window herb garden
Image by Broken Piggy Bank via Flickr

It doesn’t matter whether you live in an urban high rise, brownstone or suburban-style apartment you can have a brilliant herb garden and have many of the benefits herb plants have to offer.  When I got my first apartment, one of the first things I did was start herb gardening in containers, such as basil, oregano and parsley.

In addition to those outside, I added some indoor herbs. Huddled around the only southern facing window in the place were a number of other little herb plants like lemongrass and lavender, which smelled wonderful together, and to those I added my outdoor herbs when winter came..

In a later apartment in the city I had almost no sunshine because what little I could have had was blocked by an iron grate that covered the whole opening. So I built a flower bed made from chicken wire, leaves, newspaper, pine needles, peat and sod to hang outside the grate and I filled it with my kitchen herbs, plus some chamomile and other flowering plants and some cascading vines. It looked brilliant, but needed to be watered all the time.

You can apply some of these same ideas in your apartment herb garden.

First things first, look around your apartment to find places where you can cultivate your herbs. Do you have a good indoor or outdoor space where you can get your green thumb on? Do not believe that you need some large elaborate spot either. Some herb plants, like chives, only require a container about the size of a coffee cup to grow and do well.

The next factor to consider is the lighting. The right amount of lighting is essential to your plants’ growth. Without the right amount of sun your plants can’t grow. I lived in a cramped tiny apartment in the city where I only had 2 windows. Because one window faced east (not enough sun) I started my herb garden in the bathroom. This was a success because the window got a lot of southern sun and steam from the bathroom helped the plants.

Now that you know where you’re going to start your herb garden and you have determined what kind of light you will have, including the quality, type and amount of light you’ll have, you are ready to begin choosing your plants. There are so many herb plants to select from. Don’t get overwhelmed. What you get can depend on how you plan to use your herbs. Are you looking to grow culinary herb plants, florals, first-aid or healing herbs? Maybe you’re looking for the right ingredients for your lotions or shampoos. No matter what your interest, you’ll have plenty of herb plants to choose from. Start by flipping through a book on herb gardening and focus on herbs that have the sun needs that your space will respond to. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to go!

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Windowsill Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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