Grow A Windowsill Herb Garden For Fresh & Frugal Flavor

 

Feel cross every time you buy coriander? Peeved when you have to pick up more parsley? Cheesed off when you run out of chives? Maudlin when you need mint? (OK, OK, enough alliteration!).

It’s a royal pain buying fresh herbs to give your food flavor, but it’s also hard to beat the taste of fresh, chopped ingredients. Not only are little packets of fresh, tasty herbs unexpectedly pricey, they are also prone to going black and slimy over the course of just a few days – and losing their flavor in the fridge. It’s time to stop buying fresh herbs and grow your own to save a packet!

From playing free bingo with no deposit required to growing your own herbs, there are lots of little economies you can make when you want to start pinching your pennies . Setting up a windowsill herb garden will take a (very) small initial investment but, we promise, look after your little green friends and you’ll enjoy substantial savings for the rest of the year. Here’s how to get growing:

How to Grow a Windowsill Herb Garden

You will need:

1. Step One

• Pots or containers (with drainage holes and saucers to catch water)
• Potting soil
• Seeds or plants
• Fertiliser

Select your herbs

Think about the kinds of cooking you do and select your herbs based on what you use the most. Coriander, basil, parsley, mint, thyme, sage, rosemary, chives, dill and oregano are all popular choices.

Depending on the herbs you want to grow, you’ll need to choose between buying seeds (best for annual herbs like coriander, basil, parsley and dill) and buying plants (best for perennial herbs like rosemary, mint, thyme and oregano).

2. Step Two

Pots & planting

If you’re getting started using seeds, grab a pot and fill it with potting soil (do not use garden soil, it’s full of potential nasties which could kill your baby herbs). Sew your seeds depending on the instructions on your  seed packet and make sure you keep your herbs in the conditions outlined. If you’re planting a few different seeds in the same pot, make sure they all require the same conditions (warm, dry, cold, damps, bright, shady etc.).

3. Step Three

Caring for your herbs

Now they’re growing great guns, it’s time to care for your herbs. South-facing windows are usually the best spots but, if it’s winter and they’re looking a little sad, fluorescent lights can help. Keeping leaves from coming into contact with cold windows is a very good idea, while keeping soil moist (but not drenched) is key. Make sure you tip away any water in your saucers once you’ve watered too. As your herbs grow, nip off top level leaves to add to your cooking, but take care not to over pick. Using a half-strength fertilizer every fortnight is also a good idea!