Indoor plants look fantastic anywhere and the kitchen is no exception. Go for the edible kind so you’ll always have herbs in easy reach when cooking
How to create your own little herb garden in your kitchen
Every kitchen looks fresher and more alive with some friendly greenery. Kitchens are often one of the best places in the house to grow plants because most have a sun-facing window that will provide lots of light to keep your plants happy. Consider edible plants for the bench or window sill, and ornamental plants to dress up shelves or sit on top of the fridge.
Grow what you eat
Herbs are a fantastic and fresh addition to any meal and add a plethora of health benefits as well as flavour. It makes sense to have them close at hand while you’re cooking. Instead of walking out to the vege patch on a rainy day, think of keeping some of your most frequently used herbs in the kitchen for quick and easy access. Because your pots of herbs aren’t outside, you’ll also know they’re not being sprayed with any nasty chemicals.
Tips to keep herbs thriving in your kitchen
- If you buy a little herb plant from the grocery store, consider potting it up into a bigger container so there’s more soil to supply nutrients and hold moisture.
- Place pots on a window sill or somewhere close to a natural light source as most herbs can’t survive in low light.
- If you don’t have much light then stick with mint, parsley, nasturtium and chives.
- Place your pots in dishes or bowls that can hold about 30ml of water. The plant can draw up this water through capillary action and won’t dry out as quickly.
- If you don’t have a sunny window sill, consider using a hanging planter to save bench space and get those herbs as close to the sunniest spot as possible.
Compost after you eat
Composting is a great way to recycle your kitchen scraps and produce some quality soil to put back into your garden.
Do’s and don’ts of food scrap composting
Do compost
– All fruit and vege waste
– Old bread, crackers, pizza or noodles (anything made of flour)
– Grains
– Coffee grounds and teabags
– Eggshells
– Cereal
Don’t compost
– Meat or meat waste such as bones, fat or skin
– Fish or fish waste
– Dairy products, eg cheese, butter and yoghurt
– Grease or oil
Words by: Ryan McQuerry. Photography by: Andrew Finlayson, James Knowler, Will Horner, Cath Muscat/Bauersyndication.com.au; Sylwia Gervais/Oneshot.
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