During the winter months fresh herbs aren't out of reach, but they do require a little help to really get them growing. Want to see if your space has what it takes?
1. Give Them Sun, Sun, Sun!
Herbs need 4 to 6 hours of direct sun every day to not just survive, but to thrive indoors. Not just light, we're talking direct rays that you might acquire a sunburn in. Don't have it? Don't bother.
2. Give the Roots Proper Drainage
During the winter months when plants aren't outdoors in the scalding heat, herbs will drink slightly slower. To help your roots not rot out or sit in soggy water, make sure you have proper drainage at the bottom of your containers. And not just drain holes, but rocks or plastic foam to keep the roots out of the water you're giving them.
3. Don't Eat Their Solar Panels!
Although larger leaves are the most tempting to eat as it seems they're the oldest, they're also the plant's solar panels. If you only prune off mature leaves your plant will have a hard time growing. Make sure you mix it up by cutting off a mix of mature and brand new leaves (and never cut off all the leaves at once).
Do you have any tried and true tips to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: Expert Advice on Planting, Pruning, and Getting the Most Out of Herbs
(Image: Flickr member Jess Pac licensed for use by Creative Commons)
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Does anyone else have a problem with coated windows? I have no idea what they are coated with but in our high-rise its nearly impossible to keep plants healthy during the winter months.
Re. light, a lot also depends on the particular herb. For instance, I've never had any success getting basil to grow indoors, even on a really all-day sunny south-facing windowsill. But some of the woodier herbs seem to manage fairly well with even a little less light than noted above--I've had good luck with sage in an east-facing window and rosemary in a somewhat tree-shaded south-facing window. (But yeah, if all your windows face tall buildings, probably don't bother...)
Hmm, this is rather daunting. I live in Portland, Oregon, and had planned to finally, this year, get my indoor-herbs act together. My outdoor rosemary, lavendar, and sometimes thyme do fine even during the winter; but even bringing sage and basil indoors, I've had little luck. And I'd REALLY love to have dill and especially cilantro. My south-facing kitchen window would give them maybe 3 hours of sun a day; gads, will I have to move them to the room with the west window like every day?!?
Living alone, it's completely cost-ineffective to keep buying whole bunches of cilantro, for example, only to use a few leaves before the stuff goes bad in the fridge (even if I've cut the stems and put them in water). Wah!
I guess I should try freezing them in small batches. Has anyone tried freezing basil and cilantro? Do they retain their fresh taste?
Annie-O: do you put a bag over the cilantro when you cut the stems and put them in water in the fridge? I've found that when I do that, I can keep the cilantro at least one week. I haven't frozen cilantro, but I do freeze large batches of basil in oil and it works very well.
@dimitrithecat I don't know a lot about coated windows, but my guess is that, like car windows, they block some or all of the UV rays, which may be affecting your plants.
@Annie-O I agree that this article is super-daunting. I was hoping to get some herbs going in the next few months, but apparently I shouldn't bother.
Thanks, @lillies, I didn't know about the plastic bag trick; will definitely try that!
Meanwhile, I googled "freezing cilantro," and here's a good page about freezing cilantro: http://localfoods.about.com/od/freezing/qt/Freezing-Cilantro.htm
I have a nice big east-facing kitchen window with windowsill, and I grew a nice little assortment of herbs in pots last year. They grew pretty well, but my problem was bugs. I realized after a while that my countertop, windowsill and the plants themselves were crawling with tiny little bugs. I was so disgusted I just threw them all in the trash right then. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try again, though I do have a dream of outfitting the garage with a grow light someday. Or maybe a laundry room if I ever have one of those...somewhere where bugs would be a little less disgusting.
I've tried different herbs indoors, and the only one that has lasted through the winter is rosemary. Which reminds me, I have a pot of rosemary outside that I need to bring in before it freezes.
The bug issue scares me. I have basil on my balcony now but need to bring it in before the winter. I'm afraid that even if I wash it and repot it, I'll wind up with bugs in my apartment. Any suggestions?