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by Alissa Quart
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An indoor herb garden is one of those little things that makes life worth living. Can you think of a single thing that's less-than-perfect about your room smelling like homegrown lavender, or something less-than-pleasant about chewing a piece of fresh mint in the morning? Or making your own rosemary facial scrub or tarragon vinegar?
What I like best about herbs is their unfussy, easy humility, and their urban-friendly utility. Let's say you want to grow some.
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To begin with, when you're buying herbs, make sure they're not old or sick-looking. The clippings should be compact and lively.
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When you arrive home with your new plants, you'll need to transplant them into roomier containers. The first concern is to choose a pot that is slightly bigger than its incoming root ball. Keep in mind that clay pots may be pretty and natural, but plastic pots are better at holding water (clay ones dry out quickly). The planter must have drainage holes. A cool idea for a planter: an old rectangular bathroom sink.
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Before filling it with soil, you should soak your new clay pot in water. Some gardeners recommend a 24-hour soak but I've soaked mine for an hour with reasonable success. (Soaking pots is kind of like teeth-flossing, it's a good practice, but...) Before you fill your new pot with soil, place a layer of perlite or broken pottery at the pot's base to prevent water-logging.
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Now you need to fill your chosen pot. Fill two-thirds full of good quality potting soil or garden soil, until the soil is two inches below the rim of the pot. Peat-based mixes dry out more than soil-based mixes, so — particularly if you're using peat-based soil — you'll need to water twice daily on hot summer days. Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and lavender like a sand-based soil mixture.
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Plants should dry out between waterings. Too much water kills container-grown herbs more frequently than too little. The soil should be dry about an inch down. To avoid the soil drying out, check each day. One way to tell is to tap the pot with a knife. A sharp ring indicates a dry pot and a dull thud means the soil is water-filled. In addition to watering, spray leaves to keep them moist. "Gardening is a lot like organic chemistry," says Joan McDonald, a Brooklyn-based plant enthusiast. In Brooklyn she has to water more frequently because "the soil's bad." She waters her herbs a couple times a week in the summer and slacks off a bit in the autumn and spring.
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Chemical liquid fertilizers are recommended by many herb reference books. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium exist in chemical liquid fertilizers — if you want to avoid an inorganic fertilizer because you're scared to eat that nasty crap with your homemade pesto, you can try natural compost (made of something like soy meal or bone meal). You should feed young plants lightly every two weeks. A water-soluble fertilizer, dilute solution of liquid seaweed or fish emulsion once a week, in half the recommended dosage, will do the trick. Otherwise, the roots will deplete the nourishment from the soil in their pots since they can't stretch out to look for nourishment (as they would in an outdoor garden). Adjust the amount you fertilize to your light levels: more in light, less in darker areas.
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TIPS FOR HERB GROWERS > >
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