The Best Potting Mix to Grow an Indoor Herb Garden

Keep Your Plants Healthy

• If you are to grow healthy herbs for your family you will need to make sure the indoor herb garden you create is just as healthy. In many ways growing herbs is just like growing flowers and other plants, but there are some special considerations when it comes to growing your own herbs. One important thing to keep in mind is that digging up some dirt from your garden and using that for your herbs can be counterproductive. That soil can bring with it a number of soil-borne diseases that could harm your herbs. Instead choose a soilless potting mix to avoid these problems.

Choose a Potting Soil that Drains Well

• One of the most common mistakes made by new herb gardeners is choosing a potting soil that is too heavy. Herbs grown indoors will need to have a light and airy potting mixture to grow properly. When looking at soilless potting mixtures, be sure to choose one that is light and falls through your fingers easily.

  Also make sure that the potting mixture drains well. Drainage is an important part of any indoor gardening project, but it is especially critical when setting up an indoor herb garden. After the herbs have been in place for a few days be sure to check them to make sure the garden is draining properly. Pick up the herb garden and look at the drainage holes. If the drainage holes are clear the soil is draining properly. But if the drainage holes are blocked with potting mix and the bottom of the garden feels wet, more drainage is needed. It can take a little while to find just the right mix for drainage and develop the right watering schedule, so it is important to be patient.

Enhancing Your Commercial Potting Mixture

• Some successful herb gardeners find that mixing in a bit of sand or perlite allows their indoor herb gardens to drain more effectively. If you find that the indoor herb garden you have created is not draining the way it should be it is a good idea to use a mixture of two parts sterilized potting mixture and one part either perlite or coarse sand. This mixture will help to provide the proper balance of moisture for the various herbs in your indoor herb garden. It is important to water the indoor herb garden sparingly at first, since it may take a little while to determine whether or not the garden is draining properly. It is also important to use fertilizers sparingly. If you choose a potting mix with built-in fertilizer, keep a close eye on your plants, since over-fertilization could harm the delicate root systems.