How to Grow Herbs and Spices for Use in Cooking?
There’s no better way to elevate your dishes than spicing them up with herbs and spices. Your tomato-based pasta will take on a more flavorful taste with basil, and you’ll get a kick out of your simple omelet by putting in some chopped parsley.
Having a steady supply of herbs and spices is great for your cooking, but it could get expensive if you buy them regularly from the grocery store. The simple solution is to grow herbs at home, so how exactly can you do this?
You can always use the TryGnome soil test kit to check if your soil is a suitable environment for your herbs, but there are also other essential factors you need to consider. Continue reading below to discover how you can effectively grow herbs and spices that you can use for cooking.
How Can You Grow Herbs and Spices at Home?
If you’re planting herbs and spices for the first time, you might need to exercise more patience and diligence. It’s not that easy to grow herbs, especially if you’re starting from scratch by planting seeds.
On the brighter side, it is always possible to grow herbs and spices at home — that is, if your home or lawn has the conditions to help them live.
1. Give them enough sunlight
Sunlight is probably the most important factor in growing herbs and spices. Herbs that don’t get any kind of light will most likely wilt within a short period of time.
While you can always use artificial light for indoor planting, your herbs’ best chance of growth is if they’re placed under direct sunlight. Herbs need natural light because they use this to produce the “essential oils” that make them fresh and flavorful.
So even if your herb grows, its flavors won’t be strong if you don’t provide them with direct sunlight. Herbs need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight. You can also opt for artificial light via fluorescent lights, but this could be an expensive alternative as you need to use a lot of electricity every day.
2. Prepare the soil
Along with direct sunlight, your herbs also need suitable soil to live in. Here are several types of soil that are best for growing herbs:
- Sandy-loam soil
- Sandy soil
- Clay soil
- Chalk soil
In preparing the soil for your herbs, you should first remove any weeds or turf and add some kind of compost to provide more nutrition.
3. Pick the right pot for container gardening
The best way to grow herbs indoors is through “container gardening”. Container gardening is mostly done indoors, using pots or planter boxes to grow plants. For any kind of plant or herb, you need to pick the right pot in container gardening.
Specifically for herbs, here are the best pots that you can use:
- Wooden planter boxes
- Raised planters
- Ceramic pots
- Terra cotta pots
- Strawberry planter
Along with the right pot, also make sure that you’re using suitable potting soil in growing your herbs.
Easy Herbs You Can Grow at Home
While it’s true that each herb has specific needs and conditions for growth, there are several herbs that are relatively easier to grow. Here’s a list of herbs that people typically grow at home, whether that be indoors or on their lawns:
- Basil
- Mint
- Parsley
- Tarragon
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Lemon Balm
- Thyme
Other herbs like chives and dill are fairly challenging to maintain, especially if your home can’t provide living conditions like direct sunlight or cool moisture. The important thing at first is to start small and test how herbs can grow in your home’s conditions.
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