The Secret to Growing A Healthy Herb Garden

At first, I thought growing herbs indoor would be easy. I mean, I’d seen makeover shows and seen magazine spreads of all these beautiful fragrant indoor herb gardens. And then I uttered those words that will make a reluctant student out of you real quick…how hard could it be?

This wall had been empty since we moved in. I hung the AFAO wall art but the space still felt empty. So, I came up with the idea to install a wall herb garden. I went to a nearby big-box retailer, bought the beautiful wire baskets. Went around the corner to another big-box retailer and bought the pots and plants. I used Gorilla Hook picture frame hangers to hang my baskets and plants and the space felt complete!

Adding the wall garden made the room feel cozy, definitely more homely and I loved it.

The herbs, however, did not.

Every herb you see in the photo above died.

Every single last one of them.

I didn’t overwater.

I used really good soil.

So I was baffled.

The setting sun lit the room beautifully in the evenings so I was really baffled.

I thought my days of committing herbicide were over!

So what happened?

Well, apparently the wall where I decided to install my herb garden is considered a shady spot. (I’d never noticed this before.)

And get this, the herbs I planted, needed sun.

Lots of sun.

Unless you’re putting your herbs directly in a window with lots of light, you too may commit herbicide.

Not to be defeated, I replanted some basil and stuck it outside where it could get lots of sun.

The result?

Lots of healthy basil.

So the key to a successful herb garden is to yes, make sure you have good soil and drainage and water properly. But also, give them the appropriate amount of sunlight.