The Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 waters your plants for you.
Ditch the potting soil and grow your herbs in a smart garden, such as the Click and Grow Smart Herb Garden, which will do everything for you but chop the herbs. The herbs grow in a nutrient-rich soil and come in easy-to-plant pods. At $99 and up, smart gardens are an investment—but if you’re not confident in your green thumb, this is a solution that will make DIY indoor gardening foolproof.
6. Put your plants in the right spot.
Conrad Richter, president of Richters Herbs, a Toronto-area nursery and grower that specializes in herbs, says to choose a sunny window that gets at least four hours of sunlight per day—south-facing is ideal, though an east- or west-facing one will also work.
7. Grow for good looks as well as taste.
When you plant herbs of varying colors and textures, the garden becomes as decorative as it is functional. To achieve that perfect combination of beauty and flavor, Richter likes purple-leaf Rosie basil, broadleaf thyme, Tarragold tarragon, Corsican mint, purple sage, and scented geraniums.
8. Choose compact varieties when possible.
When you’re growing indoors, go for herbs that look tidy in a kitchen window and won’t hog too much space. Richter’s picks: Spicy Globe and Globette basil, Kaliteri oregano, Fernleaf dill, Blue Boy rosemary, and English mint. Hoping to grow parsley? Plain and Italian are best for indoors; the curled varieties grow too slowly.
9. But still give your indoor plants room to thrive.
Herbs can be grown either in individual pots or in a shared container—it depends largely on your space and aesthetic preference. In a shared container, be sure to check the growing habit of each herb and give it the space it needs. Mint and other fast-growing, spreading varieties need individual pots so they don’t crowd out other herbs; display them together with a system like IKEA’s Satsumas plant stand. However you position your plants, just make sure there’s room for air circulation around them.
