Grow herbs indoors

When cold weather settles in, there is something very comforting about walking into a kitchen fragrant with herbs that have seasoned a pot of soup or stew.

And nothing is as fragrant as fresh herbs.

But it’s winter now, and the garden has been reduced to a mushy mess. You could buy herbs at the grocery store, but it may be time to grow your own.

If you brought herbs inside this fall, you already are on your way. If you didn’t, it’s easy to do.

Pick a south, east or west-facing window that gets sun a good part of the day or at least bright indirect light. Keep in mind that sunny windows actually may be too cold, as herbs like being at 70 degrees or above. Windows can be very cold at night especially, when we get temperatures well below freezing, so don’t place plants too close to the glass.

Because our winter sun is weak and we have many cloudy days, it helps to put up a florescent light fixture over the table so it can hang as low as foot above the plants. Put the light on a timer that is set for 14 to 16 hours a day. If you don’t have a sunny window, the plants can be grown under the lights.

Parsley, oregano, basil, chives, dill and sage are the easiest herbs to start indoors. Parsley comes as curly or flatleaf varieties. Basil can come in a dozen different scents and flavors, including cinnamon, lemon, anise and chocolate. Dwarf fern-leaf dill is perfect for pots because it stays small. Greek oregano is the most flavorful of the oreganos. Chives and sage are both easy to start and maintain.

You can start with prepackaged herb kits or put your own pots together. Herb kits are fine, but if they come with very small pots, consider using larger, six-inch ones. The small pots are hard to keep watered and don’t provide much room for the plants to grow.

Use the largest (six-inch minimum) clay or plastic pots with drain holes you have room for. Herbs produce more leaf growth if they have room to grow. Fill them with a good quality potting mix leaving enough room to water. Plant the seeds according to the directions. Create a mini greenhouse around your seeded pots by covering the pots loosely with plastic bags or covering the whole group with clear plastic sheeting held up off the plants. This holds in humidity that helps the seeds germinate. Place them under your light in a warm (70 to 75 degrees) place to germinate. Once they germinate and have a few true leaves, they can be moved to a 65 to 70 degree place. If you really like a particular herb, plant several pots of it to keep your supply fresh.

Once your plants have grown a good crop of leaves, you can begin harvesting. Take a little bit at a time until you find a good balance that allows the plant to regrow. Fertilize with a half-strength fertilizer every two weeks. Water them when the soil is dry down to the depth of a finger joint.