Points to Remember When Growing Herbs in Containers

Having fresh herbs around would make your dishes more flavorful compared to using the dried variety that you can buy at the grocery store. Growing herbs can still be possible for those who don’t have that much space to plant them. An economical alternative to growing herbs on your backyard is to grow them in containers.

Basic problems in growing herbs like plant diseases and pests are virtually eliminated when you grow them in containers. Aside from eliminating such problems there are more advantages to growing herbs in containers. For one thing, since your herbs don’t take up much space, you can move them around house.

You can move your herbs to better locations depending on the weather. You can put them under a shade when the day is too hot and you can take them out where the sun is during cloudy days. You can even take your plants in the house and save them from the frost of winter.

Another advantage of growing herbs in containers is that you can easily keep the weeds out. You won’t even have problems stooping down to care for your plants since you can trim and water them while standing by placing them on an elevated surface.

If you plan on growing herbs on containers you should remember the following points or needs of these tender plants:

Remember that most herbs used in cooking flourish in hot Mediterranean weather. They would require a minimum of six hours of sunlight for them to grow and be at their best. Some herbs won’t require a lot of water so you better check which ones do require more watering. Make sure your containers have good drainage, which means they have more holes for plants that thrive on drier ground.

Another thing to keep in mind is to use containers that are big enough for a mature plant. Some herbs grow to two or four feet, which is something you should consider when choosing a container for your herbs. One that is ten to 12 inches high should be your minimum.

When growing herbs in pots, remember that they only need to fertilize them occasionally. Overdoing it will result in weaker plant growth and your herbs will have less flavor since they tend to lose essential oils. You may fertilize your herbs once during mid-season – as a form of precaution. Do your harvesting in the morning after the dews have dried to get the most fragrance out of your herbs.

Regularly prune your herbs to make them grow more. This simply means that you should regularly use your herbs when you cook your meals. Though you won’t always have problems with pests and disease, it is not an excuse not to check for them. Growing herbs at home in containers are a convenience. You’ll have more flavorful meals from herbs you planted and cared for all year round.

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