Creating a Window Sill Herb Garden

If cooking and gourmet cuisine is your thing, an herb garden is a must have. However, not everyone has adequate space to grow and maintain an herb garden, and, when space is an issue, you can utilize the kitchen window sill to create a simple herb garden. Not only will this allow you to enhance meals with the robust and aromatic flavors from homegrown herbs, but also it will add color and character to your window sill and kitchen. Another benefit of a window sill herb garden is it can be maintained all year round without the constraints of winter weather.

The Proper Location for a Window Sill Herb Garden

When planting an herb garden, it is important to keep in mind that most herbs will require at least five to six hours of adequate sunlight a day. Thus, choosing a kitchen window sill that receives enough sunlight is essential. Another possibility is installing an artificial sunlight in the window where your herb garden sits or moving your planted herb pots around periodically to windowsills that will get adequate sunlight during the day. Artificial sunlamps or fluorescent lighting are good alternatives to natural sunlight because you can leave them on for the required amount of hours to encourage your herb garden to grow and thrive. If artificial sunlamps or fluorescent lighting is your choice, it is important that the lights are placed 12 to 18 inches above the herb garden.

How to Make Your Window Sill Herb Garden Thrive and Grow

In order for your window sill herb garden to thrive, it will need to be in a room where the daytime temperature is around 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the level of humidity should be between 30 to 50 percent.

Herbs will do better in a potting mixture of vermiculite, and, if that is not available, you can make a mixture of equal parts of peat moss, loam and sand, which you should place in a planting pot that has adequate drainage.

When planting the seeds, make sure to space the seeds and not plant them too deep or in too wide of a hole. Once the seeds are planted, place the planting containers into a pan of water, allowing the water to draw up to the surface, and then cover the containers with plastic bags, leaving them slightly open at the top to allow air and humidity to enter and leave. This will help create the greenhouse effect. On average, germination will take around three full weeks, and then the plastic bags can be removed. Finally, the herb garden is ready to be placed in the window sill of choice, exposing it to sunlight and adequate water.

The most common herbs to use in a window sill herb garden are oregano, mint, chives, coriander, basil, parsley, dill and anise. These types of herbs are hearty and easy to grow, and will transplant easily to a bigger outside garden.

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