An indoor herb garden is a breath of fresh air and a much-needed ray of sunshine during this otherwise cold and dark time of the year.<\/p>\n

Plus, who doesn\u2019t love fresh herbs as part of a festive holiday meal? Roasted squash with rosemary and sage. Potato latkes with fresh basil and chives. Herb-encrusted roast beef.<\/p>\n

(Check out the website www.freshherbs.com<\/a> for great ideas on cooking with fresh herbs.)<\/p>\n

Fortunately, it\u2019s relatively easy to grow healthy herbs indoors for year-round enjoyment. Two essential requirements for a successful harvest are:<\/p>\n

(1) Sufficient light; and<\/p>\n

(2) A mineral-rich soil mix.<\/p>\n

Start by finding your sunniest location, typically a window facing south or west. Even in the winter, be aware of how much sunlight is coming through\u2014glass can intensify the sun\u2019s rays and burn tender leaves. More likely, you\u2019ll need an indoor grow lamp or fluorescent light to provide supplemental artificial light.<\/p>\n

Next, use a soil mix that is rich in essential minerals and trace elements. While it\u2019s true that herbs grow more slowly indoors than outdoors, they grow rapidly nonetheless. A steady supply of nutrients, such as those supplied by Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster<\/strong>, an organic soil amendment, helps ensure more vigorous plant growth resulting in better-tasting and more nutritious herbs.<\/p>\n

Made of 100% natural volcanic basalt, Cascade Minerals also helps improve water retention in potting soil mixes. It is very important to avoid overwatering indoor herbs. Keep them moist, not wet. If plants seem to be suffering, they are probably getting too much water. Water them less often with water that is at room temperature (not ice cold from the tap).<\/p>\n

Finally, to harvest herbs, don’t take more than a quarter of a plant\u2019s growth at a time. Fast-growing annuals can remain indoors indefinitely, just pinch off stems before flowering to extend the plant\u2019s life. Perennial herbs do better when placed outdoors during warmer months.<\/p>\n

Here is a selection of herbs to grow indoors:<\/p>\n

Oregano<\/strong> \u2013 needs bright sun, yet has tender leaves that sunburn easily; best when pruned regularly (to avoid becoming spindly)<\/p>\n

Thyme<\/strong> \u2013 a slow growing perennial that prefers full sun and well-drained soil; best when planted in a separate container<\/p>\n

Basil<\/strong> \u2013 comes in many different types with flavors ranging from sweet to spicy and lemony; needs 6 to 8 hours of sun<\/p>\n

Parsley<\/strong> \u2013 one of the most popular herbs; prefers full sun and a deep pot that will accommodate a long tap root<\/p>\n

Rosemary<\/strong> \u2013 requires a lot of light; should be pruned to maintain an appropriate size for a container garden<\/p>\n

Cilantro<\/strong> \u2013 prefers early morning sun; seeds are edible (seeds are called \u201ccoriander\u201d)<\/p>\n

Mint<\/strong> \u2013 grows in full sun or semi-shady areas; plants tend to spread quickly and are best planted in a separate container<\/p>\n

Have fun growing, harvesting and cooking with fresh and nutritious herbs that you grow yourself!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An indoor herb garden is a breath of fresh air and a much-needed ray of sunshine during this otherwise cold and dark time of the year. Plus, who doesn\u2019t love fresh herbs as part of a festive holiday meal? Roasted squash with rosemary and sage. Potato latkes with fresh basil and chives. Herb-encrusted roast beef…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[19,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gardening-tips","category-soil-minerals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Herb-Garden.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YalT-b6","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2046,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions\/2046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}