How to Grow an Indoor Herb Garden (From Seeds)
This post, How to Grow an Indoor Herb Garden (From Seeds), is sponsored by True Leaf Market. The kit and seeds showcased in the post were provided by them. All opinions are my own.
When cooking, I often wish I had fresh herbs. Buying them at the store can be expensive. But growing them at home does not have to be. So, I thought I’d share how to grow an indoor herb garden from seeds.
Selecting What To Grow in Your Indoor Herb Garden
The first thing you need to consider is what herbs you’ll want to grow.
This may seem easy at first. But, there are several things to take into account.
- what herbs will you really use?
- how much of those herbs do you need to have on hand?
- where will you keep this indoor herb garden?
- will the herbs you want do well in an indoor herb garden?
Let’s dig a little deeper to help formulate plans for an indoor herb garden.
What Herbs Should You Grow?
Honestly, this is a personal preference.
Some herbs like parsley are ubiquitous and used by almost everyone. So, you’ll often find them in herb gardens. Others like cilantro are common, but not used by everyone.
If you want to purchase a kit (like the True Leaf Market kitchen herb garden kit I was sent), then the selection of seeds has already been made for you. Of course, you can add to the mix and elect to not use all of the seeds.
Common Herbs Grown in an Indoor Garden include:
- Basil
- Chives
- Dill
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
All of those common herbs tend to do well in indoor herb gardens for year round enjoyment. Basil, chives, dill and oregano are ones that are top picks for beginners.
How to Grow an Herb Garden from Seeds
You will need either a kit containing everything, or all the needed supplies and space.
Seeds are normally started indoors in small vessels of organically rich dirt. These pods are made to be free from weeds (unlike planting straight into an outdoor garden space.)
Pay attention when buying your seeds. Know your source.
True Leaf Market has been in business since 1974 and supplies only non-GMO seeds to their customers.
The packets are marked with the year for planting. So, if the marked date is in the past the germination rate will be much lower. Always buy seeds marked for the current year.
Find a sunny spot to place the container(s) during the day. A south facing window is fantastic for many herbs to thrive. If that isn’t available, find a place in your house that gets natural light for at least 4 hours per day.
And as they are not in the ground able to pull water from below, you’ll need to water daily (or near daily) to give them the moisture needed. You do need good drainage which could be as simple as containers with a drainage pan below.
Once the plants start to grow to a decent size, you’ll need to transplant the seedlings to larger containers.
How to Plant an Herb Garden from Seed
First you need to get your soil ready. The compressed soil pellets expand once water is added to the bottom of the container.
If you are planting more than once type of seed, make sure to label the compartments. That way you do not have to play identify the plant after they start growing.
NOTE: The Seed Starter Kit – Culinary Herb Deluxe Kit comes with 2 trays and plenty of seeds as well.)
Recipes to Use Your Fresh Herbs
Here are some of my recipes that use the herbs you can grow. By no means is this list exhaustive. But, it is a great starting place.
Using Basil
Baked Cheese & Spinach Tortellini
Make Your Own Pesto at Home
Tomato Basil Soup
Using Cilantro
Cincinnati Chili
Individual Chicken Taco Casseroles
Southwestern Goulash
Using Parsley
Shrimp Etoufee
This looks great! I’ve been wanting to start gardening soon and this looks perfect!