The Secrets to Growing Herbs in Pots
Quite possibly the easiest type of garden for beginner gardeners to start is a container garden. Small pots make it easier to move plants to the ideal location as well as monitor their moisture levels, all while keeping everything on a small and manageable scale. But there are some insider secrets that can be quite useful when growing herbs in pots, especially for beginners.
The first thing you need to decide is what you want to grow. The varieties of herbs that are available are enormous. You’ll also need to know if you want to grow herbs for cooking or herbs for medicinal purposes since they are very different. For argument sake, we’ll assume you are growing herbs in pots for cooking.
Once you decide on what you want to grow, you’ll need to select your pots. Pots can be anything from traditional pots to old coffee cans or olive oil cans, as is popular in Mediterranean herb gardens. Anything that you can put soil in and have adequate drainage in will work. If you do use coffee cans or something similar, use a drill or an awl to punch holes in the bottom to allow for drainage or your herbs could become water logged and die.
Next you’ll want to consider the soil you’ll need when growing herbs in pots. You can’t use just any soil. Plain old nutrient deficient top soil won’t work. When you are growing herbs in pots you want to be sure that you get a high quality potting soil, and make no mistake, they are very different. Plain top soil is just like the same dirt you have in your back yard. But potting soil is a combination of soil, fertilizer, plant food and in some cases even special fibers that will absorb water to help keep your plants moist.
Growing herbs in pots will also require you to decide where exactly you want to set your pots, once they are planted. Different herbs will require different conditions. Should you decide that growing herbs in pots in your home is the way to go for you, you’ll likely need to supplement their sunlight with a halogen light bulb to be sure that they get all the light they need.
Once your herbs have begun to grow, wait until they have about 6-8 inches of growth and that they have become reasonably full before you start harvesting. Once you do start harvesting your herbs there are a number of things you can do with them. Of course, you can use them fresh in all your favorite dishes, but you can also hang bunches of them upside down to dry and then strip the leaves off and use them dried when your herbs are out of season. You can also use certain fragrant herbs such as lavender and mint to make things like scented sachets for drawers and closets or to make tea.
When you are growing herbs in pots, your possibilities are endless. So no matter what you grow, you can’t go wrong.
