HealthOnTrack

In the previous article we discussed the unmatched benefits of growing your own kitchen garden herbs compared to buying them from the local grocery store or using dried herbs in your cooking, as well as finding the best location for your kitchen herb plants in your household. Here we will discuss the actual technique of growing kitchen herbs, which is simple and inexpensive. As mentioned before, almost any kitchen herb pot or container can be used. No plumbing tool kits or complex water pipe systems are needed. Just ensure that the container has drainage holes drilled in at the bottom and that it rests on some sort of tray to catch any excess water. For practical reasons you may decide to use regular clay pots, but for a look that reflects your style and taste, use vintage coffee tins, old teapots or stained glass jars for growing kitchen herbs. Just ensure you use the correct drill sets and bits to prevent cracking.

When growing kitchen herbs from seed, make sure you soak them between wet paper towels for a few about three to four hours. Next use a mixture of potting soil, peat moss and perlite (available ready-mixed at nurseries) to fill your container until 2cm from the rim. Sprinkle the seeds over the soil and cover them with about half a centimetre of extra soil. If using a single large container or pot for your entire kitchen herb garden, designate areas for different kitchen herbs (if required use garden markers to identify your kitchen herbs). Place in a warm area away from direct sunlight.

Next, water your indoor kitchen herb garden well and again whenever the soil is dry to touch. When kitchen herb seedlings begin to emerge, place your container in an area that gets direct sunlight. To avoid damage to the delicate seedlings when watering, use a spray bottle. If overcrowding occurs, snip the plants at soil level as opposed to pulling them out from the root. If planting seedlings, dig a hole in the soil and bury the roots. For multiple kitchen herbs in one container, plant the kitchen herb seedling three to four centimetres apart. All that’s left to do now is to grow, snip, cook and enjoy! Remember, the more you trim your kitchen garden herbs the more bushy they will grow, meaning that the more you cook with them, the more they will grow.