A personal herb supply

Making trips to grocery stores for every little produce and herb can be a bit of a hassle. Given that nowadays apartments are mostly small with little or no gardening space, growing everything indoors might sound a tad bit irrational. With fall approaching the season happens to be the perfect time for indoor gardening, and believe it or not all you need is a tiny little space right in your kitchen! 

While not everything can be grown in the small kitchen space, there are certain herbs that will grow perfectly on your kitchen windows without being a burden or needing much looking after. 

CHIVES

Chives are a good herb to grow during winter months. This herb with a mild onion flavour complements numerous dishes and is relatively easy to maintain. Four to five hours of sunlight, fresh potting mix and watering twice a week will keep it fresh. When it is long enough it can be cut as needed leaving around two centimetres from the bottom so the plant can keep growing. 

OREGANO

This common pizza topping can also be grown on windowsills. It will require well-drained, sandy soil mix to grow properly. A sandy soil mix is simply an all-purpose potting mix with some sand (even cactus potting mix would work). 

Oregano plant requires little watering, about once a week would do as too much water will rot its roots. The more you cut the plant, the bushier it will grow. However, you must make sure not to cut it all off and leave at least two inches for it to grow back.  

ROSEMARY

Rosemary is another herb that prefers the dry side, and hence must also be potted in a sandy soil mix, or cactus potting mix, and should be watered once a week. As rosemary grows comparatively slower than other plants, it is best not to harvest more than one third of the plant at a time.

LEMONGRASS

If you love lemongrass but tend to run out of it regularly, keep the scraps and re-grow your own. Lemongrass grows just like regular grass and so is very low maintenance. Place the leftovers in a glass jar or bowl, cover it with water and leave it in sunlight. After a week you can plant it in a planter for it to grow properly. Five hours of sunlight, watering twice a week and regular potting mix will help it grow out for you to enjoy. 

THYME

Thyme adds to the flavour of meat dishes, so having it at one's kitchen windowsill is more than handy. This herb as well is drought resistant and is to be planted in dry sandy soil mix, and watered once a week. Keeping it in the sun for five to six hours a day would help it grow well. 

FENNEL

Fennel is another herb that you can grow simply from scraps. Take an inch of the base, put in water under direct sunlight. Once it grows you can plant in a potting mix and let it grow with adequate sunlight and water.

PARSLEY

Parsley complements various dishes from roasts to steaks to vegetables with its light fresh flavours. Parsley plants will flourish with five hours of sunlight and watering twice a week while being planted in regular potting-mix. 

BASIL

Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow on your windowsill with its low maintenance and fast growth. With five hours of sunlight, enough water and a proper potting mix your indoor basil plant will thrive. If you happen to have scraps lying around from before, even better! Put them in some water until they develop only to replant them in the soil. 

CILANTRO

A common herb in almost every household, this is of high demand but very low maintenance; this makes it just right to be sitting in your kitchen. The regular amount of sunlight and water and a perfect soil mix will help it grow out in no time.

Now, how do you plant these herbs with style? You can always opt for the one and only mason jar - affordable, available, not to mention a perfect planter. One could also use rolling carts to hold numerous planters if you are running out of windowsill space.

If this is your first time planting a small garden, it is best to start off with grown plants instead of seeds. Seeds will require a little more care and take more time to grow, which you will get used to after having plants. 

Sunlight plays a big role in the growth of plants. Hence if you lack in natural sunlight make sure to keep fluorescent light bulbs close to the herbs so that they do not die. 

Even though planting herbs in your kitchen might sound a bit overwhelming with all the factors you have to consider, be assured it is easier than it seems. 

Just making sure to water them weekly once or twice according to their needs and keeping them close or right on the window for enough sunlight is pretty much enough for your little garden to flourish.

Photo: Collected