Growing Herbs in Pots

Herbs are a part and partial of our life; they are used for various purposes, from culinary usage to treatment of health conditions. Culinary herbs impart special taste and flavor to the dish. Be it salads, soups, drinks, deep fries, stew and gravy recipes, herbs are wonderful ingredients. It is often said that a recipe without herbs is incomplete and tasteless. Some of the popular herbs used for cooking are celery, sage, rosemary, parsley and coriander.

Speaking about medicinal herbs, they contain phytochemicals and other active ingredients, which have therapeutic effects on the body. Commonly used medicinal herbs are garlic, ginger, liquorice, black cohosh, oregano, digitalis, peppermint and lemon grass. Many a times, herbs bought from the market are not fresh up to the mark. A better way to taste the fresh herbs is growing them as a part of vegetable gardening. In case of a limited land for gardening, you can grow herbs in the pots and containers.

Growing Herbs in Pots

Herbs are ideal plants for growing in the pots and containers. You can bring the pots indoors in case of extreme environmental conditions. Doing so helps in extending the growing season of the herbs. Following are some of the basic requirements that should be considered while growing herbs in the pots:

Container
Herbs have an expanding and deep root system, thus requiring large room for plantation. The pot or container size for growing a single herb variety should be at least 10-12 inch in diameter. Consequently, you should select a large sized pot, if you are planting more than two herbs in the same pot. You can select pot made up of clay, wood and plastic. Don't forget to make drainage holes at the base of the pot.

Potting Soil
Herbs grow best in slightly alkaline soil with proper water drainage. You can purchase a potting mixture directly from a horticulture shop or create the favorable soil conditions by mixing three parts of all purpose soil with one part each of sand and manure. Fill the potting mixture into the pot.

Herb Variety
Some of the herbs that grow best in the pots are coriander, oregano, sage, rosemary, parsley, chives and basil. You can select these herbs or other varieties as per your wish. While choosing the herbs, make sure you opt for the disease and pest resistant varieties.

Planting Herbs
While planting the herbs, cover the root portion with the potting soil. If you are growing more than one herb, leave enough space between two plants for the better growth. Never cover the stem part as it may lead to rotting of the stem. Slightly press the soil around the stem of the herb to allow compaction the soil.

Location
The potted herbs should be placed in such a location, where it gets 6 hours direct sunlight. If available, select a location that receives maximum morning sun, rather than those exposed to evening sunlight. In hot summer months, you can bring the pot indoors or create partial shade condition to prevent moisture stress. Similarly you can put the herbs indoors in extreme climatic conditions.

Watering
Watering should be done immediately after the plantation of the herbs. As the plants establish themselves, watering can be done regularly after every 2-3 days. Frequent irrigation is recommended during summer and for clay-based pots and small pots. If you are placing the pots in the decks or patios, place deep trays under the pots, so as to avoid water drainage to the surrounding areas.

Other caring tips for growing herbs in the pots include adding organic fertilizers or farmyard compost and proper harvesting by using sharp scissors. Never grow mint, thyme or oregano with other herbs, as they are highly invasive and may kill other neighboring herbs.