Growing your own herbs doesn't need to be difficult. If you have never done it before or if you are unsure, stick with easy ones like oregano, parsley, and sage. Most of these you can place outdoors when the weather turns nice, then take in when the weather turns too cold. That way you can have fresh herbs all year long.
Setting Up
Find some grow lights or fluorescent shop lights. If you have the room, you can make a special place to growing your own plants. You will want to hang your lights from the ceiling. Otherwise, if you are short on room, you can prop them up. Put up a shelf or shelves for the length of your grow light. You will need soil to start your plants and something to plant your seed in and a tray to catch the water as it runs through the soil. Ideally, you want the air temperature to remain a constant 65 to 70 degrees. Many use a special heating pad made just for plants. To begin with, hang your lights about 2 inches above your pots.
Sowing
The containers you choose should be shallow and have a drainage hole or holes at the bottom. You just need to get their roots started, and then you can put your plant in a deeper container. Egg cartons work great for this and some are biodegradable so if you put one seed per cell, you can just cut the egg carton apart and plant the entire cell into a bigger pot. This way you won't disturb the roots. Sow your seeds being careful not to get too many in one place then sprinkle some soil over the top. Don't use too much soil, but just enough to cover the seeds.
Water
Now you need to water your seeds carefully. You can do this several different ways. Use a sprinkler watering can or you can place the pot or container into a tray of water and allowing the water to come up through the holes. When the soil turns dark, then you know you have watered it enough. Do not allow the containers to sit in water, or your seeds will rot. When the soil is moist and all the water has drained though, place on the heating pads, under the grow lights. Whenever your soil feels dry to the touch, mist with water.
Growing Your Seedlings
In order for your seedlings to spout and grown, you need to keep the grow lights on for twelve to sixteen hours a day. When the plants begin to grow and get past their primary leaves, read your seed packet for additional instructions on your specific plant. If you only used a shallow growing flat, as nurseries do, then you will need to repot after their roots develop and they have more then their primary leaves. In addition, as your plants grow, you will need to adjust your lights, so your new plants don't grow into them.
Repotting
As your plants grow, adjust their pot size. Think about how you see them in the nursery. Most sell in a four-inch pot, or four- to six-pack cells. When the spring comes and all danger of frost is over, you can move your herb plants outdoors. It is important to place them where they have protection from strong winds, hard rain or intense sunlight to begin with.
Plant Outdoors
When the soil warms, you can plant them in the ground. You can keep them in their pots and grow indoors during the winter months. If you grow sage, you need to plant it outdoors as it molds easily indoors.
If you start Rosemary from seed, it is sometimes difficult to start. A good way to encourage it is to scratch the seed coat. An emery board or fine-grain sandpaper is a great way to do this. Don't scratch too deep though or you will destroy the seed.
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