Window Sill Herbs?
- Thread starter Mr_Dove
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Mrdove,
I've grown, basil, parsley, thyme. I do find that they need plenty of light and will tend to ge "leggy" if they have to search for the sun.. Of course here in California, I can grow most things outside even in winter, if plants are smalll and there is a chance of frost I cover them at night, but I've found that after the plant is a year or so old it can withstand most any temperature.
Heck, get some packets of your favorites and try them on your windowsill..See what you can do...It's fun
kadesma
I've grown, basil, parsley, thyme. I do find that they need plenty of light and will tend to ge "leggy" if they have to search for the sun.. Of course here in California, I can grow most things outside even in winter, if plants are smalll and there is a chance of frost I cover them at night, but I've found that after the plant is a year or so old it can withstand most any temperature.
Heck, get some packets of your favorites and try them on your windowsill..See what you can do...It's fun
kadesma
Constance
Master Chef
As a hortculturist and retired retail greenhouse grower and owner, this is my area of specialty.
Good windowsill herbs are parsley (moss-curled in 4" pot, Italian Flat-leaf in 6" pot), thyme, chives, tarragon, sage, oregano, rosemary and winter savory...any perennial herb, really.
Basil is an annual, but if you can give it a warm spot and plenty of sun, you can keep some going. The sun part is what's tricky up her in Illinois. About mid-winter it tends to poop out. The small leaf varieties do best in pots.
Another thing that may surprise you is that peppers are actually perennial plants in warmer climates. A pot of small chili peppers will do great in a sunny window in the winter. Mine are outside now, pinched back and fed and going for a second season.
We have a 30x12' passive solar greenhouse across the south side of our house, adjoining the living area with 3 pairs of sliding glass doors, so I have a good place to grow herbs in the winter. It's nice to be able to step out and pick fresh herbs for the evening's dinner.
It's also pretty cool to see snow on the ground and orchids blooming in the greenhouse.
Good windowsill herbs are parsley (moss-curled in 4" pot, Italian Flat-leaf in 6" pot), thyme, chives, tarragon, sage, oregano, rosemary and winter savory...any perennial herb, really.
Basil is an annual, but if you can give it a warm spot and plenty of sun, you can keep some going. The sun part is what's tricky up her in Illinois. About mid-winter it tends to poop out. The small leaf varieties do best in pots.
Another thing that may surprise you is that peppers are actually perennial plants in warmer climates. A pot of small chili peppers will do great in a sunny window in the winter. Mine are outside now, pinched back and fed and going for a second season.
We have a 30x12' passive solar greenhouse across the south side of our house, adjoining the living area with 3 pairs of sliding glass doors, so I have a good place to grow herbs in the winter. It's nice to be able to step out and pick fresh herbs for the evening's dinner.
It's also pretty cool to see snow on the ground and orchids blooming in the greenhouse.
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Oh! Constance
How I envy your green house I have a small 8'x 10' that I love but only use in the summer.
How I envy your green house I have a small 8'x 10' that I love but only use in the summer.
jkath
Hospitality Queen
How about a variety of mints? They grow like weeds!
Constance
Master Chef
abjcooking
Head Chef
I have a few questions. This summer I have bought a rosemary plant and a basil plant. Both have taken off. The rosemary plant I have in a 8 inch pot. I recently cut off some of the tops for a dish I made. It seems like it isn't recovering very well. I don't know if it is shock or what, but it isn't growing like it did before I cut it.
The basil I have in a 7 inch pot and it is about 16 inches from top of pot to top of plant. I have only snipped a few leaves, but it is growing very fast. If it grows too big for the pot will it start dying off or will it slow down, I have a very small kithcen and not much room for big pots. The basil has started growing white flowers on them also. Do I have to keep moving it to a bigger pot to keep it alive?
The basil I have in a 7 inch pot and it is about 16 inches from top of pot to top of plant. I have only snipped a few leaves, but it is growing very fast. If it grows too big for the pot will it start dying off or will it slow down, I have a very small kithcen and not much room for big pots. The basil has started growing white flowers on them also. Do I have to keep moving it to a bigger pot to keep it alive?
jkath
Hospitality Queen
Constance, it looks like a photo on a calendar! It's gorgeous!
Heat
Senior Cook
I agree with Jkath! Wow thats impressive!! Well, Constance i have a question or two Hehe. I live in central Fla. My kitchen is facing west, to give you an idea of where the sun is. my window sill is a nice size. But, i really have a black thumb, and i so love plants. i get discouraged cause i dont know what im doing wrong. Could you please give me an idea of the type of soil to use for these herbs. and how much to water them and when? hahahhhaah. I can grow spider plants HAHAHHAHAHAHA. 
nytxn
Senior Cook
So what happens if you live in an apartment and don't have access to a lot of sunlight?
We live on the bottom floor of an apartment building, and our patio faces NW. We get about an hour or two of very weeks sunlight if we're lucky.
I'd love to grow herbs inside, but not sure how well they'd work out.
I'm tired of spending $2.50 (and up) per tiny bunch when I want fresh herbs.
Any advice?
We live on the bottom floor of an apartment building, and our patio faces NW. We get about an hour or two of very weeks sunlight if we're lucky.
I'd love to grow herbs inside, but not sure how well they'd work out.
I'm tired of spending $2.50 (and up) per tiny bunch when I want fresh herbs.
Any advice?
nytxn
Senior Cook
Where do ya get 'em? And... does anyone have any experience in growing herbs like this? If I buy them (grow lights) will they work?
