How To Grow Herbs Indoors Without Sunlight?
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Growing herbs indoors can be fun and provide an overcoming sense of accomplishment. Herbs are used every day for medicinal and food preparation purposes. A challenge some people face when growing indoor herbs is the lack of sunlight for optimal growth and potency production. Coincidentally, we have suggestions on rectifying this obstacle for most people to help grow herbs indoors without natural sunlight.
How To Grow Herbs Indoors Without Sunlight
In this article, we map out three tried and true methods to grow herbs indoors without sunlight that can also cater to your space availability.
Grow Lights
Using grow lights to grow herbs indoors is an easy way of achieving indoor herbs with the feel of raising them with natural sunlight.
You can use a pot, egg crate, shoe, yogurt container, or whatever else you prefer to place your herb of preference. Once you have your pot, you would use your ordinary potting soil and water just as you would when using natural sunlight. The only difference here is when you do not have sunlight available, you place a grow light above your herbs.
Grow lights can be a variety of sizes or shapes to fit any location. Grow lights are also available with timers so your herbs can have the feeling of a natural environment. Bonus: grow lights can also provide warmth, especially in cooler months, to help achieve the optimal temperature, so your herbs thrive.
How to Grow Herbs Indoors Using Hydroponics
Hydroponics is another popular option for growing indoor herbs. Have you ever gone into a grocery store and seen pots of basil or parsley stored in water containers? These water containers are a type of hydroponic growing process.
You can search for different hydroponic systems to purchase online to fit any space, even countertops. Many hydroponic systems will come with everything you need, including the light source. All you would need to add is your herbs of choice.
If you are trying to plant an extensive herb garden, then hydroponic systems are a good idea to consider. A lot of commercial growers choose hydroponic systems because of their capability of growing many crops in small, confined spaces.
How to Grow Herbs Indoors Using Aeroponics
Aeroponics plant systems are a type of hydroponic system. The difference, however, is that in hydroponics, plant roots are submerged in a constant water source. In aeroponics, you never submerge the plant roots in water; instead, the plants are typically suspended in air or in a medium such as pellets and strategically misted many times per hour to provide water and required nutrients for growth.
Many aeroponic systems also provide growth lights in their kits for you to grow your plants indoors. Aeroponic systems like hydroponic systems come in many different shapes and sizes to help you achieve the herb garden you aim to develop.
Top Five Herbs to Grow Indoors
Now that we know the options of how to grow herbs indoors, let’s discuss which herbs are some of the easiest to grow.
Many herbs can be started from cuttings or from the small sample you purchased at a garden center. It is not hard to set your herb up for success, and these are the top five indoor herbs to grow Rosemary, Mint, Thyme, Chives, and Parsley.
Rosemary
Rosemary will fail indoors without sunlight. Yet, it does not have to be natural sunlight. You can easily mimic the light Rosemary herbs need to thrive with grow lights. Rosemary herbs are great additions to chicken, pork, and lamb proteins. Rosemary carries a popular earthy fragrance, and besides its usefulness for cooking, it can be filtered into an essential oil known for pain-relieving properties.
Mint
Peppermint is the most popular herb to grow indoors, but there are other mint herbs to consider, such as spearmint, wild mint, apple mint, and water mint. Mint herbs, as most herbs require six to eight hours of sunlight daily; however, they accept grow lights just the same as natural lighting when indoors. Mint is often used for its ability to relieve inflammation. Some people swear by adding a pinch of mint to water daily to reduce swelling and bloat.
Thyme
Thyme is a great indoor herb to grow. It will thrive under grow lights and does require much maintenance other than watering when the soil surface starts to dry. Many people choose to add thyme to their indoor gardens because it resembles an ordinary houseplant, yet it can spruce up almost any cuisine.
Chives
Chives are versatile onion-flavored herbs; used to add a kick to meals on the regular. With the number of recipes having chives as an ingredient, it simply makes sense to grow your own always to have them on hand. Like the other four herbs on this list, Chives need six to eight hours of light daily and will do great with a grow light. Chives are an excellent herb to consider growing in an aeroponic system. They need a higher level of moisture than some other herbs; aeroponic systems mist plants constantly, which could help provide your Chives with the water they desire.
Parsley
What is an indoor herb garden if it doesn’t include Parsley? Parsley is a great flavor additive to many dishes. However, Parsley needs ample amounts of light to grow; that being said, you will have to have some type of grow light available. Hydroponic systems can fit on kitchen countertops, and they typically have a few different compartments or pods for plants. Consider a hydroponic system with five pods that include a grow light. This way, you could have all five of these listed herbs in your garden and provide plenty of light without multiple pots and grow lights lingering around.
How to Grow Herbs Indoors – The Wrap-up
As you have noticed by now, growing an indoor herb garden with or without natural sunlight is easier than you could have imagined. We are in an age of technology; due to that, there are many resources and developments on the market to help grow plants indoors.
FAQ
Aeroponics and hydroponics are both great options when considering an indoor herb garden. Aeroponics mist plants and roots constantly to provide water and nutrients while hydroponics emerges roots in water and nutrients. Deciding between aeroponics or hydroponics will be an individual preference since both systems will work to achieve your herb garden.
Mint would be the number one herb to grow indoors. Mint has a glorious fragrance, can be used to cook, has medicinal benefits, is a beautiful herb, can be turned into an essential oil, added to soaps or lotions, deters pests, and mint is simple to grow and upkeep.
Yes, grow lights can be just as beneficial as natural sunlight. Research your herbs and determine the sunlight hours needed and try to mimic that as similarly as possible to realistic hours in the day. Grow lights, if used too much, though, could burn your plant. Knowing that your herbs need plenty of light, also know that you cannot give them excessive light since that would be counterintuitive. It is best to determine your plant needs and add a grow light with a timer to keep your plants routine.
Our top five herb list includes Parsley, Chives, Mint, Thyme, and Rosemary. But, those are not the only herbs available to grow indoors. There are many other options to consider like, Lemon Balm, Bay Laurel, Cilantro, Lemongrass, Oregano, Sage, Tarragon, Angelica, Meadowsweet, Ginger, and Bergamot.
If you do not have natural sunlight available indoors, you can use grow lights, hydroponics systems, and aeroponic systems to help your herb garden receive the light it requires.
Published at Fri, 08 Oct 2021 09:39:37 -0700