You might not be able to get out into the veggie garden every day in winter – some particularly cold days are best spent indoors! But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some fresh, homegrown produce every day.
While cool temperatures and frosts can slow down growth outside, inside is another story. With the right approach, you’ll be able to successfully grow herbs throughout the winter season.
Your indoor herb toolkit
Like growing outdoors, growing herbs indoors requires certain conditions for the plants to thrive.
Sufficient sunlight – a minimum of four to six hours of sunlight each day – is needed to give herbs the best chance to survive and flourish. If you’re low on space near the window, don’t forget that light can be reflected! Maximise sunlight exposure for your herbs by placing them near reflective surfaces that redirect nearby light.
Don’t forget drainage – Plant your herbs in pots with drainage holes to prevent waterlogging, as excessive moisture can be detrimental.
Adjust watering – With slower growth and lower levels of evaporation, it’s also important to make sure you aren’t watering herbs too much. As a general rule, hold off on watering until the top of the soil appears dry, and water deeply when needed – allowing the water to drain through the bottom of the pot. This ensures the plants aren’t prone to root rot, which is more prevalent in winter.
Harvest regularly – By pruning and harvesting frequently, new growth will be encouraged.
The best herbs to grow indoors
Mint: Mint is an easy herb to grow indoors in containers. If you’ve grown it outdoors before, you’ll know that mint varieties are fast-growing – so when grown indoors, it is easier to keep under control as it won’t be able to spread throughout the rest of your garden.
Parsley: This versatile herb prefers bright, indirect sunlight and well-draining soil.
Thyme: Thyme has an excellent cold tolerance and will continue to grow during winter. Indoors it requires a sunny spot.
Chives: Growing chives is often a DIY project for students at school, so it’s little surprise that this popular green herb is easy to grow indoors. They require moderate sunlight and well-draining soil.
Basil: A fan of the warmth, basil growth slows down outside over winter – but it can keep growing indoors. Make sure it has full sunlight and well-draining soil.
The health benefits of herbs
Keeping herbs inside where they are easily accessible makes it simple to take advantage of their health benefits – which go beyond assisting the season’s ills and chills.
Mint: Popular in cooler weather, mint brings relief to those affected by cold or flu symptoms. The herb is also well-known for helping to relieve indigestion and it can improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – one study found that 75 per cent of patients who took peppermint oil for four weeks showed improvements in IBS symptoms, compared to 38 per cent of the patients in the placebo group.
Parsley: Parsley is high in vitamin C and research suggests that dried parsley can have 17 times more antioxidant content than its fresh counterpart. Parsley is also packed with vitamin K, which is important for bone health.
Thyme: Packed with nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, fibre, iron and manganese, thyme can support your immune system. Thyme essential oil – derived from its leaves – is also often used as a natural cough remedy.
Chives: Like thyme, chives are high in vitamin A and vitamin C, and like parsley, high in vitamin K. Chives also contain choline and folate, which are both linked to improving memory function. Basil: Basil is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic practices. It has anti-inflammatory properties that may aid in conditions such as heart disease and arthritis.
Basil: is also linked to immune system support, digestive health, respiratory health, stress relief and skin health.
