Herb gardens have caught the imagination of all who loves gardening, yet could not give much time to nurture their plants. Herbs are comparatively easy to maintain; be it outdoor herb gardening or indoor herb gardening.

In the present times when independent houses with sprawling lawns have made way to apartments with balconies or terraces, indoor herb gardening has become the most innovative methods of growing herbs. From window sills in your kitchen to your bedroom balconies, herbs can be one of the freshest entities in your living space.

Growing herbs for indoor herb gardening is easy, requiring little care but of course good sunlight. Many of you must be worried each year before the onset of winter, about the delicate herbs in your garden. Will they be able to withstand the chill and the frost of the winter? Stop worrying and pave way for indoor herb gardening. And do not need to make drastic changes in your house to indulge in your passion for growing herbs.

So, how to grow own herb garden is the obvious question. All that you need is a south or west facing open space (maybe a window sill or balcony); which receives sunlight for at least five hours a day. If you are confused as to how to start off with your indoor herb gardening, here’s a tip: Thyme, rosemary and mint are good options as starters for your indoor herb garden. You can either buy them from a florist or grow them from cuttings.

If you intend to start your indoor herb gardening with cuttings or through transplant, allow the soil to dry out slightly. You can start off initially by growing herbs in a soil-less mix of perlite, peat and vermiculite. Also, make sure that your indoor herb garden should get plenty of light, without being exposed to extreme heat.

On the other hand, if you wish to grow herbs for your indoor herb garden with seeds, you can start off with filling terracotta or a clay pot (preferably) with potting soil that is available from any florist or greenhouse. Then, all you need to do is to place the seeds in soil to a certain depth as specified on the packet and sprinkle them with water. Now, keep these pots on the window shelf facing the south or west so that they can get sufficient sunlight.

To give the extra glamour to your indoor herb gardening, pots of same material shape and size to add symmetry. Also, make sure that you buy herb seeds marked as ‘compact’ meant to be grown in pots, instead of the regular ones.

Hydroponics was derived from the Greek word hydro, which means "water" and ponos, which means "labor or water-working". Hydroponics gardening involves growing plants with their roots in other nutrient solutions and without soil.

Hydroponics gardening is as simple as ordinary gardening. Both of them necessitate sufficient light, water, temperature, light, and humidity. But with hydroponics, no soil is used. Instead a soil substitute holds the roots while nutrients are carried by the water. Indoor hydroponic gardening is not that hard and plants respond well to this method of growing.

This is one of the major considerations in hydroponics gardening since it sustains the plants. One has to make sure that this nutrient solution maintains a pH level of 5 to 6 after dilution. In hydroponics gardening, the plants should be watered more than three times a day. this is usually done using a pump and timer.

If your hydroponics garden is located indoors, the most suitable temperature is between 71 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, this temperature may change depending on the different types of plant you are working on, e.g. tropical plants.

Place your plants somewhere they can receive ample amount of light. Otherwise artificial light must be used. High pressure Sodium lights or bulbs are a suitable substitute for natural light.

Humidity is good. When the room’s temperature rises, the air will be able to hold the sufficient amount of moisture your plants will need.

A hydroponics system can be fully automated. Since it is water-based, the gardener has no soil to dig or weeds to pull. Also, the water can be re-used to prevent wastage.

With hydroponics, an excellent yield of quality plants can be easily achieved. Home hydroponics systems and DIY kits are are readily available in most hardware stores.