Planting a Winter Herb Garden

If you're a budding gardening fanatic, you know that winter isn't the ideal time for planting any flowers, fruits, or vegetables. Fortunately, there are still ways to garden inside your own home while the weather is too cold outside. Planting a winter herb garden is a fantastic way to practice your gardening skills and get some delicious herbs for your hearty cold-weather recipes, too!

Though it may sound like a stressful task to keep your indoor herb garden alive, it's much lower maintenance than you think. Let's review everything you'll need to keep a thriving indoor winter herb garden:

• Herbs. Decide on the herbs you would like to grow. The best herbs to grow inside are rosemary, thyme, mint, chives, and oregano. Then, choose if you'd like to start with seeds or ready-grown plants. Seeds are very budget-friendly and cost less than a plant. When starting a winter herb garden indoors, we recommend starting them from seed; they are easy to grow and maintain. We have a wide variety of herb seeds to get your herb garden started!

• Location. Once you've picked out your herbs, you'll want to choose a spot in your home to place your herb garden. Try to find the windowsill that gets the most sunlight during the day, as most herbs will need roughly 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to stay healthy. A broad-spectrum LED, HID, or fluorescent grow light will work well if you don't get too much sun. 

• Pots. Make sure you get pots that are large enough for your herbs. Many people put all of their herbs in one pot, but it's best to get a separate pot for each herb. A pot that's 6 inches wide and 12 inches deep should be perfect for allowing roots to grow. Just make sure your pot has a drainage hole and saucer for any water runoff. 

• Soil. Don't discount the soil you choose! The soil you use for your outdoor garden won't be sufficient for an indoor garden, as it will be too heavy for your indoor plants. Get soil made for indoor plants so your herbs can properly breathe. 

• Water. Figure out a watering schedule that works for your herbs. Try not to over or under water your herbs. A good indicator is that your plants need some water if your soil is about 2 inches dry from the top. If you need more help, purchase a plant water meter to tell when to water your herbs. And if you can, invest in a good watering can!

Winding Creek Nursery has everything you need to start your winter herb garden! Our certified staff and Illinois Certified Nurseryman can answer all your landscaping and gardening questions. Stop by Winding Creek Nursery for a variety of trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, and vegetable plants, as well as home and garden decor. Visit our website or call us at (630) 553-7211.