Growing herbs inside?

[JaimieSkye]

I brought all my herb plants in from outside this fall and within 2 weeks they were all dead. I was so sad. I must have done something wrong. I put them under a grow light for a few hours a day. I watered them. I didn't do anything that I didn't do when they were outside. I was really looking forward to having fresh herbs all winter. Are there certain herbs that grow better indoors than others?

 

[Flourishes]

Oh my!!

I clicked on this thread thinking, "Now this is right up my alley because I would love to grow some herbs inside."
You caught me totally off guard with the "within 2 weeks they were dead." I actually was startled, and my stomach sank when I read that!! I was not expecting you to say that at all, lol.

Unfortunately I am not able to give you any advice on this subject . I came here thinking that I was going to learn something from you.

For growing herbs indoors, I have really wanted to invest in one of those AeroGardens, I think they are called. That type, or something like it.

I really like to grow plants, but I have not yet tried my hand at growing herbs. They are very delicate looking, and so although I am generally confident in my plant-growing abilities, I think an AeroGarden seems like the best bet for me when it comes to indoor herb growing...I don't know.

Sorry about your herbs. What a downer. Hopefully someone here will be able to tell us both some tried and true ways to get herbs off to a good start, and up and continually growing, inside.

 

[sunflower]

LOL! Flourishes, I was hoping the same thing. I can't keep herbs alive inside or out. I keep trying and although I had good luck with basil one year at my previous house, I can't seem to grow any herbs at all at my new house. I even buy ones that are already established and try to keep them going and have zero luck. Hope someone has some great ideas.

 

[Whimsey]

When I was a teenager in NY, I had an indoor herb garden. I got one of those window boxes, and kept it in the window sill in the kitchen above the sink. They were fine all winter until I went away for a week in February, and my mom forgot to water them. Then they were dead.

I don't know what I did differently, but I'll tell you what I did - I started the plants all inside, right in the window box. I didn't move them outside until it was really warm, and all frost danger had passed. Then when it started getting chilly at night, I started bringing them in before the outside was colder than the inside, and putting them back out in the morning when it had warmed up. When the days were colder than the house, that's when I just kept them in all the time. I kept them right in the window all the time. (This was convenient because they got the light, and they were there for when I wanted them for cooking.)

I hope that was helpful! I'm going to try and do the same thing this year, too.

 

[dziomek]

I have been able to overwinter herbs inside; all I did was keep them in a window box planter on the deck during the summer. When it got too cold for them to survive outside I brought them inside and kept them in front of a west window. A south exposure would have been much better, but south-facing windows are hard to come by in my house. It was nice having chives and basil all winter long. They did become a bit leggy due to the low light, but still lived.

This winter I do not have any herbs inside, because I didn't dig up a bunch of chives before the snow came (it arrived quicker than anticipated). I miss having fresh herbs for cooking.

 

[iluvmario]

I am growing basil in a hydroponic system. It is growing really well and I have it in the window with no grow lights. I priced grow lights and they are really expensive.

 

[Susan Floerchinger]

When you brought them in, did you dig them up or were they in pots? Sometimes herbs need to be re-potted because the roots are to big for the pot and they aren't getting the nutrients that they need. Also did you water them before you moved them inside, giving them time to drain properly before the move? Shock can set in pretty easily when transferring plants back indoors, this should be done over time. As the air, air flow, and temperature are just as important as the amount of light the Herbs get. Was the soil to sandy, to much clay, or just straight potting soil? The right grow medium plays an even bigger role for indoor plants. Hydroponic is great, that is if you can handle the chemicals that will be in the plant you have choose to grow. I am highly environmentally sensitive so I prefer to grow in dirt. May I suggest a quick trip to the library or your favorite book store to pick up a book that will tell you how to mix the soil for the herbs you want to grow.

 

[monalicia]

When I was a teenager in NY, I had an indoor herb garden. I got one of those window boxes, and kept it in the window sill in the kitchen above the sink. They were fine all winter until I went away for a week in February, and my mom forgot to water them. Then they were dead.

I don't know what I did differently, but I'll tell you what I did - I started the plants all inside, right in the window box. I didn't move them outside until it was really warm, and all frost danger had passed. Then when it started getting chilly at night, I started bringing them in before the outside was colder than the inside, and putting them back out in the morning when it had warmed up. When the days were colder than the house, that's when I just kept them in all the time. I kept them right in the window all the time. (This was convenient because they got the light, and they were there for when I wanted them for cooking.)

I hope that was helpful! I'm going to try and do the same thing this year, too.

I want to try this by my kitchen window! I am hoping it will work. I am not sure if it is too hot outside for them or if I should just go ahead and have a shelf outside. I don't want to waste the plants by doing the wrong thing!

 

[Trellum]

I hope you did re-pot your herbs, after a while they do need that. I'm actually surprised to read your herbs were dead after 2 weeks! Maybe that direct light everyday was too much and burnt them off? I have seen that happening with certain plants.

 

[PatriciaTurnbull]

I actually came in here hoping to learn too. I bought Rosemary and Basil, my Rosemary is dead after about 4 or 5 days of buying the plants and although my basil was almost dead I managed to bring it back to life again. I have found that herbs are a very sensitive plant. From what I've been told and not sure about is that the best way to do them inside is to keep them in the pots they were bought in, if in one of the containers that are plastic and square to transplant them to a container using the dirt they came in and adding a little herb foods to some top soil. Guess I'm off to find a DIY site on herbs LOL With the ecconomy the way it is I like to do a lot of gardening as the food in stores are getting a tad out of hand lately

 

[IcyBC]

Unfortunately, my house doesn't get much sun to bring my herbs inside. I believe they need lot of sun to stay healthy. Although I have been keeping my basil stalks and mint stalk in the water on my kitchen window sill and they seem to grow well for me for a while.

 

[Corzhens]

This thread reminds me of the cilantro that we bought in a plastic pot. Since the plastic pot was so small, that herb was obviously needed to be planted on the ground. So we planted the cilantro in the planter box in front of our terrace. On the next day, only a few leaves remain. On the third day, it was already bald, no more leaves. It didn't occur to us that cilantro is the favorite of the birds. No more cilantro for us.

 

[InvasiveCreeper]

If you throw in some grow lights that will be a big help, or if you are able to keep your plants close to a south facing window that would work. Be sure to not keep them too close to any of the heating or cooling vents. Thyme, Oregano, Chives, and Sage are a few that should do fine. I've had no problems. If you're bringing plants inside from the outdoors be sure to acclimate them gradually, give them an adjustment period.

 

[amelia88]

I haven't had luck with indoor growing either. I don't know if it's just the specific plants I've had, but they've always done so much better either outside in pots, or planted directly in the ground. Right now all my herbs are planted directly into our yard and some of them are growing so big that I'm constantly having to trim them back. I'm happy just leaving them outside for now because they really do seem to flourish in the soil here.

 

[claudine]

I couldn't grow herbs in my previous apartment, because it was too dark there. Maybe your herbs don't get enough sunlight either? Move them to a different room, it might help.