Getting a Jump on Your Herb Growing from Seeds Indoors

Beginning with seeds can be a little tedious, but I love giving my annuals a jump on the growing season by starting them from either the seeds I collected the previous summer or from seeds I order online.

Not all herbs do well from seeds, so read up on your herb plants before you invest in seeds, containers, earth and the like.

First, soak your seeds for at least 3 hours before planting them so that they will have an extra advantage. Another way to do this is to allow your herbs to pre-sprout by soaking them, placing them on a moistened paper towel and then putting them into a freezer bag and sealing it up. If you go this route, be sure to keep the sealed bag away from heat and check back frequently to see if the seeds have started sprouting yet. Once your seeds have started to sprout, you’re ready to plant them in some rich, moist dirt.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, read up on your herb plants before you get the seeds or start the sprouting process, because that might not be enough. Some varieties of seeds need to be scratched up before they can grow. Other varieties will need to be heated up (from sunlight, not the microwave, stove or oven) before you cultivate them. Good examples of these include the chili pepper and citronella herbs.

Once your seeds have begun the germinating process you should focus on controlling their growing environment. The germinating process can be as short as five days, such as some varieties of basil, catnip, chives and parsley, or as long as 36 days or more, as in hyssop.

Your seed pots should contain a special seed-starting sod mix that comes with both vermiculite and sphagnum moss for best results.

Although there are a number of many great herbs that you can raise from seeds, here are a few of the best:

• Caraway: If you’ve got some caraway in your kitchen spice rack, simply sprinkle a few of them into a pot, cover with earth and water—how simple could that be? All you have to do is add a few seeds to a container and cover with a thin layer of soil and a little bit of water. Caraway only takes a few days to germinate. Then you can transfer your herb to a larger pot or garden bed. Caraway is a popular herb for both German and Indian dinners.

• Lavender: For the fastest and best results, try the Lady variety of Lavender or it will take forever to raise your lavender plant—and why waste time waiting for seeds to develop when you could already be enjoying this most sublime plant.

• Nasturtium: These little flowers of happiness are severely under-rated. Not only are they brilliant, they are edible too. Even better, you can easily grow them from seeds! Soak the seeds overnight before planting for the best results when you plant them in your well-drained earth. Nasturtiums like living inside, so you do not have to move them out once spring comes. Just snip off a couple of blooms when you need them to add color to your salads.

• Shepherd’s Purse: Spice up your next salad with a little shepherd’s purse, especially if you’re using a peppercorn ranch. This herb, which lots of folks believe is a weed, smells a bit like pepper, but tastes much richer. As an added bonus, the fresh leaves are great for a heavy dose of your daily vitamins. To raise shepherd’s purse, simply sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil, water it and watch it grow.

If you want to really experiment with raising herbs from seeds, use these herb plants too: bee balm, borage, catnip, chives, and dill.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Mini Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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