Growing your own herbs at home not only saves money; it’s an important factor in your environmental wellness. Having herbs ready in your home really lowers your carbon footprint, and it’s just nice to have fresh herbs dotted around. With that in mind, we spoke to consultant nutritionist Charmaine D’souza, author of Kitchen Clinic, about the best herbs to grow at home.
1. Chives: According to D’souza, ‘Chives are happy-go-lucky plants—you can grow them anywhere for they thrive in window boxes as well as gardens. They are best grown in full sunlight, but being hardy plants, they grow well in shade too. They will also grow well in almost any average, well-drained soil. Just keep in mind that when growing chives in containers, you need to fertilise them once a month and water the plant whenever the compost begins to dry out.’
2. Coriander: ‘Bury a few coriander seeds into a pot and keep watering it regularly with care,’ D’souza instructs. ‘You’ll see the first bloom very quickly.’
3. Curry plant: D’souza notes, ‘Curry plant makes a very nice house plant—provided you can give it plenty of sunlight. This plant will need supplemental light if you can’t give it six to eight hours of powerful light a day. If you do place a curry plant in a pot, make sure to add some sand to the soil for good drainage and water it sparingly. These plants prefer soil that drains well, sunlight, and warm conditions.’
4. Garlic: ‘The three things that you need for a healthy garlic crop are: a good sunny location, loose soil, and good drainage,’ D’souza details. ‘Even though garlic doesn’t require any special handling per se, it can often contract a fungus [referred to as white or pink rot] in cool and damp climates.’
5. Ginger: D’souza advises, ‘Get yourself a ginger root, one that isn’t shrivelled, and soak it in warm water overnight. The next day, fill a pot that has good drainage with potting soil and plant it.’
6. Mint: ‘Mint is easier to grow from a sapling than from seeds,’ D’souza points out. ‘Take a sprig of mint [make sure that the cut is below a node] and plant it in a moist but not wet pot. Mint likes shade and consistent moisture so don’t expose it to direct sunlight.’
7. Spring Onions: ‘This is the easiest to grow,’ D’souza enthuses. ‘Take an onion that is sprouting just a little and plant it. Water it carefully and soon you’ll have fresh spring onions in your house. Harvest spring onions when their green tops are one inch in diameter.’
8. Tomatoes: D’souza asserts, ‘The tomato remains one of the easiest and most successful vegetable plants to grow. Most tomato varieties only need well-draining soil and six to eight hours of sunshine per day. The soil must be kept consistently well watered. Depending on the mature height of the tomato plant, you may need cages or stakes to provide support for the plants.’
9. Peppers: ‘Pepper plant varieties include sweet bell peppers, chilli peppers, and banana peppers,’ D’souza explains. ‘Pepper plants need conditions similar to tomatoes: six to eight hours of sunshine per day and well draining soil. Also remember that they need to be watered at an even rate of one inch of water every week.’
10. Tulsi: ‘Tulsi seed is easy to germinate and grow,’ D’souza comments. ‘It prefers full sunlight, rich soil, and plenty of water. Tulsi does well in pots or window boxes. One thing to keep in mind about tulsi is that it needs a warm, humid environment to grow.’