This weekend I went grocery shopping and they had a random cart of organic herb plants for sale, so I got a peppermint, sage, and thyme and potted them up in the few pots I already owned. I still have a flourishing rosemary I bought from the local nursery down the street.
I started a basil plant from a cutting by removing the bottom leaves and letting the cutting sit in a glass of water. It took over 2 weeks, but roots did miraculously appear! I potted this one up too and it's doing great.
So the herb garden is officially started. All my pots are sitting in front of my largest south-facing window.
I've grown herbs successfully before. For beginners, the easiet way to kill herbs is to over-water them. Let the soil get completely dry between waterings, use soil that drains well, and ONLY use a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom. Many of mine did not have one, since I improvise with all kinds of cheap containers I buy at Goodwill. I found it was easy to add a hole with a drill.
Of all my urban homesteading projects, this is the only one I have significant past experience on
which to rely. My other recent indoor gardening project: indoor citrus. About which I know only what I read. But there's no such thing as local citrus in Colorado, so I'm going to give it a shot.
I purchased a 2-3 yr. Bearss seedless lime (aka Tahiti/Persian) and an improved Meyer lemon from Four Winds Growers http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/). They arrived in excellent condition and were both thriving despite the fact that they shipped early, arrived when I was away on businesss, and sat in a dark shipping box for 4 days before I could get to them!
Both are grafted dwarfts and popular choices for growing citrus indoors. "Sour" citrus (as opposed to sweet citrus like oranges) is supposed to be relatively easy to grow indoors in a Northern climate. I'm a little worried about the low humidity and plan to mist the plants when I water them. I hope it won't require an acutal humidifier or grow light. Since I'm operating without any experience, only time will tell!
I started a basil plant from a cutting by removing the bottom leaves and letting the cutting sit in a glass of water. It took over 2 weeks, but roots did miraculously appear! I potted this one up too and it's doing great.
So the herb garden is officially started. All my pots are sitting in front of my largest south-facing window.
I've grown herbs successfully before. For beginners, the easiet way to kill herbs is to over-water them. Let the soil get completely dry between waterings, use soil that drains well, and ONLY use a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom. Many of mine did not have one, since I improvise with all kinds of cheap containers I buy at Goodwill. I found it was easy to add a hole with a drill.
Of all my urban homesteading projects, this is the only one I have significant past experience on
which to rely. My other recent indoor gardening project: indoor citrus. About which I know only what I read. But there's no such thing as local citrus in Colorado, so I'm going to give it a shot.I purchased a 2-3 yr. Bearss seedless lime (aka Tahiti/Persian) and an improved Meyer lemon from Four Winds Growers http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/). They arrived in excellent condition and were both thriving despite the fact that they shipped early, arrived when I was away on businesss, and sat in a dark shipping box for 4 days before I could get to them!
Both are grafted dwarfts and popular choices for growing citrus indoors. "Sour" citrus (as opposed to sweet citrus like oranges) is supposed to be relatively easy to grow indoors in a Northern climate. I'm a little worried about the low humidity and plan to mist the plants when I water them. I hope it won't require an acutal humidifier or grow light. Since I'm operating without any experience, only time will tell!
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