Potted Herb Gardens

Containers

• Healthy and hardy herbs start with choosing the best potting containers. Pot in small containers to keep different herbs separated, or combine two or more herb varieties in one container. Choose containers large enough to offer each plant 1 gallon of potting mix. Use terra cotta or clay pots; the porous sides allow air to easily reach the plant's roots. Choose containers with bottom drainage holes to prevent water from pooling and drowning roots; drill holes into plastic containers, if necessary.

Planting

• Fill containers with a commercial potting soil or compost, leaving an inch of space at the top of each container. Do not add soil from your garden, as it may harbor harmful organisms and soil diseases. Garden soil may also be too heavy, retaining too much moisture or suffocating root growth. Potting mixes offer the benefits of being sterile of both weed seeds and soil diseases. Follow planting directions included on seed and plant packaging, planting to the same depths as in traditional, ground-level gardening. When planting seedlings, ensure that root plugs sit at or below the potting container's soil level.

Care

• Sit herb pots in south-facing windows or outdoors in areas that receive at least four hours of sunlight. Water herb container gardens every day, keeping surface soil moist. It may be necessary to water more frequently during hot periods when water evaporates quickly. Frequent watering pushes nutrients from the soil, resulting in the need for light applications of fertilizer. Herbs are ready for harvest when the first flower buds appear.

Herbs for Container Gardening

• Various types of herbs grow well both indoors and outdoors in plant pots. For herbal teas, grow catnip, peppermint, spearmint or chamomile. For home-grown potpourri, try lavender and hyssop. For seasoning, try herbs such as parsley, sage, oregano, rosemary, basil, dill, cilantro and thyme. Many of these herbs also provide homeopathic benefits, purportedly lowering stress when smelled or eaten.