I'd rather know the chances before I fork over the cash.
I'd rather know the chances before I fork over the cash.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
You can get them at a well-stocked hardware store or plant nursery. We have one that's a 3-foot long flourescent tube and use it to keep several bonsai alive.
I have it connected to a timer and it stays on about 12 hours a day.
I have it connected to a timer and it stays on about 12 hours a day.
Constance
Master Chef
Abj, cutting your rosemary won't hurt it...cutting the terminal ends encourages the lateral buds to develope...in other words, it gets bushier. Give it a shot of feed, let it get dry between waterings, but don't let it STAY dry. I don't know how big your plant is, but that's a pretty big pot. Rosemary does best when it's a little pot bound. If there's too much extra dirt, it tends to get root rot.
The more you cut on your basil, the better it will grow. When it blooms, be sure to cut those back so it won't go to seed. It doesn't need a bigger pot...just keep it cut back, fed, and water when dry.
Heat, a west window will be great for herbs.
Remember that plants are living things, like baby chickens. They need the right amount of food, water and a place to grow. Too much water and they drown. Too little and they die of thirst. Plants with big soft leaves, like basil, take more water because they have more leaf surface for transpiration. Ones with hard little leaves, like rosemary or thyme, use less water.
The more water a plant uses, the more feed it needs, as all that watering leaches the nutrients out of the potting mix.
About potting mix...NEVER, NEVER, NEVER try to save money by buying the cheap stuff. Your plants will sit still at best. I used to make my own, mixing peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, lime and slow release fertilizer. Now I buy Miracle Gro...it's the most like my "homemade" that I've found.
I hope this helps...any questions you all might have, I'll be glad to answer if I can. After 22 years in the business, I still don't know everything.
The more you cut on your basil, the better it will grow. When it blooms, be sure to cut those back so it won't go to seed. It doesn't need a bigger pot...just keep it cut back, fed, and water when dry.
Heat, a west window will be great for herbs.
Remember that plants are living things, like baby chickens. They need the right amount of food, water and a place to grow. Too much water and they drown. Too little and they die of thirst. Plants with big soft leaves, like basil, take more water because they have more leaf surface for transpiration. Ones with hard little leaves, like rosemary or thyme, use less water.
The more water a plant uses, the more feed it needs, as all that watering leaches the nutrients out of the potting mix.
About potting mix...NEVER, NEVER, NEVER try to save money by buying the cheap stuff. Your plants will sit still at best. I used to make my own, mixing peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, lime and slow release fertilizer. Now I buy Miracle Gro...it's the most like my "homemade" that I've found.
I hope this helps...any questions you all might have, I'll be glad to answer if I can. After 22 years in the business, I still don't know everything.
abjcooking
Head Chef
Constance, thank you so much. That really helps me out. I am going to cut the blooms off now.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
Constance said:
lol constance, spoken like a true nursery owner. it all starts with your soil. unhealthy soil means more bugs and diseases. i've known people who make their own sterilized potting soil, by using yard soil and sand, and mixing in the stuff you've mentioned, then putting it on trays in the oven. i tried it once, but am not allowed to put dirt in the oven ever again...
btw, i'm so jealous of your greenhouse. i've been planning on building one, attached to the house like yours, so my birds can live in it, and i can rotate the house plants and have hothouse veggies all year long.
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Constance. WOW! Now I also envy your house and your beautiful yard.
Constance
Master Chef
Thank you all for your compliments on the house...it was a labor of love.
About the grow-lights...yes, you sure can grow herbs with them. The clue is to have the lights close enough to the plants. They should be about 4" from the tops of the plants.
I used inexpensive shop light fixtures, and utilized the chains provided to move the lights up and down as the plants grew.
And you don't have to specifically use grow lights...regular fluorescent ones will work just as well. I have used a mix of grow lights, daylight whites, and another pinker one...can't remember what that one was called.
Grow lights are wonderful for starting seedlings for your garden, too. Cover the top of your flats with plastic to make a miniature greenhouse. Keep the lights close, and they will help heat the soil and germinate the seeds. That's also a great way to get caladium bulbs to sprout.
My husband built me a very cool plant stand made from old barn oak, with supports across the top for the lights. After years in the greenhouse, it is still standing. But with a little ingenuity, you could rig up something much less expensive.
You can't tell much about the plant stand from this photo...
I'll try to get a better shot when I have a chance. This is a cattlea in full bloom.
About the grow-lights...yes, you sure can grow herbs with them. The clue is to have the lights close enough to the plants. They should be about 4" from the tops of the plants.
I used inexpensive shop light fixtures, and utilized the chains provided to move the lights up and down as the plants grew.
And you don't have to specifically use grow lights...regular fluorescent ones will work just as well. I have used a mix of grow lights, daylight whites, and another pinker one...can't remember what that one was called.
Grow lights are wonderful for starting seedlings for your garden, too. Cover the top of your flats with plastic to make a miniature greenhouse. Keep the lights close, and they will help heat the soil and germinate the seeds. That's also a great way to get caladium bulbs to sprout.
My husband built me a very cool plant stand made from old barn oak, with supports across the top for the lights. After years in the greenhouse, it is still standing. But with a little ingenuity, you could rig up something much less expensive.
You can't tell much about the plant stand from this photo...
I'll try to get a better shot when I have a chance. This is a cattlea in full bloom.
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lindatooo
Head Chef
Constance what a wonderful resource you are to us!
I am also very green looking at your photo - I'd love to have greenhouse!
I am also very green looking at your photo - I'd love to have greenhouse!
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