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Growing Herbs Indoors - The Reality
By Chris Meagher
Can you grow herbs indoors? Certainly you can! They won't be much good, but sure, you can grow them. Let us dispel an enormous myth, generated by too many idiotic filler articles on the internet, as to growing herbs indoors. Yes, they will grow indoors, but the expectation of most people is that they will grow enough herbs to harvest them every second night for making dinner - it's not going to happen. They are not going to look like the bunches in the supermarket, and they will not be as potent. For starters, herbs need at least, got that - at least, six hours of sunlight, per day - for at least 10 days, in order to be able to reproduce that which you took last night for dinner. If you harvest too much, the plant may very well cark it, as it needs its leaves for photosynthesis in order to survive. Now, I don't know about you, but my experience is that most house-holds do not have enough window space, that allows that much sun in. Then again, should you have so many windows and if, you want to spend your days running around the house with an armful of potted herbs, moving them from window to window as the sun moves - all the best to you. People living in flats and apartments, depending on their geographic location, may be lucky to get 2 hours of sun - and most will get none. Given the opportunity, you could take them outside each day, whilst the sun is shining, but I have little confidence that this practice will continue after the second week, if that, for most people. Add to this, the fact that herbs are essentially an outside plant, when growing inside, regardless of how much sunlight they get, this is still not optimal conditions - therefore, the plants will be leggier than normal (more stalk than leaf), so twice as much of the plant is needed in cooking. The taste/aroma of house-herbs is weaker and so, twice as much is needed to get the same effect. When you look at plants like sage, rosemary, oregano and similar - the natural environment for these plants is on the side of mountains, just above the tree-line. It is the harshness and exposure that makes these herbs potent. Unless you have a purpose built sun-room, actually live in a glass house, or have a couple of dozen of each plant that you can set up on a rotational system, it will end up being a once-a-month treat, to actually use some of your precious indoor herbs. The first argument about this, is of course "But you can grow lots of plants indoors" Very true, however indoor plants do not ordinarily have their leaves ripped off them, they are only there for looking at, not harvesting. Having said all that, there are of course herb kits that come with everything necessary - including GROW LIGHTS! Brilliant idea and works reasonably well, too. However, if you are thinking of going to go the expense of a grow kit, I think you will find it is far more economical to buy yourself a case of decent wine and a packet of herbs from the shop. On a practical note, it is far more practical to grow more herbs than you need in the garden in spring and summer, then cut and dry the excess. You still get bragging rights with this method, as opposed to the sad display that will be sitting on your window sill. For those people living in flats and apartments, herbs, especially dried herbs, are cheap as all get out - AND they last for a long time before becoming impotent, like years, so do yourself a favor, buy 'em.
Thus ends my rant on the reality of growing herbs indoors. |
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I think I will skip the lights and go for the bottle of wine! Great article, expertly crafted. Thank you for sharing!
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Hello there, One Point of Light.
Thank you for your generous comments. Always go for the wine - far less often disappointing.
I like the idea of your plastic surgery comments site. At some point in the near-ish future, I will be putting up a p/surgery site. Do you mind if I point to your site?
Regards Chris.
No kidding!? Why thank you. But you know so much about growing plants and clearly love gardening, why not stick with that?
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Hello Sweetness-and-Light.
Ah! You make me smile - thank you for that.
I have forgotten more things about gardening than I can remember, and I am interested in more things than I can remember having forgotten about gardening.
I do not know a lot about face lifts or lifting, and it has always struck me as a particularly peculiar thing to do to oneself.
I am both amused and fascinated by the idea, that everyone denies having the work done - but then, when it goes wrong, cannot wait to tell the world. Provided, of course, they are even aware of the travesty.
Humor me Woman, I am just a bit unusual.
Kind Regards, Chris.
The copyright for this content entitled "Growing Herbs Indoors - The Reality" has been specified by the contributor as:
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