Thursday, January 29, 2009

Organic Herbal Gardening For Beginners, At Home

By Susan Honeywell

Deciding to begin an organic herbal garden inside your house will not only have a dramatic and positive effect on your heath, but it will also make your abode more beautiful thanks to the beautiful plants that will grace your windowsills and balconies.

By growing organic herbs indoors, you will be able to enjoy out-of-season delicacies and not worry about a sudden spell of cold ruining your crop. Another great advantage is that you won't need a huge amount of space; just a few pots will allow you to improve your cooking with fresh and free produce.

Regarding the herbs that you can use, most of the varieties that you can grow outdoors are also good indoors. There are many themes around which to plan indoor organic herbal gardening, and of course you can combine these. Here is an example.

For instance, for a fragrant note you can grow angelica, bergamot, catmint, chamomile, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, and mint. This organic herb garden is also a great organic air freshener, ideal for indoor gardens in small flats.

Another thing you should focus on quickly is the kind of containers that you want to use for your plants. Not all plants grow equally well in small pots, so you should have an awareness of the minimum pot size for your chosen organic herbs.

Make sure that you don't get any tiny pots meant for growing from seed, unless that is your original intention! In fact, better to get slightly bigger pots if you have the space in your growing area.

Container size is important, so begin with those that are a bit larger than those in which the live nursery plants were purchased. This will give your plants room to start growing. Once your herbs are stabilized and growing well, transplant them into larger containers. This is important to ensure growth and so that nutrients make it from the soil into the plant.

To garden organically, it is important to only use earth that is organically certified. The soil should not be too alkaline or too acid, a medium acidity is just about right. And any fertilizers you choose to use should be organic too.

In many cases, indoors organic herbal gardening will need lighting. This is especially important for year-round indoor gardens, especially if your growing area is not sunny. Dissimilar plants have diverse light requirements, some need bright sun and others want shade. Most herbs grow better in full sun, but there are exceptions, so learn what each of your herbs needs. Depending on your circumstances, you may want to acquire some purpose-made electric grow lights

Make it a habit to regularly tend your organic herbal garden, and you will find that your food will improve much at little expense, and also that you will have brought a piece of nature to your home. - 15432

About the Author: