The garden center where I bought my plants said that I should water tomatoes and bell peppers 2x a week in the morning. I would water at 8 AM for 40 min with a super soaker hose turned on all the way, and I would discover some of my plants wilting in the sun by noon the following day. So I would water the plants again even though I was told not to water in the middle of the day. Also, my bell pepperÂs leaves were curling which I read is a sign of under watering. It developed 3 little bell peppers, but they were badly twisted and one fell off today. I just went back to the garden center today and they sold me a neat little gadget called a "Moisture meter" for $8. My bell pepper was an 8 out of 10 in terms of moisture or borderline "wet". My potted plants were 10+ or "wet". My avocado tree was 5 out of 10 or "moist". I had been watering my avocado tree and blueberry bush every 4 days and they were due for watering today. My blueberry bush was an 8 and I decided to water it according to schedule too. The man I talked to at the garden center said that it would be ok to water my plants every day if they are dry because it is very hot and dry right now. But I wonder if I should bump up the time from 40 min to say 60 min with the soaker hose. By the way, I donÂt have a lot of run off or any standing water after using the soaker hose. And my garden is heavily mulched. I am in Orange County California. Any advice?

I think if you had some small shelves that are about as tall as the window sill you could grow plenty. If the shelf ended about 10 inches from the sill the plant would be in the sunshine most of the bright part of the day (assuming its planted in a 10 inch tall pot). You would want lights overhead of the plants during the evening when winter days are the shortest. Plenty of plants will survive without the lights but they will barely grow and probably won't bloom and fruit during the shorter days. You could use regular adjustable floor lamps with the bulbs set within a foot of the top of the plants (the closer the better) and either use grow bulbs or fluorescents. Lighting is tricky. People seriously growing under lights use big bulky expensive lamps that won't work well in a home-ey sunroom if you want to also use it as a reading/sitting room. I would at least start out with something simple and expand from there as your experience grows. You'll probably have better luck growing a cherry tomato in a pot outdoors in the summer and then bring it indoors for the winter and toss it out when it goes down hill - it may last all season but they usually get disease or insects before March. I can never get regular tomatoes to ripen when I bring them inside but cherry tom's do fine. Most of the herbs should do fine except the rosemary - in my experience it hates living indoors. Garlic is a seasonal plant that you plant at one point in the year and then harvest half a year later. It is not something that you can harvest off of all year long (there will be a plant but there won't be a bulb). Garlic chives should do fine in a pot indoors though and the flavor is similar. Asparagus will be tricky since the plants get 6 feet tall and about 4 feet wide and they pretty much like full blazing sun - I move them to the outside plant list. Carrots might work but they take more than one season to size up for me. You could grow seedlings all winter that you could then plant outdoors in the spring. Orange trees and other citrus would work and most will stay small when grown outside of the tropics. They can get buggy but if you move them back outdoors in the summer you may not have a problem. Most citrus bloom during the winter or very early spring and then it take all year for the fruit to form and ripen - making them a great winter time crop when no other fruit ready to harvest. They don't need high heat (I keep mine just above freezing!) but they do like higher humidity than what most people have in their homes.

One way to plan your herb garden is to make a list of the herbs you regularly use by taking inventory of the herbs in your kitchen cabinet. *ANISE. Use licorice-flavored seeds for cookies, candy, meat, soup; leaves for stews, salads, meat. Grow: Best to sow in place, thin to 6-8 inches apart, full sun. Slow growing.  Harvest: Harvest seed about 1 month after flowers bloom. *BASIL, Sweet. Use leaves in tomato dishes, pesto, spaghetti sauce, soups, vegetables, stews.  Grow: Easy to grow. Sow seeds in place after last frost or start inside and transplant; full sun; space 12 inches apart. Pinch tips to grow bushy.  Harvest: Harvest leaves just before flowering begins; cut plants 4-6 inches above ground. *BORAGE. Use cucumber-flavored leaves in salads, flowers in soups, stews.  Grow: Sow seeds in place; difficult to transplant; space 12 inches apart in sun or filtered sun.  Harvest: Harvest young leaves before flowers open. *CARAWAY. Use seeds to flavor breads, cheese, cakes, salads, soups, stews; leaves for salads.  Grow: Sow seeds in place, space 8 to 10 inches apart.  Harvest: Harvest leaves when mature; seeds will form second season, harvest a month after flowering. *CHERVIL. Use fresh or dried leaves in salads, soups, fish, poultry, vegetable dishes. Use in sauces: béarnaise, vinaigrette, rémoulade, sauce verte.  Grow: Sow seeds in place or start indoors in pots, keep soil moist, partial shade, space 6 inches apart. Easy to grow indoors, does not require direct sun.  Harvest: Pick leaves just before flowering. Tender leaves may be dried. *CHIVES. Give an onion/garlic flavor to salads, soups, eggs, sauces, sandwiches. Make chive butter  Grow: Grow from seeds or divide the clumps; full sun; space 5 inches apart. Will grow in kitchen window  Harvest: Clip leaves close to ground. *CILANTRO - CORIANDER. Use leaves similar to parsley in fish dishes, soups, curries, Mexican dishes. Use crushed seeds in pastries, sauces, curries, shellfish platters.  Grow: Easy to grow. Sow seeds in place in early spring; full sun or filtered shade; thin to 6-10 inches apart.  Harvest: Pick leaves when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall. Fresh leaves are called cilantro. Harvest seeds called coriander in midsummer when they begin to turn brown. *DILL. Use slightly bitter seeds in pickles, sauces, meats, salads. Dill weed (the plant's leaves) is used as a bouquet in salads, potatoes, tartar sauce, and butter dishes.  Grow: Sow seeds in place in spring; full sun; well-drained soil; thin to 12 inches.  Harvest: Pick fresh leaves when flowers open; gather seeds when brown. *FENNEL, SWEET OR COMMON. Use licorice-flavored seeds in breads, cheese spreads, vegetable dishes, and potatoes. Drop a few seeds in vinegars.  Grow: Sow in place; full sun; thin to 12 inches apart; stake when tall.  Harvest: Pick stems just before flowers bloom. Seeds can be dried. *MARJORAM, SWEET. Sweet-spicy leaves complement flavor of salads, omelets and eggs vinegars, rub on pork, veal; use like oregano.  Grow: Perennial treated as an annual. Sow seeds in place or start indoors and transplant when danger of frost is past.  Harvest: Harvest young at any time, mature leaves before flowers bloom. *OREGANO. Use dried or fresh leaves in tomato sauces, beans, cheese, soups, roasts, vegetable dishes such as zucchini.  Grow: Start seeds indoors or divide already established plant; full sun; thin to 10 inches apart. Grows well in containers.  Harvest: Gather fresh leaves as needed; leaves can be dried. *PARSLEY. Use as garnish, whole leaves or minced.  Grow: Biennial. Soak seeds in warm water 24 hours before planting; plant in partial shade; thin to 6-8 inches apart.  Harvest: Pick from first year plants, good-sized, not yellow, leaves when needed. Leaves can be dried. *PEPPERMINT. Leaves in tea, jelly, sauces; sprigs in sauces, summer drinks.  Grow: Start from root divisions or cuttings, space 8-10 inches apart; sun or shade. Contain spreading by growing in containers. Renew every 3 to 4 years.  Harvest: Cut springs or leaves frequently. *ROSEMARY. Sprinkle fresh or dried for lamb, pork, veal, sauces, and soups. Use as a rub for veal, lamb, and chicken.  Grow: Propagate from slips or seed.  Harvest: Gather leaves and sprigs as needed. *SAGE. Use fresh or dried leaves for stuffings, rabbit, chicken, roast turkey, baked fish, pork chops and meats, eggs or vegetables. Slightly bitter flavor.  Grow: Start from seeds or stem cuttings or divide established plants; full sun; space 30 inches apart. Slow to begin growing. Renew every 3 to 4 years.  Harvest: Harvest leaves before flowering. Cut back after blooming. *SAVORY, SUMMER. Use in salads, soups, eggs, dressings, poultry dishes, fish, with vegetables. Goes well with beans  Grow: Sow seeds in place after danger of frost is past; full sun; space 6-8 inches apart. Easy to grow.  Harvest: Gather leaves before flowering. *SPEARMINT. Use as garish on fresh fruits, ices, summer drinks.  Grow: Start from root division or cutting; sun or shade; space 8-10 inches apart. Renew every 3 to 4 years.  Harvest: Cut springs or leaves frequently. *TARRAGON, French. Use leaves for fish, shellfish, poultry, veal, meat, eggs, vegetables; salads, sauces and marinades.  Grow: Start from cuttings, root pieces, or seeds; can take partial shade; space 12 inches apart. Protect in cold-winter regions.  Harvest: Gather leaves before flowering. *THYME. Use leaves in soups, gumbos, chowder, salads, omelets, vegetables, meat; has warm, clove-like flavor.  Grow: Start from seeds indoors or in place; propagate from cuttings, space 10-12 inches apart; prefers dry soil and full sun. Renew every 3 to 4 years.  Harvest: Clip off tops when plant is flowering.

If you live in the Cleveland area like me, you should have the same results I have had. Peppermint: You will never get rid of it and it will spread like hot butter on toast. Contain it somewhere, like maybe pot it and sink it in the ground. Trust me--I've dealt with it, and it is not worth the hassle IMHO. Pneapple sage, basil, sweet marjoram: Won't overwinter outside. Rosemary *probably* won't make it outside, but I have so much trouble trying to keep it happy inside the house that I just get new plants in the spring. If you are close to the lake, you have a better chance of it returning, but don't bank too much on it. Dill is an annual, technically, but it will reseed everywhere. Cut the tops before they go to seed. You will thank me. :) this is another herb that I fought for 5 years at my old house. Sad thing is, I never used it. I was going to make pickles... never followed thru on the plan after I made several jars of spaghetti sauce and got tired of canning. thyme, cilantro, lavendar, oregano, chives, parsley, garlic chives: Should all grow back next year fine. I'd go ahead and pop 'em in the ground. lime basil, fennel, lemon thyme, dwarf curry, french tarragon, and spearmint: Never grown them, so perhaps someone else can help with these. I have found, generally, that my home does not have enough light to keep herbs inside. I've tried to grow herbs in the kitchen window with poor success--and it's a south facing window that gets a lot of light. If you bring them in, you will need a very sunny spot. Good luck!! Jennifer