How to Grow Herbs Indoors for Winter Use

You might be tempted to think that growing herbs indoors is nothing but a hobby for people who enjoy nothing but cooking. When you grow your herbs as houseplants, however, they do become something quite a bit better. Not only do they provide you with a range of fresh spices and herbs that you can use when outdoor herb growers will be eating dried up herbs, but they also serve to clean the air in your home when you can't necessarily crack open the windows to let in a fresh breeze. After all, you can't eat a Christmas cactus, but Basil goes great in a fresh pot of spaghetti.

You'll need a number of one gallon plant pots of your choice from your local garden center. Fortunately, fall is the time of year when many stores begin putting clearance tags on their pots and potting supplies, so chances are good that you'll pay about half what your normally would on the supplies, allowing you to purchase the good-quality ceramic pots rather than the cheap plastic ones, if you wish. In addition to the pots, also purchase some potting soil that helps maintain soil moisture and peat moss. The peat moss will act as a mulch, further helping the plants to retain moisture. In the winter, this is particularly important because inside air tends to become dry as the humidity in the ambient air disappears from your indoor atmosphere.

You can choose to purchase your herbs as either growing plants or as seeds. Either way, they should be relatively inexpensive, as seeds are cheap to begin with, and like the pots, growing plants will often be on clearance in the autumn. Once you've got all of these items gathered together, you're ready to begin.

Fill the plant pots to 2/3 full with potting soil if you are planting growing plants as opposed to seeds. If you are growing seeds, fill the pot to within 2 inches of the rim. Moisten this lower layer of soil with a small amount of water, but do not soak it. From here, there are two ways to proceed.

For seeds, follow the instructions on the seed packet. You will find that some herb seeds may require you to soak the seeds in water briefly before you plant them in the soil. When the seeds have been soaked if they require it, distribute them in the pot at the listed planting interval. Most herbs start growing well when they are spaced at least 3 inches from one another. Top the seeds with approximately 1 inch of potting soil, and then apply a thin layer of peat moss over the pot. The seeds should begin to germinate within a few days.

For growing plants, place the root ball in the center of the pot, and then fill the surrounding space with potting soil. When the pot is filled, gently pack down the soil just a little, and then fill the pot to within 1 inch of the rim with additional potting soil. When this is done, surround the herb with peat moss.

Position the herbs in a spot in your kitchen or other area of your home where they will receive indirect sunlight throughout the day, and water them weekly as the soil dries out. Soon, you will have a bounty of healthy, fresh herbs to add an accent of summer to your winter cooking.