

Soil Vs. Hydroponics

Although beginning gardeners often do best with growing in soil, modern hydroponics take away much room for error. They also produce more abundant results, making them a better choice for serious gardeners. Growing plants without soil can be done with coconut coir, soil conditioners, or soilless mixes, based on personal preference since all produce good results.

Herbs grow well in specific conditions which is why you may want to try hydroponics. If you have extra space, you could use a grow tent. It may be easier to control the temperature and humidity levels of herbs in a tent and most of them are easy to set up and use. Check a few 4X8 Grow Tent Reviews to see how other gardeners have fared with these systems. A temperature of 70-75 degrees is ideal with a 40-60% humidity level. You'll also need to ensure that ventilation is adequate, as hydroponic gardening requires this for success.

Know Your Herbs

If you're not familiar with how well herbs grow, you'll want to brush up a little before going further. Annuals like cilantro and basil can be started from seed and that's probably your best option. Some gardeners will dig up basil from their garden in the fall before the first frost. However, new plants are best to keep your harvests ongoing.

Other fast-growing herbs like cilantro won't regenerate when they've been picked so you'll need fresh seeding to keep up with your supply. Also, digging up cilantro from outside to transplant won’t produce the best results. Perennial herbs such as oregano, rosemary, and marjoram are challenging to grow from seed and are best purchased as starts. Read about each type of herb you intend to grow for the best results.

Growing your own herbs throughout the year with a hydroponic system is a great choice and can be done with a little work and research. Even if you're not familiar with gardening, you can pick up the basics and learn with experience, so use these tips to start growing herbs inside.

This is a guest blog entry.