Taking Advantage of Indoor Herb Gardens

There are many reasons why people prefer indoor herb growing. For some people, gardening during winter is something they would not try but others like to garden even though it is cold. Indoor herb gardens are viable options regardless of the weather or the season.

To launch your indoor herb growing venture, you first need to purchase starter seeds. They can be bought in a grocery or hardware store. They are cheaper and provide a wide range of seeds. The disadvantage of a starter seed is that it may take some time before you can reap the benefits that the plant offers. If you want to see immediate results, plant starts is the way to go.

Some herbs thrive in a sunny window with just natural light. Mint, oregano, and rosemary are some examples. In the case of basil or cilantro, they require additional lighting or else they would not thrive in low-light conditions.

As mentioned above, lighting is a major consideration in indoor herb growing. There is a wide range of lighting fixtures that are available in the market. There are grow lights or metal halide HID lamps. Likewise, you can find hortilux grow lights, solarmax grow lamps, and chrome dome lights. During the early development years of the plant, the blue color spectrum offered by fluorescent and HID lamps may be required.

For the indoor herb to flower properly, red and orange spectrum is needed. This would require installation of electrical or digital ballasts in order to regulate the flow of electrical current in the bulb. It can be included in the installation or can be individually purchased.

If you are planning to venture into indoor herb growing, you need to consider the type of plant you would cultivate. Herbs can be perennials, biennials, or annuals. The former has a longer life span and undergoes a repeat life cycle. A biennial herb thrives for a couple of seasons. They develop in the initial and then bloom in the succeeding. Annual herbs germinate, grow, and reproduce during the entire year.

To make a decision on the kind of herb to grow, you need to consider the type of food you like to cook as well as what kind of herb you use for flavoring your food. There are herbs that are relatively easy to cultivate such as summer savory, dill, and basil. Parsley is a biennial herb but it easily grows as well.

There are perennials that can thrive in indoor herb growing such as mint, winter savory, chives, thymes, and marjoram. These plants thrive for several years and can be brought outside during the summer.

It is easy to see that indoor herb growing is possible the whole year through.

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