Herbs 101
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Growing herbs does not require a lot of space and you can grow them both outdoors and indoors like lining your pots of herbs on window sills. You can plant herbs straight in the ground, in pots, larger containers or hanging pots.
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Herbs are aromatic and are used in cooking, cosmetic and medicinal products. Having herb plants in your kitchen is the epitome of the concept of from Farm to Table. You can snip herbs whenever you need them. That is such a wonderful feeling.
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There are several ways of growing herbs. You can sow seeds (preferably organic) in organic soil and wait for them to germinate and then transplant the seedlings into your container of choice around 30-40 days later. Adding a compost or fertilizer layer for successful continued growth.
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However, there are some herbs like Rosemary that has a long germination period or is difficult to germinate and so in these cases, you are better off by buying a pot of established herb from gardeners and then propagate more of them. I find it is quick easy to grow Basil from seeds and it also grows fast.
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You can propagate more herbs by cutting stems of 5-6 inches from the mother plant, then clipping off the bottom leaves and placing them in a glass of water for the roots to grow. Once you see strong roots, you can plant them in pots with well-drained organic soil and add a thin layer of compost or fertilizer for better growth. Some of the stems with nodes like Mint can be planted directly into the soil without having to get them rooted first in the water.
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Another way is to split the herb plant you bought and re-planting them with the roots intact into a new pot to multiply pots of herbs.
Herb plants should be trimmed regularly to encourage more branches to grow and thus makes your plants lusher, bigger and stronger.
Most herbs keep longer after harvesting by freezing them or air-drying them. You can use a food hydrator to speed up the process especially in Hong Kong’s humid weather.
Herb pots and dried herbs make great gifts.
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