Bring Herbs Indoors for Winter

Source: Lighter Footstep

Bringing herbs indoors before the first freeze is a great way to add greenery and freshness to a long, cold winter. It will also jump start next year’s garden.

If you’re up a little before dawn these days, you’ll notice the constellation Orion hanging high in the eastern sky. The winter stars are on their way — and with them, cooler weather. In just a few short weeks, gardeners will wrap up their beds for the season.

But that doesn’t mean you need to give up fresh herbs until spring. There’s nothing quite as pleasant as a little green around the home during the winter months. If you start now, you’ll have a vibrant and useful stock of herbs at hand through the holidays and beyond. They’ll freshen your cooking — and your indoor air — until next planting season.

Use what you have

You can buy new plants, of course. But you’re in great shape if there are already got some herbs in your garden. Mint, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and chives are all good candidates for relocation indoors. Mix a rich batch of potting soil. Equal parts of commercial potting soil, sand, and peat moss should do well.

Taking care not to damage roots, transfer some healthy plants to pots and set them aside in a deeply shaded area such as a porch. You’ll want to allow your herbs a week or to become acclimated to the reduction in heat and sunlight before bringing them indoors part time. After another week or two, your plants will be ready to stay inside for good.

Stay green all winter

Locate your potted herbs where they’ll get plenty of light, but are away from heating ducts and major appliances. Don’t over-water, but remember that indoor environments are substantially dryer than outside.

Take care of your plants well, and they’ll survive for replanting (or propagation) once the weather warms. Reading from the Southern Hemisphere? Bookmark this article and come back again in March or April. And we’ll all swap seasonal places again.

Have you had a great indoor plant experience? Please share your tips in our comment section!