What is an indoor herb garden?
An indoor herb garden is a smaller version of what you'd typically find in your outside garden and is a way you can grow all your favourite and most-used herbs!
Not all herbs are suited to growing in an indoor environment, so we've put together a guide on choosing the right ones to get your indoor herb garden off to a flying start!
How to start an indoor herb garden
Want to know how to start growing herbs? The first thing you need to do, is locate the sunniest spot in your home. This step is integral to the success of your herbs, as most need a large dose of sunlight each day.
The next step is to find some containers with good drainage, ensuring that water runs freely through the soil and the plants don't become waterlogged. You can buy a planter or simply go green and use some old plastic containers.
Then, you'll need some good quality potting mix to fill the planters with. A potting mix that's high in organic matter is ideal, such as peat-free mixes.
Finally, get your hands on some seedlings, cuttings, or plants to transplant. Depending on how much space you have, you might be able to plant some or all the following indoor-loving herbs.
Best herbs to grow indoors
With a little bit of TLC, most herbs can be grown indoors as long as they have sunlight, decent drainage and room to grow. Use the following list of herbs as a starting point, as they're some of the easiest herbs to grow and maintain (not to mention, they taste great too).
- Basil: These mini green leaves pack a mighty flavour punch in all things savoury and sweet (if you're feeling adventurous). Start basil from seeds and give them plenty of sunlight and water to encourage growth, then hey pesto! You should have a flourishing crop in no time.
- Chives: Get the baked potatoes ready because this fresh herb germinates quickly (within two weeks or less). Like basil, chives love the sun. They also hate being lonely and appreciate other growing pots close by to provide humidity.
- Oregano: For best results, start with a tip that has been cut from an outdoor oregano plant. Unlike other indoor herbs, oregano prefers less water, so go easy when watering. Once your crop is ready, enjoy in stuffing, salads, or sauces.
- Parsley: Ask your friends and family if they can spare a clump from their outdoor garden and transport it to your indoor herb garden to flourish. When ready to eat, add to salads, soups and more to enjoy this powerful herb that's rich in vitamins A, C, and K.
- Thyme: When growing thyme indoors, many gardeners opt for purchasing a seedling and transplanting it. Once fully grown, thyme can be enjoyed fresh with roasted veggies or meat, or dried and added to soups and marinades. To dry out the thyme leaves, cut whole steams and hang out in the sun.
If you find you've mastered these herbs, why not give rosemary a try?
Growing rosemary indoors is one of the harder herbs to find success with. One of the biggest mistakes when growing rosemary is not giving the plant enough sunlight. These plants need to be in a place where they can access strong, direct sunlight each day. Another tip to getting rosemary to grow is by watering when the top of the soil is dry (but make sure it hasn't been dried out for too long).
Tips for growing indoor herbs
- Rotate them: Plants naturally grow towards the sunlight, so turn them around occasionally to ensure even growth all over.
- Nourish them: If you want your herbs to taste good, you'll need to feed them good food. A premium potting mix should have enough slow-release fertiliser to last a couple of months, but you can also boost the growth of your herbs by adding a liquid fertiliser every few weeks.
- Trim them: Treat your indoor plants the same as you would your outdoor ones and trim the leaves when necessary. This will encourage thicker, more compact growth over time.
Where to put your indoor herb garden
The most convenient place for your indoor herb garden is likely going to be your kitchen. If you have a free space on your benchtop, ideally next to a sunny window, your herbs are going to have a better chance of growing. It's important to make sure you have window treatments installed that give you good control of the incoming light.
Window treatments to help your herb garden grow
Window treatments like venetian blinds, vertical blinds and shutters feature adjustable slats or panels make it simple to control light levels in your home and keep your plants happy!
Types of indoor herb gardens
Depending on the space you have available, the style you like, and the number of herbs you want to grow, will impact the type of garden you create.
Vertical indoor gardens
If you don't have a lot of space for an indoor herb garden, a great way to have plenty of fresh herbs on the go without taking up space on your benchtop is by creating an indoor vertical herb garden. A vertical indoor garden can be done in a few ways. One option is to build supports and have individual pots hanging off, or you could use a shelving system and sit the plants on top. Whatever you choose, make sure to incorporate a drainage system so the excess water has somewhere to go.
Portable indoor herb garden
Another way to create an indoor garden that's easy to move around is by creating a portable herb garden. You can do this by using a trolley system with shelves, or by attaching wheels to a large planter box.
Low maintenance house plants
If you're loving the idea of having more greenery throughout your home, why not add more indoor house plants?
Indoor plants are a great way to add pops of colour to your spaces, as well as they have other benefits, such as helping to produce fresher and cleaner air.
Some of the best low maintenance indoor house plants are:
- Snake plants
- Spider plants
- Pothos
- Air plants
- Chinese Evergreen
- Succulents
- ZZ plants
If you'd like to learn more about different house plants and how to look after them, head to our blog on pairing your houseplants with the right style blind.
Interested in light-filtering blinds to have a blooming indoor herb garden? Why not get in touch! You can reach us via Facebook or by calling my Australian customer support team on 1300 699 041, and they'll beat any competing in-store or online blinds quote you may have by a huge 10 percent!
You can find all our shutters, awnings, curtains, and blinds online for the lowest prices, guaranteed. Plus, we deliver Australia-wide from Perth to the east coast and offer free shipping on metro orders over $449. For all other orders, shipping is $27.
Toodles!
H x
