Indoor Herb Growing

15 years ago

I have been interested in growing herbs lately, and last time I tried growing Basil from a seed it was a total failure.

I bought 6 small already sprouted herbs yesterday, and I would like to know whether in my climate (hot humid summer and freezing winter) it is a good idea to plant them inside vs outside. The soil is mostly clay here.

I think that I may go with indoor growing for the following, and I will most likely be putting them in their own separate pots as well:

- Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley

- Common Thyme

- Sweet Basil

- Common Chives

- Rosemary (not sure of type, says "Rosmarinus Officinalis" and "Romarin")

- Oregano (not sure of type, says "Origanum Vulgare" and "Origan Vert")

I'm mainly looking for any general tips for growing these here in the GTA (as opposed to the standard way of caring for them).

If all goes well I hope to have a wider assortment of herbs in the future. What types of more exotic herbs can grow in this area without watching them every second?

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

jel48
15 years ago
Hi trisk. The only herb that I've had luck over-wintering outdoors is chives. Everything else I've ever had has winter killed. I belive most are only hardy in the more southern states. The chives will do great outdoors and the more you abuse them the better they seem to like it :-)
Joyce
auben
15 years ago
Oregano will have no problems outdoors. Its very hardy (at least it has been for me) and even requires digging up every year so it doesn't spread too far. Chives is also very hardy.

Basil is fine here but it's an annual so you may prefer it in a pot you can bring indoors in the fall.

I've had good luck with rosemary and thyme in the past but I haven't tried them out of pots.
msaunt
15 years ago
I have had decent luck with herbs in pots indoors. Mind you, I have an 8 foot patio door with lots of sun! My rosemary grows like crazy. The basil usually lasts til about Xmas time, enabling me to make little mozzarrella/tomato/basil tarts for Xmas appetizers. Parsley definitely gets thin, but it usually survives and comes back.

I had all my herbs in a big 16" pot. Just last night I moved the rosemary to a smaller pot with a cone topiary thingy. I installed self watering adapters in both pots, and refilled the large pot with new mix. I repotted the parsley in there, and put in about 6 basil seedlings (3 are probably not going to make it, so it shouldn't be too much). This will live on the balcony for the summer, and come in again in the fall. By the way, I tried growing chives in that big pot, from seed, and they never took off. You're probably better off buying small plants at the nursery. Make sure that the herbs you group together all like the same soil conditions in terms of watering.