No matter where you live, you can have your own herb garden and reap the numerous benefits of being an herb gardener. When I got my first apartment, one of the first things I did was start herb gardening in pots, such as basil, oregano and parsley.
In addition to those outdoors, I added some indoor herb plants. Congregated around the only southern facing window in the place were a number of other small herb plants like lemongrass and lavender, which smelled awesome together, and to those I added my outdoor herbs when winter came..
In a later apartment in the city I had almost no natural light because what little I could have had was blocked by an iron grate that covered the entire opening. I built my own flower bed to hang on outside the grating, using chicken wire and a host of materials that allowed the right amount of drainage. Then I added a mixture of herb plants and hanging vines. Although it was an inventive solution to the problem, it needed lots of water every day because of the heat and window reflection.
You can apply a couple of these same principals in your apartment herb garden.
First things first, look around your apartment to find places where you can raise your herbs. Do you have a good indoor or outdoor location where you can get your green thumb on? Don’t believe that you need some big elaborate spot either. Some herb plants, like chives, only require a pot about the size of a coffee cup to persist and do well.
The next factor to consider is the lighting. The type, quality and amount of sun your herbs get is hugely important. Not enough natural light or the wrong type and you’ll have some pretty pathetic plants. I lived in a cramped tiny apartment in the city where I only had 2 windows. Because one of them faced east (not enough sun) I cultivated my herb garden in the bathroom. This worked 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’ve determined what type of light you will have, such as the quality, type and amount of light you’ll have, you are ready to begin selecting your plants. I could go on for days about which herbs to select, but the bottom-line comes down to how you plan to use the herbs. Do you want herb plants for the scent, for medicinal purposes, for cooking or for use in cosmetics or maybe you just want something pretty to look at? 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 herb plants that have the sunlight needs that your space will respond to. Before you know it, you will 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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