PREPPERS PARADISE AHEAD
Did You Know That Bell Peppers Can Be Grown Indoors? 10 Home Herbs.
Published on June 5, 2024
Credit: Brooke Lark
Suppose you are making a delicious pesto sauce and find yourself in need of some basil. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just stretch your hand and take a few fresh leaves from your home garden? What about some parsley? Or maybe even a bell pepper? Believe it or not, with a couple of flowerpots, this kind of thing is possible in every home. Read on and discover 10 herbs and vegetables commonly used in the kitchen that can be grown with very little care and space, including plants that you never thought could thrive in such an environment.
Basil
Credit: Yakob Leonov
Whether you are making pesto, a Margherita pizza, or a number of other things, basil is a great herb to have around. And the fresh variety is a huge improvement over the dehydrated one.
Lucky for us, this plant can easily be grown indoors. Just a small flower pot or vessel with small holes for drainage on the bottom, soil, and a bit of sunlight. Harvest by cutting a few stems just above where two leaves meet and the plant will keep on giving!
Parsley
Credit: Chandan Chaurasia
A herb so noble its uses are too varied to count, parsley can be easily grown indoors. All it requires is a small pot, some lightly moistened soil, and a sunny window. Give the plant these humble ingredients and it will reward you with an infinite supply of aromatic leaves that can be minced, chopped, or used in full for a myriad of dishes and sauces.
Chives
Credit: Jane Duursma
Chives are a basic ingredient for many recipes but groceries only deliver tiny packages of cut chives or full plants that last only one meal or two. Fortunately, chives are a great herb to grow indoors.
The seeds can be sowed in a pot placed in a sunny spot, with a tray of pebbles and water under the pot to give the plant some extra moisture and you’re all set!
Oregano
Credit: Dayana Brooke
Sprinkle it on a pizza, a roasted chicken, a tomato slice, or a thousand other foods, oregano is a celebrity herb in the Mediterranean pantry. And the great news is that, if it is on this list, it can be home grown!
Find a flowerpot with holes on the bottom, add some pebbles and soil, then put the seeds inside. Oregano needs lots of sunlight so make sure to place it near a sunny window and it will provide an infinite amount of flavor for your dishes.
Rosemary
Credit: Babette Landmesser
Most people would not believe that a sturdy, shrub-like herb can grow well indoors but, in the case of the rosemary, it does. It is a friendly plant that can be grown in the same pot with basil, as it shares the same soil and sunlight conditions. Snip a few stems to add amazing flavor to meats, pasta, and all kinds of preparations!
Chervil
Credit: Markus Spiske
Add a touch of French cuisine flavor to your everyday dishes with this aromatic wonder. Poultry, salads, soups, egg dishes, and virtually everything can be enhanced with this culinary jack of all trades.
To grow chervil indoors, simply plant the seeds into a small pot or container with some soil and put it close to a sunny window. Trim leaves and stems for your preparations and the plant will keep on giving for as long as you need it to.
Sage
Credit: Paulina H.
A herb so wonderful that it is even used to drive mosquitoes away, sage can be grown in the comfort of your own home. As with all the plants on our list, it needs all the sunlight your home can provide, a small pot, and fresh soil.
Its soft leaves, resembling bunny ears, can be plucked out to make flavorful stuffings, sausages, sauces, and more.
Thyme
Credit: Anja Junghans
All aromatic plants and herbs are beautiful in their own right and can help decorate a room, but if the plant is especially beautiful like thyme is, then the benefit doubles! This wonderful herb can add flavor to your roasted potatoes, chicken drumsticks, roasted vegetables, pasta, soup, and everything in between.
As usual, give it a sunny spot, a well-drained soil that can dry between waterings, and your gorgeous thyme plant is good to go.
Mint
Credit: Shaun Meintjes
A multi-talented herb like mint flourishes in all kinds of preparations: from savory dishes and mojitos to chocolate-mint desserts, and as a topping for ice creams or infused in a tea.
If you were to plant it outdoors, mint can run wild and thrive by itself. But, since we are talking indoor plants here, we must advise putting mint in a small pot with rich soil and frequent watering. This way, your mint plant will grow and provide all its freshness for a very long time.
Bell peppers
Credit: Louis Hansel
Few vegetables are as ubiquitous in our dishes as bell peppers. You can stuff them literally everywhere. And growing bell peppers indoors has the advantage of providing a year-round supply of delicious homegrown produce.
Bell peppers are ideal for growing in pots. They need well-drained rich soil with organic matter and, again, all the sunlight your home can provide. Make a small stick cross, about 12 inches high, and plant it firmly in the soil, so the bell pepper that grows can attach itself to it.