Thursday, January 29, 2009

Organic Herbal Gardening In Small Apartments

By Susan Honeywell

Having an organic herbal garden is a pleasant way to have an always-ready, fresh supply of delicious kitchen supplies at the ready. Your guests and family will be impressed by the fresh herbs, as well as the beautiful effect of the plants growing on your balcony or in your kitchen.

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.

As for the plants that you can grow, most herbs that will grow in a garden will also do well indoors. Don't worry about having to exclude your favorite flavors, but focus instead on the combination of herbs that you would prefer to grow.

If you are partial to herbal teas, your organic herbal gardening efforts could focus on suitable herbs for tea-making, such as catnip, lemon grass, chamomile, lavender, mint, and peppermint. You can then mix these with organic tea or use them by themselves to make your mornings and afternoons more pleasant.

As for the pots, you need to make sure that the ones you get are right for the herbs you want. Not all herbs are suitable to all kinds of containers. Specifically, for some plants you need a pot with a minimum size.

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.

Bigger pots will give your plants room to grow, and will mean that you will have more herbs at your disposal. The result? Healthier and more flavorsome dishes! And when a herb outgrows its pot, transplant it.

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 most cases, available natural lighting will be enough, although some growers may want to try out electric growing bulbs. But in normal circumstances, these won't be needed. Check if your chosen plants prefer sun or shade, and then place the sun-lovers on a south-facing window. The others should go where there is plenty indirect sunlight.

You will find that indoors organic herbal gardening is both useful and pleasant. Herbs are generally easy to grow, and require little safeguarding. Simply give them the right food, water, and sunlight, and you will have lots to cook with. - 20785

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