We have begun the task of trying to grow herbs. I had read a book about how much money could be saved in a year, by growing your own. One to never turn my head away from anything that can save me money, I gathered my five kids together and asked who wanted to help. Excitedly, they all will be helping.
Finding a family activity like this, that not only includes bonding and family time, but also responsibility and education, is rare. We were very excited to get started, but there were some things we had to think about first.
Where would we grow them?
We spent some time considering whether it would be easier to start a garden outdoors or in. There were several factors that went into our final decision. We decided we wanted them to grow inside, and not outside, so they wouldn’t get ruined by the elements. In addition, we are moving soon, and we didn’t want to have to move plant out of a garden, or move huge planter boxes. We also wanted to be sure that we remembered to take care of them too. Having them inside was a constant visual reminder, we just needed with our busy lives. So an indoor herb garden was the way to go.
Where would we keep them?
After they begin growing, where was the best place in the house to keep them. One of our kitchen windows, got the best light available, so we placed a small plant stand in front of it, and put them on the shelves. It looks good, even though we haven’t had anything come up yet. The key was choosing a spot with plenty of sunlight, that was safe and away from kids daily play and pets. Our kitchen window was the perfect spot.
What did we want to grow?
Since we had decided on herbs, that wasn’t as hard as deciding which herbs we use a lot of. Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Oregano, Garlic and Sage, are used the most in our home, so we decided to start with those. Beyond that, we decided to leave room to continue the growth, if there was something else we wanted to add.
Watch the frugal living blog for more exciting articles on indoor herb gardening and growing specific herbs.