Growing Herbs Indoors or Out in Your Garden or Yard -
- good for your health and wildlife will benefit too!
Growing herbs indoors or out they look great, they smell great and they taste amazing. And they are good for the environment too.
Growing herbs is easy and fun and an easy way to enhance your green living.
If you like cooking and enjoy the benefits of fresh tasty organic food from your garden, grow herbs - its a great way to supplement your diet. Most culinary herbs are rich in nutrients as well.
Even if you have no garden or outdoor space it is not hard to grow herbs indoors, at least for some of the time.
Growing herbs indoors is possible with a good many varieties, depending upon where you live and what you want to grow, so it's not even essential to plant a herb garden.
Many herbs also have therapeutic properties which make them ideal natural remedies. For example, mint is a "digestive", that is, it aids digestion and thyme has anti-bacterial qualities. Health herbs are to be found amongst many of the common herbs in gardens. Simple herbal remedies can be made from herbs grown at home.
Growing herbs indoors and out:
Why is growing herbs good for the environment?
Many herbs attract beneficial insects such as bees and hoverflies. Some herbs are also useful companion plants which make growing vegetables so much easier without harmful sprays or poisons.
If you are growing herbs indoors, you may notice that some of them help indoor air quality. Some even have a reputation for deterring houseflies.
Growing Herbs Indoors and Out:
Starting a herb garden
Picture: rocket - plentiful and cheap Some of the easiest herbs to grow are also the most useful. It's wonderful to be able to help yourself to handfuls of fresh, organic herbs whenever you want.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme called to mind from the famous folk song - are all easy if you have a garden in a temperate region of the world.
Mediterranean herbs such as marjoram and basil are not difficult either. Rocket and chives are more easy choices, especially for growing herbs indoors, as they are relatively small. Chives like cool conditions, so avoid direct sun.
Most small herbs can be grown in containers - or even inside the house, especially if you have a sunny and well lit space. Plants grown on windowsills can become leggy and weak because the light is insufficient. Container gardening is easy and rewarding. See for more on container growing.
Growing herbs indoors and out:
Soil preparation for growing herbs outside
For best results, dedicate an area of your garden close to the kitchen to grow herbs. Its nice to know that there is a place where you can find something tasty at any time of the year to uplift your cookery!
If you are planning on growing herbs indoors for some of the year, a small container garden of herbs in tubs and pots can be a workable solution.
The soil does not have to be especia...
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