The best compliment to a home is a garden. Whatever the location, be it a low-cost housing or an ultra-posh exclusive property, greenery never goes out of style. There is nothing better than growing your own salad ingredients. If you live in a place where there is no space for an outdoor garden, these greens can be grown in pots. The reward is freshness and savings.
For those who have enough space outdoors, according to Domain, leafy greens like baby spinach, rocket, lettuce and kale grow well all-year round in a moderate climate. These greens are best eaten minutes after being picked because they quickly lose their nutrients after being harvested. These greens don't need a big garden to guarantee supply for the entire family. A small garden will do and either you add or harvest depending on timing. The right time to harvest is when the plants are big enough and vegetation can be removed without killing the plant.
Herbs on the other hand are very essential cooking ingredients. It can be very frustrating at times when a certain herb is not available in the supermarket. You also often find yourself discarding at least what you bought from the store because they wilt in a very short time. This is the reason that it's nice to grow your own herbs. Surprisingly growing them is not so hard. In fact they can be grown in separate pots or mixed in a big pot.
According to SFgate, growing herbs in pots is not a bad idea especially when you harvest them often for cooking. Plants that have similar water, soil moisture or sun requirements can be grown together in pots that are at least 12 inches in diameter. These plants can be grown indoors and the perfect spot is the kitchen by the window.
Plants that come from the Mediterranean areas like Rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, marjoram and lavender can be grown together in one pot. They require lots of sunlight and soil that is relatively dry. On the other hand basil, cilantro, tarragon and parsley can be grown in one big pot because they are moisture-lovers besides needing full sunshine. However, if you are growing basil for making pesto you are going to need one whole pot or several pots of basil as the tiny one in a mixed pot may not be enough.
Mint varieties on the contrary should not be mixed in big pots as they are likely to interbreed and produced a new kind that is not as delicious and fragrant. Mints like peppermint, spearmint, catmint, flavored mints such as orange mint and lemon balm are runners and growing them in pots keep them from spreading so they don't survive long. Grown one variety of mint in one long box if you are decided to have them.
Growing your own food is actually easy but for beginners, you can start small and growing them in pots is a good idea.