Caring for Your Winter Herb Garden: 3 Timeless Tips
Even if you lovingly cared for your herbs all summer, you may be convinced that the days of fresh basil and thyme are over. But this is not necessarily the case! With a few key tips, you can easily keep your herb garden thriving all winter long.
1. Choose Your Herbs
Not all herbs will thrive in the winter, especially because they won’t be getting as much direct sunlight. Pick hardier herbs, like chives, mint, parsley, thyme, rosemary and basil. These herbs will survive well as long as they are kept in moderately sunny areas and watered regularly.
You can also choose herbs, like lemongrass or spring onions, that don’t even need to be planted. Keeping them on a sunny windowsill and regularly replenishing their water supply is all you need to do.
2. Choose Your Location
In the winter, there’s far less regular sunlight than in the summertime. This may mean that you need to move your herbs from time to time to make sure that they’re getting the most possible sunlight. Pick a south-facing window, where they’ll be in the sun for most of the day. But be sure not to pick a location where they’ll need to be moved or they’ll be in the way as you work or cook. Try hanging window boxes on the inside of your windows instead of on the outside, and place a towel beneath them, to make sure that watering them doesn’t get the floor wet. You could also try using mason jars as mini herb gardens.
3. Be Wary of Over-Watering
Over-watering herbs can be a common problem in indoor gardening. Because they don’t get as much direct sunlight, water will not evaporate as quickly. Plants that needed to be watered daily over the summer may need water only every two days. Feel the soil; if it is moist, you don’t need to water your plants. But do make sure that you give them enough water, especially if you use a heater at home, which can dehydrate your plants.
