Month: November 2019

The good thing about an indoor herb garden is that you can maintain them all year round, and while I still have an external herb garden, the aromas of an internal herb garden really make the idea of an internal herb garden very appealing. Below you will find a general guide for creating your own indoor herb garden; don’t give up, you may not be successful the first time, or even the second time but the effort will pay off when you have fragrance herbs enhancing your recipes.

Step 1 – select your herbs – if this is your first time then I suggest you select only one or two herbs to start and then as you become more experienced try to increase the number and variety of herbs.

Step 2 – plants or seeds? – decide whether you want to ‘cheat’ by buying a plant or start from scratch by using seeds. Buying a small herb plant from your local hardware store is easier and the herb is more likely to be hardier, but it is more expensive. Using seeds is more difficult and without the right combination of sunlight and water might not develop the hardiness that you need for them to last.

Step 3 – location – finding the right location where the plants will get plenty of sunlight is key; as mentioned before if you don’t have the perfect location then you can purchase a horticultural lamp that you can time to come on during normal sunlight hours.

Step 4 – potting – while you can use fresh soil and fertilizers and try and maintain your own fertilized soil, it is easier to use potting soil with fertilizers and nutrients in them. You can supplement with Miracle Grow if you want, but regular potting soil doesn’t really require much maintenance.

For individual herbs you should use a 6 inch pot, for a full garden use at least a 12 inch pot. If you are using a plant, create a hole that will allow you to put the entire plant in. If you are using seeds, follow the instructions on the packet. Usually you will soak the seed in water for several hours, poke a hole in the soil and then place the seed in the hole (usually the depth will be about three times the height of the seed) and then pat down the soil so that there are no air bubbles.

Step 5 – watering – generally you should water once a week or once every two weeks depending on the moisture retention of the soil. Do not over water. This is one of the hardest parts of creating a herb garden indoors and it can be very hard to judge. Generally I like the soil to feel slightly moist when touching it, but you’ll find what works for you over time by simple trial and error.

Step 6 – harvesting – pruning is an important part of growing indoor herbs; it helps to keep the herb healthy and bushy. You want to aim to have a fairly compact plant. Generally you can use the pruned leaves in your recipes or dry them for the future.

 The table below lists the herbs I have grown indoors, what I tend to use them for, and the difficulty level:

Making your own indoor Herb Garden is a very rewarding experience. Not only will you save money, enhance you meals but you also add a pleasant aroma to your home. Be careful it can be addicting and you’ll soon find yourself growing some very exotic herbs!

https://hubpages.com/living/make-an-indoor-herb-garden

Article by nikkimeenlips

How many times have you promised yourself that you were going to start growing your own vegetables or plant some nice flowers only to get distracted and let it fall by the wayside?

Well here’s 10 simple Garden Ideas that you can literally start today – and because most of the ideas use materials that you can find around the house you won’t even have to spend much money.

You are literally 1 pack of seeds away from growing your own food, how exciting is that!

If you like fresh pumpkin pie then you’ll want to grow your very own pumpkins in your back yard.

Pumpkins love climbing so if you want to save ground space then why not try and build a trellis like the one pictured. You will need to keep an eye on the vines to keep them on the trellis.

Trellis pumpkins – in my opinion – taste nicer and are more evenly sized and don’t suffer from the blemishes and pale bottom that ground grown pumpkins suffer from.

Growing your own herb garden doesn’t have to be a chore or expensive!

Use old wooden boxes – like the wine crates pictured to the right – and simply fill with soil before sewing your favourite herb seeds.

It’s also a good idea to keep the crates raised as it keeps pets away whilst making it easier to water and pick them when ripe.

To get your herb garden growing you may want to start off by growing the seedlings indoors (especially in colder weather).

Eggshells are the perfect container to do this – not only is it ecologically sound, but the carton sits perfectly on a windowsill where it will benefit from warm sunlight.

The shells are also full of nutrients which will benefit the plants long term (and make a far better growing material than plastics).

Once you get going with all your herbs you’ll need to stay organised – so gather up a few stones and paint on the different herb names beside each plant.

Not only is this a practical solution for your plant growing but also adds beautiful decoration to your garden – and only takes a few minutes to do!

Another great way to recycle your rubbish into something really cool. Here’s how to make these “Garden Lanterns”

1) Remove any paper from the tin

2) Fill the tin with water and place in your freezer – until frozen solid

3) Get a nail and hammer and drive the nail into the tin – make whatever designs you’d like!

4) Let the water melt – then pour it out

5) Put it in your garden then add some tea lights – and hey presto you’ve got some awesome garden lanterns!

If you have old furniture lying about then why not put it to use in your garden.

Again the only cost here is the top soil and packets of seeds – and instantly you’ll add an amazing focal point to your outdoor area.

If you don’t have any old furniture then keep an eye out at flea markets and second hand shops – and you could pick up something really funky or retro for your garden!

Sunflowers are really easy to grow and can grow to mammoth sizes giving your garden brilliant shaded areas – which are perfect for relaxing and reading books under.

To grow really big sunflowers, plant them in a good potting soil and add some liquid fertiliser every other week. Sunflowers (as the name suggests!) love sun – so wait until it’s warm before planting.

You can harvest the seeds yourself or let the birds have their fill and enjoy the extra wildlife that will be coming to your garden!

If you have an old pallet or door you could make a hanging table – obviously a large tree with strong branches is a prerequisite!

This idea is not as hard as it looks – simply drill the holes into the wood in which the rope will fit through and suspend the rope in the tree.

It will take a while to get the balance right – but once you do that you’ll have a really romantic spot to enjoy lazy summer days!

Another great thing you can do with pallets is create a vertical herb garden.

For this project, you’ll need obviously need a pallet (try your local hardware stores – they usually have a pile of damaged ones they no longer want)

You’ll also need potting soil, bulbs or seedlings, a small roll of landscape fabric, a staple gun, staples, and sand paper.

1) Sand the pallet to get rid of any splinters

2) Staple the landscape fabric on to one side of the pallet – ensuring that the bottom end is covered also – to prevent the soil coming out

3) Add your soil and then plant your bulbs and seeds

That’s it – your very own vertical pallet garden!

This idea is so simple it probably doesn’t need any instructions!

But all you have to do is heat a needle and prick a few holes in a plastic container then draw some pretty flowers on the outside.

Children will love watering the flowers with this and it’s a great way to get them involved in gardening and getting them away from the TV for a few minutes at least!