Herbs are easy to cultivate and quick to harvest – the ideal plants for small spaces!
Choose a premade herb potting mix or create your own using equal parts soil, compost, and sand, mixing thoroughly using either a hand rake or hori hori.
How to Choose the Right Herbs
Selecting the ideal herbs for your garden is of the utmost importance. Herbs make ideal container plants that can be easily placed anywhere, from your patio, deck, porch, and front steps to even inside your home! It is crucial that you choose plants that thrive under your particular growing conditions, such as sunlight, soil quality, and water supply—be it indoors or out!
Herbs that make good container plants include perennial (return each year) or annual varieties that flower and seed in one season; edible flowers like chives may also thrive in pots or planter boxes. When planting, choosing varieties with complimentary cultural needs should also be kept in mind, such as growing taller and shorter plants together and mixing their shapes for best results.
Proper drainage is critical to successful herb gardening in containers, as overwatering will quickly kill an herb. Ensure your pots or planters contain adequate drainage holes, and use soil that drains well. In outdoor planters or raised beds, add horticultural sand or crushed rock for extra drainage if water remains sitting around roots.
Size matters when selecting your container for growing herbs. In small pots, herbs can dry out quickly as they receive less soil volume, while larger herb plants compete with soil for light and moisture, leading to poor growth with leggy stems.
Most herbs require 6-8 hours of sunlight each day to thrive, so if your garden doesn’t receive enough natural lighting, consider using a grow light or moving the plants elsewhere where more natural sunlight exists. Also, remember that herbs require transplanting at least once in their growth cycle. If you are unsure which pot size they need, try submerging one smaller planter into a larger pot, gradually adding additional ones as your herbs fill out.
Containers
Container gardens make ideal herb gardens. All that matters is that the containers have drainage holes at the bottom. Please select a size suitable for all the herbs you wish to plant together (their tags should provide information on mature sizes), then fill halfway with potting soil. If different varieties require different amounts of sun exposure, arrange your herbs so that those that need less illumination get the most sunlight at the front and those needing more in the back.
As you fill your container, add some earthworm castings for an extra boost of nutrients for quick results. A little goes a long way, as this allows your soil to retain more water since it won’t become as compacted over time.
Use herb planters with minimal soil mass to dry out quickly. This necessitates more frequent watering during hot and dry weather—perhaps daily if possible!
Luckily, most herbs thrive in this environment. Many have short life cycles that only need one season indoors or out; others, such as thyme, oregano, and sage, grow from runners that continue growing and flowering with minimal fertilization.
Container gardening also makes it easy to adjust to changing temperatures – move your herbs from their current locations if their lighting changes too rapidly; for instance, if the window herbs in your kitchen window don’t receive enough sun, simply move them onto your deck or living room balcony where more sunlight will reach them!
Some herbs can be grown in terra cotta or clay pots, which are more durable than plastic containers and draw moisture away from roots to decrease mildew and mold risk. Clay pots also boast a natural aesthetic that blends seamlessly into any decor, while galvanized or stainless steel planters offer corrosion resistance, making cleaning much simpler than tin or wrought iron troughs.
Soil
Herbs require quality soil to thrive. A bag of premium potting soil is the best choice since it is light and fluffier than garden soil and doesn’t compact as easily. If you prefer garden soil instead, amend it with organic matter such as composted animal manures; this will increase beneficial insects such as earthworms while improving their nutrient content. Slow-release water-soluble fertilizers will replenish any depleted nutrients your herbs consume.
Herbal plants thrive in various containers, such as pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, and wheelbarrows. When selecting one to place your herbs into, keep two things in mind – its final size and amount of sunlight available; too small a container and your herbs could quickly become root bound; too large will focus all their energy into root development rather than becoming taller plants.
Herb gardening in containers presents unique challenges when it comes to keeping the soil watered properly. Potted soil lacks natural means of receiving moisture from below-ground sources and, therefore, must be watered regularly—morning is ideal when temperatures are cooler. A drip hose or drip irrigation system designed for containers provides an efficient method for watering all your herbs at once without disturbing their roots; some systems even feature timers to automate this process!
Overwatering herbs is one of the biggest mistakes, since their delicate nature necessitates that excess water be removed quickly, or they will die. A good rule of thumb for watering herbs should be to moisten only the top inch of soil; you can typically tell this by feeling around in your pot or reading instructions from plant labels or seed packets.
Check your herb plants regularly for signs of disease and insect infestation, including brown or yellowing leaves, wilted stems, and brown spotting on the bottom foliage. If any issues arise, remove them and treat them with fungicide/insecticide products according to manufacturer instructions.
Watering
Herbs can be quickly grown and harvested in small spaces, yet like any plant, they require proper care and sunlight to thrive. A south-facing window provides optimal conditions, receiving 6-8 hours of direct sun daily; but if that window doesn’t face due to location limitations or other considerations, relocate the herbs somewhere else so they receive sufficient lighting.
Herb gardeners frequently combine various species in one pot to save space and explore their flavors. When choosing which herbs to combine, select species with similar cultural requirements and growth rates so they will flourish together.
For optimal herb health, keep the soil consistently moist without overwatering. Herbs don’t like having their roots sitting in standing water—this is one of the fastest ways to kill them off! To avoid this happening again, drill drainage holes into each container prior to filling it with soil; even better yet, cover those holes with landscape cloth or weed barrier fabric so all excess liquid drains away efficiently.
Some herbs, such as chives, parsley, and cilantro, require less water than others; it’s best to read up on their specific watering and soil requirements from their seed packets. Also, remember to label your herbs with waterproof markers or plant stakes during early growth stages, when many look similar, and it could be easy to misidentify one for another.
Containers come in all shapes and sizes, from decorative terra cotta pots to hanging baskets and window boxes. Larger containers provide year-round production in protected indoor areas and an easy way to move plants outside before frost arrives; decorative compartment planters offer another alternative for indoor herb gardens. Whichever container you select, make sure it can support the mature size of your chosen herbs and has sufficient drainage capabilities.