Indoor Herb Growing

15 years ago

I have been interested in growing herbs lately, and last time I tried growing Basil from a seed it was a total failure.

I bought 6 small already sprouted herbs yesterday, and I would like to know whether in my climate (hot humid summer and freezing winter) it is a good idea to plant them inside vs outside. The soil is mostly clay here.

I think that I may go with indoor growing for the following, and I will most likely be putting them in their own separate pots as well:

- Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley

- Common Thyme

- Sweet Basil

- Common Chives

- Rosemary (not sure of type, says "Rosmarinus Officinalis" and "Romarin")

- Oregano (not sure of type, says "Origanum Vulgare" and "Origan Vert")

I'm mainly looking for any general tips for growing these here in the GTA of Ontario(as opposed to the standard way of caring for them according to the packaging).

If all goes well I hope to have a wider assortment of herbs in the future. What types of more exotic herbs can grow in this area without watching them every second?

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

ksrogers
15 years ago
All should do very well outdoors. They all require plenty of sun, and if planted in big enough pots should do fine. If grown indoors, they will be spindly, lack vigor, and any decent flavor and aroma. None of the ones you mention will grow very well indoors, unless you just plan to bring them in when the cold weather hits. Plenty of direct sun is necessary
lmcd
15 years ago
They will all do fine outside this summer. As for surviving the winter:
-Basil is an annual, so it won't survive the winter.
-I know that parsley is a biennial, but I have only used it as an annual.
-Chives, oregano, and thyme should all survive the winter with no problem. Chives are extremely tough.
-Rosemary ... it depends. I have it in a large clay pot that I put in an unheated, glassed-in porch for the winter. The rosemary that I bought last summer overwintered well, but other winters, rosemary hasn't survived for me.

Other herbs that I have tried:
-Sage (the plain green kind): very tough.
-Lavender: I usually keep these in pots and move them into the porch for the winter, but I have grown some in the ground, too. I haven't found French or Spanish lavender to be hardy here. Some of the English lavenders (Munstead, Hidcote, and Blue Cushion)have been pretty hardy, though.
-Bay leaf plant: I bring this into the house for the winter. This is the third summer that I've had the same plant (it's now about four feet high).
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I have had decent luck with herbs in pots indoors. Mind you, I have an 8 foot patio door with lots of sun! My rosemary grows like crazy. The basil usually lasts til about Xmas time, enabling me to make little mozzarrella/tomato/basil tarts for Xmas appetizers. Parsley definitely gets thin, but it usually survives and comes back. I had all my herbs in a big 16" pot. Just last night I moved the rosemary to a smaller pot with a cone topiary thingy. I installed self watering adapters in both pots, and refilled the large pot with new mix. I repotted the parsley in there, and put in about 6 basil seedlings (3 are probably not going to make it, so it shouldn't be too much). This will live on the balcony for the summer, and come in again in the fall. By the way, I tried growing chives in that big pot, from seed, and they never took off. You're probably better off buying small plants at the nursery. Make sure that the herbs you group together all like the same soil conditions in terms of watering.
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If it is not absolutely essential to have fresh basil leaves in all your prepared foods, may I recommend that you make a simple pesto of olive oil and fresh basil instead. Upon searching the subject on the web, the idea that worked best is placing the pesto in plastic bags. Then you flatten them out and freeze them. I use this simple pesto as a seasoning only. Whenever I make a tomato sauce I just break off a chunk and add it in. You don't need much, as it is extremely strong. And when I make pizza, I just add a little to the garlic and olive oil mixture which I brush on the crust before adding the other ingredients. I would imagine that, if you wanted a traditional pesto, then you could thaw it and add the remaining cheeses and pine nuts. Since you are able to grow a large number of plants, a good stash of pesto would go a long way to reduce costs during the winter months. You would then only have to purchase a smaller amount of fresh when you absolutely need to sprinkle a few fresh leaves on a dish. When growing basil, keep pinching it back to keep the plant productive and bushy. Ideally, try to keep it from flowering. Usually when it starts to try blooming, I harvest it at this point. Parsley should do well for you, but it's at its best in cooler fall weather. My heat zone is a little cooler than yours, and I've harvested it well into November. With regard to rabbits, just buy a roll of that galvanized fencing which has smaller squares near rhe bottom and that should help. If in a garden area, I just purchase 3/4 inch PVC tubing, cut it in half and use it to prop up the fence. Or you can cut the fence to size to make cages for your plants. When used for seasoning, you can also make a simple parsley pesto as well, freeze as above, and use the fresh only when needed for garnishing. In addition, a quick search on the web also resulted in an oregano pesto. However, my inclination would be again to keep it simple using only the herb and oil and save it for seasoning purposes. Perhaps you could connect with an area farmer to grow the additional herbs you need. Happy cooking and much success to your restaurant!
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Herbs such as Sage, Parsley, Greek Oregano, Rosemary, Marjoram, Chives, Thyme, Summary Savory and Basil grow well in containers. They can be grown inside as long as they receive 4-6 hours of sunlight and regular watering
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The first step to growing healthier herbs would be to grow them outdoors if at all possible. Indoor herb growing is a fraught enterprise. Any pests that happen along have no predators, rain or wind to contend with. They are also likely to find soft, sickly plants which are easy prey due to sub optimal growing conditions. If you absolutely have no choice but to grow them inside you can't 'sterilize' living plants. All you can do is inspect them very closely on purchase and keep them in quarantine away from other plants when you first get them home.
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lmcd
15 years ago
BTW, you'll have to amend your clay soil. I break up the clay and mix in composted bagged manure and peat moss.
edible
15 years ago
I'm in Michigan, so I definitely freeze in the winter. All will do well outside in the summer, be sure and plant oregeno in a pot or it will take over the garden and you will spend years trying to get rid of it. I grow my rosemary very well indoors on my ledge all winter. It's now about 4' and I use it. Basil will not grow indoors, plant it outside, pinch back all the flowers before it blooms and use it alot, it'll do better. What ever is left, use for pesto. I bring my Italian flat leaf parsley indoors every year and although it is a biannual, mine is 4 years old and still doing great. Thyme will do fine through the winter, it is quite hardy. Chives, one of my favorites, will definitely do well and will spread, not out of control, but a nice clump that you can cut through and separate early May. I love the chive flowers in cooking. They don't do that well indoors, although I try every year.
mygar
15 years ago
I have a good herb garden out back but was hoping to grow a few things in my new kitchen - now that I have 2 windows that get morning sun. I have lemon thyme, spicy globe basil, and thai basil. Should I not even put myself through the misery of trying to do them indoors?
ksrogers
15 years ago
Basils are usually quite tall (3-5 feet), unless they are the sort bushy types. They all need lots of sun all the time.

Indoor Herb Growing

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ksrogers

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