Herbs For Your Windowsill Garden

Starting your herb seeds.

You are in you kitchen getting ready to make a tomato sauce. You need some fresh basil, what do you do? Well if you have a kitchen herb garden, you pick the leave you need when you need them without leaving the kitchen.

Getting your windowsill kitchen herb garden started is fairly straightforward.

You can be creative with your choice of containers and enhance your kitchen décor at the same time as you grow herbs to enhance your food, just make sure the container you select has a means to drain the excess water and something to catch that water in.

You could use terra cotta pots that you decorate yourself to add that personal touch.

First you plant your seeds in potting soil and keep moist until they sprout. You can place them on the top of your refrigerator as it will provide the needed warmth to get them sprouting.

Second, when the seeds have sprouted you move them to a sunny (5-6 hours of sunlight) windowsill and water them when they need it. As the herbs mature, cut back on the water as they prefer the soil to be slightly dry

Herbs

Dill – A common kitchen herb that has many sues, both the seeds and leaves of dill have sharp, slightly bitter taste. You can use the young branches are used to flavor salads, pickles, vinegar, sauces, soups, stews, and chicken, lamb and fish dishes.

Parsley – You will most commonly see parsley used as a garnish and it does work well but be sure to eat it and not toss it away. Parsley is very versatile and will look great on your windowsill I use parsley in salads, stews, omelets and soups, for example.

Sweet Basil – Sweet basil will add a pleasant aroma to your and a deep and spicy flavour to your food. It is essential for Italian cooking and Thai dishes. You can use sweet basil in tomato sauce and in stir fries for example.

Chives - Chives are one of my favorites, chives are a relative of the onion and bring that extra zip to any dish that needs it. The purple flowers are quite attractive and edible. Chopped chives can be added to salads, egg and cheese dishes, cream cheese, mashed potatoes, and sauces.

If you have these four herbs growing in your kitchen you will be all set to add that fresh something extra to a wide variety of meals. Your kitchen plants will produce well enough that you will be able to dry and store them for future needs or give them as gifts.

Sweet basil propagates fairly easily from cutting, but that is a topic for another hub.