I'm still a beginner, and my first herb garden was a complete failure. When I saw these at Home Depot, I thought it would give me another chance, and maybe not be so difficult. Has anyone ever tried them? I bought Chives, Basil, Cilantro, and Catnip. They had others, but these are the ones we'll use the most.
They also had pepper pots. I've wanted to grow my own veggies so badly, but I have too much shade. Maybe this will be a way for me to at least grow some peppers.
Ya, I just bought four as well! At Home Depot too! They all sprouted germination was pretty good too. I use the lids as bases. I was leary of them at first, but they seem to be doing great. Which is the one on the far right of your picture? I bought Parsley, Oregano, Catgrass andddddd, ummmmmmm, Chives! That was it! Good luck with em!
J
That's catnip. I thought I'd do something nice for the kitties. I'm so glad they worked well. It gives me hope. My dh does most of the cooking, it just something he loves to do, and he helped me pick out the ones he would use more often. I sure hope they work for me. Are there any secrets to getting the best out of them, or do I just water and grow?
jdee, I always pinch back my herbs to make them grow bushier, but I've never grown chives. Nothing like fresh herbs when you're cooking!
This was my first year to garden, and the herbs I planted were very leggy, and refused to grow very big. I had planted them in window boxes on my front porch, but they just didn't do very well. I later found out that most herbs require full sun, and I live in a very deep shaded area. I just had accepted the fact that I probably never could have an herb garden, because I had too much shade, but when I saw these kits, and saw that they were for growing in the kitchen, I thought maybe I'd give it another try.
Now I'm wondering...do you think that if I'd pinched back my herbs, they would have grown better? I had parsley, oregano, cilantro, and fennel. Now all I have are these pots. lol
I remember buying the chive one a few years back.... I never have luck with chives from seed so I can't say whether it's my own failure or the kit. I'd say it was me.
I don't think I've ever grown chives from seed either... I bought my first plant years ago and now I just divide them every year. Pinching will help herbs get bushy. I find I don't need to do that because I cook with herbs just about every day, so everything gets "pinched" frequently. In fact, I can't seem to be able to grow enough cilantro to keep up with my kitchen demands, but you didn't ask about that!
Regarding your kitchen herb garden: You can do this in containers. Yes, you should be able to just water and let 'em grow. Most herbs don't like to sit in water, so don't leave them to steep in their containers. At the same time, most don't like to be allowed to get really dry either. While the heat is on, water once or twice a week. When you turn the heat off inside, you can probably get away with once a week. I would seriously consider putting in growing light bulbs in your kitchen. You can find them at any home improvement store, in 4 ft. sticks (like a flourescent bulb) or in regular bulbs, depending on what kind of fixtures you have in your house. I've been known to use one of those adjustable arm desk lamps, so I could focus the grow lights where I wanted them. Since we're talking about an indoor garden, the weather outside is sort of irrelevant. Why not start a new batch right now?
chives full sun moist and well drained fertile soil
same for Basil and cIiantro
This mean 7 hours of sun a day.
Hope this helps BEV
Ooh, almost forgot, the chives might germinate better with a week or two of cold treatment. Sometimes these kits sit on the shelf for a while...
