Herb Gardens for Green Houses

Types

• The following herbs are good choices for green house growing environments: chamomile, parsley, basil, scented geranium, chive, coriander, mint, rosemary and oregano. There are many interesting varieties of mint, basil and scented geranium so you can plant several varieties and see what you prefer.

  Herbs are more challenging to grow from seed, so you might wish to purchase starts from a garden center. Once you have the herbs planted, you can easily propagate new plants through cuttings.

Potting

• Container gardening is ideal for green house herbs. Refresh the soil in your pots every one to two years to ensure a new stream of nutrients. Switch your plants out into a larger container as they grow so that the roots have room to breathe. If you're satisfied with the size of your plant, take cuttings to start another plant. Herb plants make nice gifts, and your herbs will fare better if they're not too crowded in the pot.

Care

• Container gardens require more frequent watering than plants in the soil. Check your plants daily, offering water when the soil feels dry. To keep your green house humid, you'll need to wash down the floor and benches with water. As the sun heats the green house, it turns the water into steam and keeps your green house moist inside.

  Green houses can become too sunny for your herbs. It helps to keep newspaper inside your greenhouse so you can cover the plants to provide shade. A thermometer hung inside your greenhouse will help you monitor the temperature. If the green house is 80 to 90 F, provide shade for your plants or bring them outside if outside temperatures are cooler.