Techniques for Garden Herb Containers

Container Options

• In addition to standard plastic, cement or terra cotta planting pots, herbs grow well in strawberry pots, which have several small openings around a larger central opening. Strawberry pots have the advantage of allowing you to plant several herb varieties in one container. Consider PVC pipe gardening. Drill 2-inch holes for the plants along the length of a piece of large-diameter pipe, fill it with potting soil, and then mount it horizontally on a wall or stand with the holes facing up.

Growing Herbs Indoors

• The most important considerations for indoor herb container growing are sunlight, watering, fertilization and humidity. Locate herbs in a sunny window. Use a well-drained pot and keep the soil moist but not soggy. Add liquid fertilizer to the water once a week or so to feed the herbs. In dry areas or air-conditioned houses with low humidity, mist plants daily or place the pots on a shallow tray filled with pebbles and water.

Growing Herbs Outdoors

• Keeping container herbs outdoors during the summer or even year-round helps perennial herbs stay healthy and vigorous. Containers dry out more quickly outside in warm weather so frequent watering is vital. Bury small pots up to the rim in the garden to reduce water loss from evaporation. Winter-hardy herbs left outdoors will go dormant in the winter but come back in the spring. To keep herbs growing all year, bring them inside before the first frost.

Herbs for Container Growing

• If finding a sunny spot indoors is a problem, chose herbs that thrive in partial sun, like chamomile, mint, parsley, marjoram, lovage and lemon balm. Growing herbs requiring full sun indoors is possible, as a south-facing window may be sufficient. If such a window is not available, move the plants from one window to another during the day. Sun-loving herbs include basil, catnip, cilantro, dill, lavender, oregano, sage and thyme.