Herban Corner - Indoor Tea Garden

Many tea herbs grow well indoors. They may not reach the fullness or
height that they would outdoors as their container-bound roots are
somewhat dwarfed, but they can still provide beauty and an abundance
of leaves for making herbal teas.

Some tea herbs to grow indoors include;
Angelica, bay, borage, burnet, catnip, chamomile, dill, fennel,
horehound,jasmine, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, marjoram, mint, oregano,
basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, tansy, tarragon, thyme,
wintergreen, sweet woodruff, and of course....scented geraniums!!! !!

Make sure you choose a spot where the plants will get plenty of sun,
ideally a south-facing window that gets light all day.....if you
don't have that, you may have to use artificial plant lights, giving
seedlings and plants from 12 to 16 hours of artificial light each and
every day.

You can grow a garden on a table next to a window, in a window
greenhouse, in hanging baskets, in a terrarium, on trays, in large
window boxes and of course in pots.

Make sure you use room temperature water. Take time to learn the herbs
habits....and water accordingly. You should also provide enough
humidity. If your home is dry, as it tends to get during winter
months, use a humidifier in your home, or mist herbs
daily....preferably early in the day so that the herbs are dry when
the light is no longer available. Some herbs will adapt to the drier
humidity of indoor growing...but some will not! If an herb's leaves
wither, check to see that it's getting enough, or too
much water, and enough light. If the leaves develop brown
streaks...the plant may be getting too much sun. A lot of us indoor
gardeners think insects or disease are causing leaves to wither, turn
brown, or develop crisp edges...but this may not be so. The plant may
be getting too much heat, or soil temperatures may be fluctuating too
much. Lifeless-looking leaves may be the result of too little water.
Buds dropping off usually indicates rapidly fluctuating
temperatures, . If stems turn soft, the herb isn't getting enough sun,
and it's probably getting too much water.

Herbs growing indoors are fairly resistant to disease and insects,
just as they are outdoors. But.....they DO get them.
Major indoor herb pests include aphids, mealybugs, mites, and white
flies. White flies love mints indoors!!! Insecticidal soaps, used to
combat outside pests, are also available in indoor formulas. They
provide effective insect control and are organic, they contain no
substances injurious to people or to pets!!!!

When you buy herbs from the nursery this time of the year, especially
in colder zones, they may well have insects...so isolate them for
your other plants for up to a week. Be sure to keep your plants
trimmed. Trim just above the leaf buds, and
trim regularly rather than allowing plants to become too large
and 'leggy', which will require dramatic trimming, and can cause the
plants to die of shock caused by the imbalance between the roots and
leaves!!!! Believe me....I speak from experience!! !!

Indoor plants require careful monitoring because they depend on you
for all of their needs.

If you use the herbs as decorative centerpieces for your table or as
welcome fragrances in the bedroom or kitchen, be sure to alternate
them so they are not in the shade for more than a few days at a time.

This is all well worth the work...believe me!!! These herbs offer not
only beauty and fragrance close at hand, but a bountiful harvest of
herbal teas as well!!!!

Source: Karen Hegre and GrannyMoon's Morning Feast Archives

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