I want to grow some herbs for cooking - indoors - and they'll have to be under grow lights because I don't have a sunny window. Can I just pick up some herb plants from the greenhouse for this, or will they shrivel and die because they aren't outside?
Obviously I need to stick with smaller varieties, but beyond that, I'm not sure what would be the best approach. I guess I could order those little seed kits, but I'm too impatient to wait for them to mature.
Any thoughts, advice?
It's doable, with some herbs, I grow peppermint, and vanilla orchids under grow lights, but most (not all) of my herbs prefer outdoor conditions, and strong sunlight. I think herbs are like some people, they don't thrive if they have a life that's too soft, it makes them weaker when they don't have to struggle for anything.
Just my thoughts on this.
I tend to agree. When I try them indoors, they grow and then slowly perish. I have a tarragon on the kitchen sill that seems to want to hang on, but I ain't bragging about it just yet. It's in a small strawberry pot, and I tucked thyme seeds in the little pockets. They sprouted quickly. But I've had much better luck with them outdoors. If you have success, PLEASE share!
Well, the vanilla orchid was doing beautifully, almost too well, really, as they tried to throw runners into the mint, and every other orchid pot under my lights! I finally separated it out of the other pots and planted them around the base of my coffee trees, put those back under lights,and put the peppermint outside so the bees could have at it while it blooms. Gee, are orchids classified as herbs, I wonder?
Maybe I'll drop by the greenhouse and ask them. I'm thinking it'll be important what kind of soil I put in the pots - maybe they can advise me. I'll let you know what I find out.
With enough light I'm sure basil would grow fine.
Cyra, when you say vanilla orchids do you mean the plants that will grow vanilla beans?!! I've got plant stands with grow lights and if I could grow vanilla, OOOOH BOY! Please let me know if that's what you're growing, and if you've ever gotten a seed pod... The last time I was in the supermarket they wanted $12 for one dried out pod... I'm patient enough to grow my own, if I can!
When I saw that comment on the vanilla orchid today I started researching them and my goodness. Vines over 100 feet long and then 3 years before any flowers PLUS something like 6 months for a pod to mature and then an additional 5 or so months of curing the pods. I would love to be able to grow vanilla, but I'm not sure I'm that patient.
Yep, same type of orchid, don't know about that three year wait, I suspect that's for commercial production, but even if it was a 3 yr. wait, I'm not going anywhere soon, except maybe to work in a week or so:) I'm an optimist, and I'm pretty sure I can hand pollinate the orchid flowers, I've crossed African Violets, succesfully, before, although they're shaped differently, it seems doable. I'm assuming that with these rather long vines, there'll be more than simply one orchid flower, I also plan on keeping the vines trimmed, I certainly don't have 100' of grow lights. They won't survive the winters here, outdoors, or I'd simply put them outside in a warm, filtered light area. Here's what I found at answers.com on the net:
Food Lover's Companion: vanilla
[vuh-NIHL-uh; vuh-NEHL-uh] Dictionaries describe the term "plain-vanilla" as something "simple, plain or ordinary." Few statements could be further from the truth-for there is definitely nothing ordinary about the seductively aromatic vanilla bean. This long, thin pod is the fruit of a luminous celadon-colored orchid (vanilla planifolia), which, of over 20,000 orchid varieties, is the only one that bears anything edible. Native to tropical America, the vanilla bean was cultivated and processed by the Aztecs, who used it to flavor their cocoa-based drink, xocolatl, later transliterated to chocolatl. That basic flavoring wisdom is still true today ... Vanilla deliciously heightens chocolate's flavor. The vanilla bean was once considered an aphrodisiac, and was so rare that it was reserved for royalty. Because of the extremely labor-intensive, time-consuming process by which it's obtained, pure vanilla is still relatively expensive today. The saga begins with the orchid blossoms, which open only one day a year (and then only for a few hours). Because this particular orchid has only one natural pollinator (the Melipona bee), which cannot possibly handle the task in such a small period of time, the flower must be hand-pollinated-otherwise, no vanilla bean. After pollination, pods take 6 weeks to reach full size (6 to 10 inches long), and 8 to 9 months after that to mature. The mature pods, which must be hand-picked, are green and have none of the familiar vanilla flavor or fragrance. For that they need curing, a 3- to 6-month process that begins with a 20-second boiling-water bath followed by sun heating. Once the beans are hot, they're wrapped in blankets and allowed to sweat. Over a period of months of drying in the sun by day and sweating in blankets at night, the beans ferment, shrinking by 400 percent and turning their characteristic dark brown. The better grades of beans become thinly coated with a white, powdery coating called vanillin (which is also produced synthetically). Today, the three most common types of vanilla beans are Bourbon-Madagascar, Mexican and Tahitian. Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla beans come from Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, and its neighbor 420 miles away-the West Indian island of Réunion. They're rich and sweet and the thinnest of the three types of beans. About 75 percent of the world's vanilla-bean supply comes from the Madagascar area. The thick Mexican vanilla beans come from environs surrounding Veracruz. They have a smooth, rich flavor but are scarcer than the Bourbon-Madacascar beans because most areas where the orchid once thrived are now dedicated to oil fields and orange groves. Additionally, some Mexican vanilla products-though considerably cheaper than their U.S. Supermarket counterparts-are suspect because they contain coumarin (banned by the FDA), a potentially toxic substance that can cause liver and kidney damage. Unfortunately, there's no way for the consumer to tell which Mexican vanilla products contain this toxin so the best safeguard is to buy Mexican vanilla beans from a reliable source. Tahitian vanilla beans are the thickest and the darkest (a blackish brown) of the three types. It's intensely aromatic, though not as flavorful as the other two types of beans. Vanilla powder is the whole, dried bean ground until powdery. Its flavor doesn't evaporate when heated as readily as that of vanilla extract, which makes it better suited for baked goods, custards, etc. Vanilla powder is available in specialty cake decorating supply shops, some gourmet markets and through mail order. Vanilla extract is the most common form of vanilla used today. It's made by macerating chopped beans in an alcohol-water solution in order to extract the flavor; the mixture is then aged for several months. To meet FDA standards, pure vanilla extract must contain 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon during extraction and 35 percent alcohol. The resulting brown liquid is clear and richly fragrant. (There are double- and triple-strength vanilla extracts, as well as a vanilla essence-so strong that only a drop or two is needed-available through special suppliers by mail order.) You can count on products labeled "natural vanilla flavor" containing only pure vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla is composed entirely of artificial flavorings (most of which are paper-industry by-products treated with chemicals). It often has a harsh quality that leaves a bitter aftertaste. Pure vanilla extract is about twice as expensive as its imitation counterpart, but there's no real comparison in flavor intensity and quality, and only about half the amount is needed. Vanilla descriptions on labels can be confusing. Natural vanillin is a substance intrinsic to the vanilla bean, whereas artificial vanillin is made from wood-pulp by-products. Vanilla flavoring describes a blend of pure and imitation vanilla. In the United States, a label that reads vanilla ice cream may only be made with pure vanilla extract and/or vanilla beans, whereas vanilla-flavored ice cream may contain up to 42 percent artificial flavorings and artificial-flavored ice cream contains only imitation flavorings. Vanilla extracts are readily available and vanilla beans can be found in supermarkets and most specialty food stores. Most commercial vanilla beans are Bourbon-Madagascar; Tahitian and Mexican beans (as well as better grades of Bourbon-Madagascar) are more readily available through mail order. Extracts can be stored indefinitely if sealed airtight and kept in a cool, dark place. Vanilla beans should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, placed in an airtight jar and refrigerated. They can be stored in this manner for about 6 months. In order for its flavor not to dissipate, vanilla extract should be added to cooked mixtures after they've been briefly cooled. To use vanilla beans, slit them lengthwise down the center and scrape out the thousands of diminutive seeds. These seeds can be added directly to foods such as ice-cream mixtures, shortening to be used for pastry dough, sauces, etc. Homemade vanilla extract can be made by placing a split bean in a jar containing 3⁄4 cup vodka, sealing and letting it stand for 6 months. Vanilla beans may also be used to make deliciously fragrant vanilla sugar. Whole beans that have been used to flavor sauces or other mixtures may be rinsed, dried and stored for reuse. Vanilla adds flavor magic to a multitude of sweet and some savory dishes.
Wow, should've posted a link, I suppose, didn't realize the cut-n-pasted excerpt was this long! Anyway, once I've rooted cuttings from this vine, I'll put some up on my trade list for anyone interested in this orchid; it's very easy to root in sphagnum moss.
Companion Plants in Ohio sells the vanilla orchid, I got one just a few weeks ago! Don't know as though it will ever set flowers and then get pollinated, but it sure is an interesting plant.
I believe mine was from logees, who are probably my favorite plant suppliers...they don't specialize in herbs, but I do get a zero percent mortality rate with their plants, and they arrive from cross-country to CA! Yes, HB, it is an interesting and easy to grow orchid, if you have room and the climate for it. Mine will no doubt be relegated to our humid bathroom, and (smile) pinned round and round the wall in there!
My black pepper vine is happy in the kitchen, by a window next to the heat vent. I'll put Vanilla next to it and see what happens.
