If you follow me on Instagram stories, you know that I’ve recently taken up urban gardening, or “herban” gardening if you will. I have this idea in my head that one day I will actually grow all of my own food and have chickens and make my own pickles and jellies and maybe even open a little booth at the farmers market.. LOL. If I ever get my act together to make that happen I will be impressed, but it certainly is not happening while I live in a condo in downtown Lexington. I’m starting small with a little herb garden on my back porch! Herbs are said to be even harder to kill than succulents and they do well in containers, so they are a great choice for the urban gardener.
Here’s how I did it: I got two of these 8” planters and two of these 10” terracotta planters, both from Target. I bought my herbs from Home Depot and got all Bonnie Plants brand. They’re also available on Amazon, this four pack of basil, mint, oregano and lemon balm is a great deal! I filled the pot with potting soil up about 2/3 of the way, took the herb out of its container and broke the roots up a bit with my hand (honestly I remembered this from helping my mom garden for years as a child), placed it in the pot and filled with potting soil, then drenched the pot with water. I planted basil, parsley, mint, cilantro, and lavender. Most say you don’t need fertilizer for herbs, but it can be beneficial when potting.
I am certainly no expert, but have done my fair share of internet research during my urban gardening process. I also attended a Level Up class taught by Emily Rodes on herb gardening and picked up a few tips and tricks! Check out my five tips for the urban / “herban” gardening below:
Tips for Urban Gardening
1: Sunshine!
Almost all common herbs love sun! Make sure your pots are somewhere that gets plenty of sun during the day.
2: Give them Room
Herbs are one of the best plants to grow in containers, but they still need room for roots. Look for a pot about a foot deep. The tags on the herbs say that you’ll need to plant them so many inches apart from each other, but I talked to the garden expert at Home Depot who said they didn’t need near that much room and you can plant them closer together. I planted my different species about four inches apart.
3: And Just the Right Amount of Water
This is the part that I struggle with the most. I never know how much to water plants! I always feel like I’m giving them too much and they end up dying or I totally forget that I’m a plant mom for two weeks and they end up dying. According to all my research on the internet, you should water your herbs when the soil is dry to touch. I’ve been watering mine about every other day depending on if it has rained or not. If you’re herbs are getting dark spots or turning yellow, it may be a sign of overwatering.
4: Do your Research
Different herbs like different conditions. Do a quick google search before you buy your herbs to know what you’re getting into. For example, mint is an invasive herb and should be planted in a container by itself. I found this article very useful.
5. Follow the Rule of Thirds
In my herb class I learned that different herbs prefer to be harvested different ways. In general, you should never harvest more than 1/3 of the plant to ensure it will continue to grow to the best of its ability. Some herbs, like cilantro and parsley, should be harvested at the stem, while others, like basil and mint, may be snipped off by the leaf.
So far, I haven’t killed anything, but I’ll be sure to keep y’all updated 😉 I’m thinking I may do an urban gardening series of posts, so let me know if there’s anything in particular you’re interested in!
Biscuits & (basil) & blessings,
Leels
I’ve got a couple basil plants in my living room! I tried cilantro too, but I just couldn’t keep it alive 🙂
Girl, I have the same dream! My fiancé and I always talk about growing our own food!! I’ve done herbs and even a tomato plant in a container before and it was super successful!! Good luck!!
I have literally been planning for an herb garden so this is super helpful!!
I LOVE THIS! At my last apartment I grew a tomato plant and some basil on the balcony & the sense of pride I felt over them was intense! I really aspire to be a gardener but I feel so lost!
I’ve always done herb and veggie gardens, from small apartments to raised beds in my current home. There’s just something so rewarding about knowing you grew things yourself!!
I think that would be so neat to do, but I have two dogs that would for sure get anything I would try to grow haha!
Girl, I love this! I am obsessed with plants and have them all around my apartment, but I have very little light in here, so I’m struggling. I usually stick to succulents, but do to my lighting issues, I recently went out and bought a bunch of vines and other shade-friendly plants. The only problem is that I don’t have anywhere to put these much larger pots. All of the struggles. But way to go girl, you are killing the Urban Gardening Game!