Growing an indoor herb garden is a rewarding and efficient way to grow fresh herbs. You can micro-manage herb plants very well when they are right on your windowsill. When growing herbs indoors instead of outside, you are in control of lighting, temperature and moisture. You adjust these conditions based on what your home environment is. The benefit of this, is that you can grow otherwise difficult herbs indoors, even if they would not thrive in your outdoor conditions.
You can bring some herbs indoors for the colder winter months as long as you have adequate sunlight. This means a southern exposure ideally with about eight hours of sunlight a day. Some signs that your herb garden is not receiving enough light will be long stems and leaves(referred to as leggy), and fading leaves or simply leaves that fall off for no other reason. If you do not get enough light from a window, you can supplement your herb's growth with growlights. These special lights differ from regular light bulbs because they shine with the full spectrum light that plants require. There are complete setups with pots and overhead lighting available or you can purchase the growlight separately and be sure it is placed according to directions. An easy alternative is to purchase flourecent lighting, and place it within 4 inches above the herbs.
Problems With Indoor Herb Gardening
Other concerns with indoor herb gardening are temperature and moisture. For some plants, the air inside is too dry during the winter and additional moisture needs to be provided by misting or placing the herb's pot onto a tray full of pebbles with water poured into it. While this tray water evaporates, it adds humidity around the plant. You may be surprised at how often you have to refill the tray.Pests can also become a problem for indoor herb plants. Because there is no winter cold to kill off eggs, sometimes there will be a large number of tiny sucking insects that will suddenly appear around your herbs. If you see tiny insects either crawling or flying around your herbs, simply prepare some tepid, soapy water in the kitchen sink or a large, deep bowl. Keeping your hand over the base of the herb plant, tip the pot over and swish the plant around in the soapy water a few times. The soap will kill the bugs without injuring the plant itself. If you can not flip the herb over, a spray bottle of the same soapy water can be sprayed on until it drips over the leaves. Be certain to spray the undersides of all the leaves because this is where the eggs and hatchlings usually hide.
