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How to Grow An Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden

If the thought of having fresh basil and chives growing on your windowsill get you excited, you need to start an indoor hydroponic herb garden.

hydroponic herb seedlings.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

Why Grow an Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden?

One of the real joys of growing hydroponic plants is the re-discovery of fresh kitchen herbs! Once you have used and tasted them, you won’t want to go back to dry bottled herbs.

Growing hydroponic herbs has a few definite advantages:

  • growing enough herbs for your cooking in a small space
  • enjoy fresh herbs year-round (here’s how to dry herbs)
  • never have to worry about pesticides

Hydroponics is a great way to grow herbs, but you should keep a separate Hydro unit dedicated just for your herbs. Why? Because veggies are grown and harvested in 2-4 months, then it’s time to clean out your unit and start over.

Herb plants can be kept growing and providing for up to a year! So keep a small separate indoor herb garden right there in your kitchen. Plant 4 or 5 of your favorite ones, and harvest straight from the plant into your stew! There is no comparing the savory, sharp and flavorful fresh hydroponic herbs to the dried out, processed, “dead” bottled spices from the grocery store.

Whether you opt for a traditional soil-based planter or a water-garden; if you love fresh herbs, just do it!

Herbs You Can Grow Hydroponically

freshly picked sage.
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.
  • Basil – Basil is a favorite and grows great in hydroponics. Keep the tip pinched off to keep it bushy and productive. Here’s some great tips on pruning basil for the best production. Fresh basil provides a sweet and tangy flavor to foods that is a real treat. It is excellent for Italian cuisine and tomato-based dishes, pesto butter. Try chopping fresh basil leaves and sprinkle it on tomato salad or pizza.
  • Marjoram – Sweet and milder version of oregano. Use on all meats, in stuffings, omelets and cottage cheese.
  • Mint – Awesome crushed into fresh brewed ice tea and exotic mixed drinks.
  • Oregano -A favorite in Italian, Spanish and Mexican dishes: tomato dishes, pizza, soups, stews and stuffings. For a real treat, add chopped fresh oregano leaves to your spaghetti sauce and let it simmer.
  • Sage -Cheese dishes, sausage, pork, and the traditional sage dressing.
  • Thyme – Soups, sauces and stuffing. Must have for pork, lamb or chowder. Try it chopped on onion soup.
  • Chives – With a subtle onion flavor, chives is one of the best culinary herbs. Saute chives in melted butter or chopped in sour cream to top potatoes. One taste of fresh chives makes you realize how tasteless dried, bottled chives are (true for most of the herbs). Try it chopped on your scrambled eggs.
  • Rosemary – These woody little sprigs are awesome crushed and used in chicken,pork, pastas, breads, and sauces. It is a real treat when rubbed onto a leg of lamb before roasting. Yum!

We always keep a planter of fresh hydroponic herbs going year-round. It adds a charming earthy touch to our kitchen.

We have searched and experimented and settled on this self-contained hydroponics unit which we recommend for your separate kitchen indoor herb garden:

The Click and Grow Smart Garden 9

The Click and Grow Smart Garden 9
Image credit: Backyard Garden Lover.

This is a compact unit that is very popular with herb-growers. It has a built in canopy with grow lights, so is great for a dim kitchen. It can be tucked into a corner so is great for smaller kitchens, too.

Includes little pre-planted “seed pods”. You can even make your own seed pods later. You can also grow lettuce or patio tomatoes in this smart garden. A fun little unit for growing herbs that we love!

Advantages:

  • Easy setup; totally automated; idiot-proof
  • An excellent intro to hydroponics that makes a great gift for a child or that “black thumb” you know

Disadvantages:

  • Needs height; the light canopy lifts up to 22″ for full-grown plants
  • It’s kind of expensive, but so worth it, if you prefer fresh herbs to dry ones.

What Else Can You Grow In Your Hydroponic Garden?

How to Grow An Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden.

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