Monday, December 20, 2010

How to have an herb garden in an apartment in North Dakota in the middle of winter

While we're waiting in Grand Forks, ND for the move to the next base in a warmer climate (Las Vegas), my husband and I are living in a 'garden level' apartment. This apartment doesn't include a deck, but the plus side is that there aren't any stairs. So how do I maintain my herb garden? In the summer I leave the plants in the 2nd bedroom window, and they did just fine. But as the cold of winter set in, I had a problem. If you don't want your plants to die or go dormant in the winter here, you have to move them indoors, away from a window. The windows might get drafts, and mine have ice on the outer corners. But how will they get sunlight? As most of the days here in the winter are cloud covered, you would have to get a growing lamp. I got mine from online, and you can find a company here. The picture that you see above is my little set up, when we went on vacation. I usually kept them in the 2nd bedroom and plugged and unplugged the setup myself, but of course when we left we couldn't have the light on all night when we were gone. So I went to the store and got a timer. Presto! Now all I have to do is water them. I keep Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Chocolate Mint and Lavender. the trick is to keep them small and trimmed by using alot of the herbs in cooking. I like to use a little bit of each (except mint and lavender) on parboiled fish. Its great having fresh herbs, especially since they're so expensive and often wilted at the store. Let me know if you have any questions!

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