Follow These Simple Ideas To Grow A Herb Garden Indoors

Living in an urban apartment does not stop the green thumbs from growing gardens. Be it hydroponics or aeroponics, a number of technical innovations make it possible for people living in high-rises and even commercial buildings to grow vertical gardens.

At home, there are plenty of simple and non-commercial ways to grow small indoor herb gardens. Be it mint, parsley, chives, oregano or rosemary, a number of Indian households grow herbs and a number of Indian spices near the kitchen window for daily use.

Herbs that are small in size do not need a lot of space for roots are usually the best plants to grow indoors.

Here are a few innovative ways to fill your home with natural odor and color of herbal plants:

1. Old bottles and cups: Do you have enough space to line up old bottles or large coffee cups? Then, you got yourself enough space for a small garden. Cut your old bottles to keep the thicker end. Fill the end with mud and plant your herbs. Make a line of at least three or four plants in a line and place them on a rubber or a plastic sheet. That will ensure that cleaning after them is easy and does not make the entire area muddy.

2. Hanging gardens: Don't have enough space to arrange a small line of plants? A number of people choose the better option of hanging a small pot or many of pots either made of steel or porcelain, balanced by chains. You can grow at least three plants on a single hanging. Ensure that they are low enough to water them regularly and not too low to hit those who walk around. If they are closer to the window, the choice of number of herbs that you can grow can go up due to sunlight. You can fix a long iron bar on the ceiling and hang pots from there.

3. Built-in wall gardens: A few modular kitchens permit small rectangular spaces over the wall on the side of the panel. They are as long and wide as a thin pencil box. This space can be filled with mud for smaller herbs like Thyme. It can also beautify the kitchen and add color. They should be accessible to water them and should not be too close to the gas stove. Hot oil and other things that fly from the stove, might stunt their growth. They should not be too long and should be cleaned often so that dirt doesn't pile up. You can also fix up old bottles on the wall using nails and plant herbs in them.

4. Reshaping old furniture: Yet another interesting way to grow herbs is by utilizing old kitchen refuse and furniture. You can fill and plant herbs in an old toaster or dig and even fill up a lamp shade from the sides.

5. Along the staircase: A very popular way to grow plants and herbs is arranging potted plants along the staircase. If there is enough space outside the handle bar, arrange small pots on them. You can also color these herb gardens for apartments to mix and match the décor of the house.

(Katya Naidu has been working as a business journalist for the last nine years, and has covered beats across banking, pharma, healthcare, telecom, technology, power, infrastructure, shipping and commodities)