The Best Way to Grow Fragrant Herbs During Winter

Fragrant herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and mint need lots of sunshine to thrive. Whether you can provide the plants with the required amount of sunlight during the winter depends on where you live. In areas with mild winters, gardeners may be able to grow fragrant herbs outdoors over the winter. The best way to grow them in winter, however, is in containers indoors. You can either dig up your outdoor herbs and plant them in containers, or you can start new herbs from seeds.

Containers with drainage holes
Potting mix
Perlite
Grow lights
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Choose containers that have drainage holes in the bottom. Most fragrant herbs don't tolerate their roots standing in water.
- 2
  Use a light potting mix or add perlite to regular potting soil. Equal parts of soil and perlite is a light mixture that drains quickly.
- 3
  Place the potted herbs in a window that receives at least six hours of sun per day. If this isn't possible, place the herbs 6 inches beneath grow lights for 14 hours a day.
- 4
  Keep the temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, and 55 to 60 F at night.
- 5
  Keep the fragrant herbs out of drafts and away from heater vents.
- 6
  Rotate the pots frequently to give all sides of the plant a turn in the sunshine.
- 7
  Water the fragrant herbs when a finger poked 1 inch into the soil comes out dry. Drench the soil, and then allow the top inch to dry out again before watering.
- 8
  Fertilize your herbs every two weeks with an all-purpose, water-soluble fertilizer. Dilute the fertilizer to 1/4 the recommendation on the label.

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