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Winter Window-Box Herbs
| Article
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13140 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1987 |
859 Words |
| Author
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Walter Chandoha
Walter Chandoha's pictures and articles have appeared in many
major magazines; and he has also written and illustrated
twenty-four books. |
If you have a penchant for fresh herbs, there is no need to forsake them this winter. You can grow them indoors near a sunny window.
Indoor herbs can be grown from seed or from nursery-started plants. Frequently used fast-growing annuals like dill, basil, and cilantro are best grown from seed. Perennials like chives, sage, rosemary, thyme, and biennial parsley take so long to reach harvest size that it is best to buy seedlings.
Clay pots are preferable to plastic for indoor herb gardens because their porosity helps prevent overwatering. Potting soil should be non-acidic and easy draining. Never use garden soil for herbs because it packs too tightly. Instead use a packaged potting soil composed of sterile mixtures of peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and assorted nutrients.
Germinating the seeds
To start annuals from seed and seedlings, mix a teaspoon of lime with a mixture of a third each of potting soil, sand, and compost. Add a pinch of slow-release fertilizer to each four by six inch pot.
To start seeds, fill a clay pot with a generous pinch of seeds on the surface, scratch them into the soil, insert the pot in a clear plastic bag, and seal. Put it in a warm place, such as the top of a furnace or a hall radiator.
After the seeds germinate (three to eight days), remove the pot from the bag and place it near a sunny window. When leaves appear, move the seedling to direct sunlight. Allow about a dozen dill plants per pot, three to four of cilantro or parsley, and only one basil seedling per pot. Transplant the extras to other pots.
One the most frequently used herbs is parsley, which is sold year-round in most areas. Yet a pot or two growing on the windowsill is nice for occasional use. For winter parsley, seed pots in midsummer, buy them to their rims in the garden, and just before the frost, dig them up, and bring them indoors.
In some areas, dill and cilantro are never sold fresh in markets, yet these annuals are so easy to grow that there's no need to be deprived of a fresh supply all winter. Basil is another easy-to-grow herb rarely seen in town markets in winter. In addition to standard varieties, try tiny-leaved spicy
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