Growing Herbs Inside or Outside

[BreeBrock6]

I recently got into herbs and the various kinds you can grow at home. I started with rosemary, thyme, and cilantro, and used starter cups made from organic materials. I put them outside because the inside of my house does not get a lot of sun. My thyme started to grow rather quickly, and it was smelling great in no time. However due to my tendency to forget to water all my plants daily, they quickly burnt up in the Florida heat. My cilantro is still hanging in there; it started to grow slowly but it's starting to creep upward, which makes me extremely happy! However, the rosemary has been very tricky, and despite my best efforts has refused to even break the surface of the dirt. What are your thoughts on growing herbs outside versus inside? Should I try restarting my herbs inside despite the lack of sun?

 

[Pablo]

I think that you should monitor the amount of time it gets in the sun, because florida is really hot, all that sun could be too much for them, so try and leave them outside for about 3-4 hours and take them back in. And are you sure your house doesn't get that much sun? Try setting your herbs on a table next to a window, sun should come through the window sometime in the day.

 

[Beth_B]

If you have enough sun, go for it inside. Most herbs do fine on a sunny windowsill. But daily watering might be the reason your rosemary isnt thriving. I suggest you look up the native habitat of what you're growing...rosemary is a dry-climate plant. So is sage, thyme and oregano. Daily watering and outdoor humidity may well be inhibiting or killing it. And good luck with your cilantro! It bolts in hot weather. Even up here in Michigan. I gave up on growing cilantro years ago.

So anyway, bottom line: research where your herbs grow native and adjust from there.

 

[marlingardener]

You mentioned "starter cups" and that your rosemary "has refused to even break the surface of the dirt." Rosemary is notoriously slow to germinate, and is usually started from cuttings, not seed. Cilantro is a cool season crop, and an annual, so don't get discouraged if it bolts and starts to set seed (which changes the taste completely!). Thyme is cantankerous--it thrives then dies.
We are in central Texas where it is hot and dry all summer, and I have my herbs outside in pots, so I can move them to more or less shade as the season dictates. Right now the thyme is doing well with morning/early afternoon sun, and shade from about 2 p.m. on. The rosemary is in the dirt, direct planted, and I just leave it alone. If it starts looking slightly greyish, I give it water, but that has only been twice in the last six weeks. I don't grow cilantro since we don't enjoy the taste, but I have grown it in the past and found it self-seeds if planted in the ground and left to bolt.
The one thing no herb appreciates is fertilizing. The essential oils that give an herb its unique flavor are lost with the lush foliage fertilizer causes. Just plant in regular soil, water if the plant droops in the morning (in our climates everything droops by late afternoon!) and harvest regularly to enjoy the great taste!

 

[Vinaya]

You have a garden,you should always plant your herbs outside. In case you don't have a garden, you can try growing in your balcony. If you don't have a balcony, you can grow inside. However, the priority should always be on planting herbs on thee ground in your garden. It is really difficult to grow indoor. You not only need to check the soil quality, but also amount of water and sunlight it gets.

 

[remnant]

I suppose herbs are better grown outside than inside because monst of them are sun loving. In you want just a few, it would be alright to grow them near the windowsill. But you can cut your losses by growing herbs on the roof of your house in containers and then erect a ladder to gain access to the herbs when watering them and performing other practices.

 

[TheConstantGardener]

I grow my herbs in my garden porch so it's kind of inside and outside I guess. My basil and rosemary herbs get adequate sunlight in the morning and just the right amount of sun and shade in the afternoon. I water them every other day. If you grow them indoors you can watch them better and protect your herb from insects and the like just make sure it's adequately ventilated and your plants get sunlight.

 

[Corzhens]

We have mint in the garden and it is very prolific that we have to trim it once in a while. I have plans of getting a pot of mint to be placed inside the living room for display. However, I seem to always forget to buy that cute clay pot for that purpose.

The cilantro we bought in a plastic pot was planted in the planter box in the front yard. On the next day, we noticed some leaves area gone, probably pests. On the following morning, almost all the leaves are gone save for a few. That was when we discovered that cilantro leaves is the favorite of the birds here, huh. That cilantro plant didn't last long. It died of exhaustion from the severe pecking of birds.

 

[MaggieM]

I recently got into herbs and the various kinds you can grow at home. I started with rosemary, thyme, and cilantro, and used starter cups made from organic materials. I put them outside because the inside of my house does not get a lot of sun. My thyme started to grow rather quickly, and it was smelling great in no time. However due to my tendency to forget to water all my plants daily, they quickly burnt up in the Florida heat. My cilantro is still hanging in there; it started to grow slowly but it's starting to creep upward, which makes me extremely happy! However, the rosemary has been very tricky, and despite my best efforts has refused to even break the surface of the dirt. What are your thoughts on growing herbs outside versus inside? Should I try restarting my herbs inside despite the lack of sun?

I've read that is takes about three years for rosemary to grow. Grow how much, I don't know. I planted seeds about three months ago, and now have one very flimsy seedling that is thriving, but it's only about two and half inches tall. There are also a few other seedlings that are much smaller. They're in a window inside.

 

[kgord]

I never even considered growing herbs inside, but I would if I had some sort of sun porch or something. We have a lot of greenery around here and don't get that much sun..so I think for me, growing herbs on the deck is the right thing to do. I didn't grow any this year though. I have been trying to focus on other projects. It is nice to see them though and use them as seen fit. They make life flavorful!

 

[rz3300]

Well it seems like any route that you choose, you should be ready and willing to do your research. You can really say that is a good start anywhere, especially with all the information available these days, and here it would probably save you a good amount of headaches. I do not grow much but I stick to indoors, but our neighbors have a whole greenhouse over there so they really put us to shame. Thanks for sharing.