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Herb ( General )
Ideally herbs are meant to be grown
in full sun, in well-drained soil. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t grow
them on your windowsill. You just need to adjust your expectations.
Don’t expect them to act like
perennials. Treat them like any other flowering pot plant that you buy for the
house and discard when it has finished flowering.
The same applies to herbs. Use them
and when they start looking sickly, turf them out and buy a new pot. It
doesn’t mean you have failed as a gardener.
The reason why such herbs have a
limited lifespan is that the windowsill pots are actually too small for
sustainable growth and they are probably not getting enough light. It is also
possible that the air may be too hot or steamy and that the temperature changes
are too extreme.
Try grouping the herbs close
together so that the transpiration from the massed leaves creates some humidity.
It’s also an idea to stand the pots on a layer of gravel as this helps retain
moisture and keeps them cool without the plants becoming waterlogged.
Their life can also be extended by
feeding with a liquid plant food at half the strength. Also, don’t over water.
Once a week should be enough.
Keep the soil feeling slightly
damp, but not sodden or bone dry. Check that they aren’t sitting in a saucer
of water. This causes the roots to rot and the plant to die very quickly.
When harvesting collect small
quantities at a time and always leave two growth points on the twig for re-shooting.
Instead of cutting at random rather use the opportunity to pinch out or prune
the plant to encourage bushiness
Once picked handle the herbs as
little as possible because the subtle nuances of flavour are lost if handled or
allowed to wilt. |
